Volley

A volley is any shot where the ball is struck out of the air before it has a chance to bounce on the court. Volleys are a normal part of pickleball once the two bounce rule requirement has been satisfied at the start of a point, and they are common during fast exchanges near the net.

The main restriction on volleying is the kitchen rule: a player cannot volley the ball while any part of their body or paddle touches the non-volley zone or its line, and momentum from the volley cannot carry them into the zone afterward either. Outside of the kitchen, volleys are legal anywhere on the court once the opening bounces have happened.

New players sometimes assume the two bounce rule means volleys are rare, when in practice fast net exchanges are full of them once the point develops. The more common mistake is volleying the return of serve too early, before the required bounce, or drifting forward into the kitchen right after a volley out of habit.