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Pickleball Glossary (A–Z)
Click a letter to jump.
- Ace
- A serve so clean your opponent doesn’t even touch it. Instant point, instant bragging rights. Give them a wink and a grin, they earned it.
- Around-the-Post (ATP)
- A highlight-reel shot that goes around the outside of the net post. Crowd pleaser every time. Looks like cheating but it's legit.
- Paddle Tap
- Pickleball’s handshake after a game. Sweat optional, sportsmanship required.
- Backhand
- The shot you make on your non-dominant side. Looks smooth if you know what you’re doing, tragic if you don’t.
- Banger
- A player who smashes everything like it’s Whac-A-Mole.
- Baseline
- The back boundary line of the court. Cross it too soon on a serve? That’s on you.
- Block
- A defensive volley where you just absorb the ball’s energy instead of swinging.
- Carry
- When the ball sticks to your paddle too long. Illegal, and a little embarrassing.
- Chicken Wing
- An awkward elbow-out block that makes you look like you’re mid-chicken-dance.
- Crosscourt
- A shot that goes diagonally across the net into the opponent’s opposite side.
- Dink
- The bread-and-butter soft shot that lands in the kitchen. Pickleball’s love language.
- Doubles
- Two-on-two play. Twice the fun, twice the excuses.
- Drive
- A hard, flat shot hit with pace. Think “pickleball fastball.”
- Drop Shot
- A soft shot that barely clears the net. Ideal when your opponent is stuck in the backcourt.
- Erne
- A legal volley taken outside the kitchen, right at the net’s edge. Flashy and devastating.
- Falafel
- A shot that comes off the paddle with zero power. Named after the flatbread? Nope—named because it’s flat and sad.
- Fault
- Any rule violation that ends a rally.
- Flapjack
- A shot that has to bounce once before you can hit it (usually a return).
- Forehand
- The most natural shot for most players—unless you’re trying too hard.
- Game Point
- Next point wins it. Cue the nerves.
- Grip-n-Rip
- Forget finesse—just swing hard and hope for the best.
- Half-Volley
- Hitting the ball right after it bounces, basically scooping it up.
- Inside-Out Shot
- A forehand (or backhand) that curves across the body, going the opposite way it looks like it should.
- I
- Doubles positioning with both players stacked in the center line before the serve.
- Junk Ball
- A weird, spin-heavy shot that’s ugly but annoyingly effective.
- Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone / NVZ)
- The seven-foot strip by the net where volleying is a sin. Step in at the wrong time and you’ll never hear the end of it. STAY OUT
- Let
- When a serve clips the net but still lands in the right spot. Redo time.
- Lob
- The rainbow shot. High, arching, designed to send opponents scrambling backward.
- Match Point
- One rally away from ending the game. Tension thick enough to slice with your paddle.
- Mis-Hit
- When the ball catches your paddle’s edge instead of the sweet spot. Oops.
- Nasty Nelson
- A serve aimed directly at the opponent’s body, usually while they’re at the kitchen line. Painful, hilarious, and totally legal.
- No-Man’s Land
- The dead zone between the kitchen and baseline where pickleball dreams go to die.
- Overhead Smash
- A high, hard shot spiked straight down. Pure dominance.
- Pickled
- Losing a game without scoring a single point. Ouch.
- Poach
- When you swoop in and steal your partner’s ball mid-rally. Risky but satisfying.
- Punch Volley
- A short, firm volley with minimal backswing. Quick hands, quicker point.
- Quickhands
- Lightning-fast reflexes at the kitchen line. Blink and you’ll miss it.
- Rally
- The back-and-forth exchange of shots after a serve.
- Reset
- A soft shot that slows down a heated rally, bringing control back.
- Serve
- The shot that starts every point. No pressure.
- Shake & Bake
- Doubles tactic: one drives it, the other crashes the net to clean up.
- Sideline
- The outer edge of the court. Step on it and it’s out.
- Soft Game
- Strategy focused on dinks, drops, and touch instead of power.
- Stacking
- Doubles formation where both teammates start on one side to favor their stronger shots.
- Third Shot Drop
- The signature pickleball play: a soft third-shot drop to let you move into the kitchen line.
- Topspin
- Spin that makes the ball dive downward after clearing the net.
- Tweener
- A between-the-legs shot, usually showboating. Risky business.
- Unforced Error
- A legal serve that is not touched by the receiving player, resulting in a point for the server.
- Volley
- Hitting the ball before it bounces. Classic net play move.
- Wrong Footing
- Catching your opponent moving one way and sending the ball the other.
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