What exactly is the kitchen in pickleball? Why does it cause so much confusion? And what happens if your paddle (or even your hat)  lands in it?

Don’t worry. We’re breaking down everything you need to know about the kitchen (officially called the Non-Volley Zone) so you can stop arguing over lines and pickleball rules, and start focusing on how to improve your actual game and pickleball rating. 

What Is the Kitchen?

The kitchen (or Non-Volley Zone, NVZ) is the 7-foot area on both sides of the net. It extends the full width of the court and includes all the lines around it.

In short:

• If you’re standing on or inside those lines, you’re in the kitchen.
• You can go in, but you can’t volley (hit the ball before it bounces) while you’re there.
  

The Golden Rule: No Volleys in the Kitchen

You cannot hit a volley (a ball that hasn’t bounced) while standing in the kitchen or on the kitchen line.

If you do, or even if your momentum carries you into it after the shot, it’s a fault.

✅ You can step in at any time, even before the ball bounces, but you can’t hit the ball until it bounces.
❌ You cannot volley the ball while any part of you touches the kitchen.

That includes:

• Your shoes, including your shoe laces
• Your paddle
• Your clothing, or sunglasses
• Even your hat or hair if it falls in 

If anything you’re wearing or holding touches the kitchen as a result of a volley, the rally is lost.

Momentum Matters

This is where things get tricky and where most kitchen arguments start.

If you volley the ball outside the kitchen but your momentum carries you into it afterward, it’s still a fault.  Even if you hit a winner and the ball is dead, the rally isn’t over until you control your momentum, meaning you regain your balance and you can step away from the NVZ.  No matter how long that takes, the rally isn’t over!  

The “Hover Rule” Myth

Here’s a fun one:  The kitchen is two dimensional, so you can lean over the kitchen to hit the ball as long as your feet stay out.

So yes, if you want to reach over and finish a ball that’s over the kitchen, go for it!
Just don’t let your toes, paddle, or anything else make contact with the line or ground inside.

You Can Go in the Kitchen

A lot of new players think they can’t ever step into the kitchen. Not true!

You can absolutely go into the kitchen, even before the ball bounces there.
That’s where you’ll hit your dinks, drops, and resets.

Just remember that once one foot touches the kitchen, both feet have to touch outside it before you hit a volley. 

Kitchen Line = Kitchen

One of the most common mistakes is forgetting that the line counts as part of the kitchen.

That means if your foot touches the line while volleying, it’s a fault.

Doubles Scenarios: Who's at Fault?

Let’s say your partner volleys and their momentum carries you into the kitchen.

That’s still a fault, even though you didn’t hit the ball. This is at times referred to as the "2 Becomes 1" rule.

Why? Because pickleball counts team momentum. If your partner’s movement causes anything on your side to enter the kitchen illegally, the team loses the rally.

Kitchen Quick Facts

• You can enter the kitchen at any time, except that…
• You cannot volley while in or on the kitchen line, and … 
• Your momentum into the kitchen after a volley = fault.
• The line is part of the kitchen.
• You can reach over the kitchen; just don’t touch it.

Every rally starts with respect for the pickleball rules and it all begins in the kitchen.
Track your progress, verify your matches, and keep improving your pickleball rating.

For more information on pickleball rules, visit this page.