Welcome
A warm welcome to Hingham Pickleball!
This guide provides essential information about how our club runs, alongside helpful notes to supplement our Intro to Pickleball session for new players. We hope you enjoy playing Pickleball as much as we do!
Booking sessions
All session bookings and club communications are managed through the Spond app.
Receiving Invites: Once set up, you will receive Spond invitations for sessions suitable for your skill level, as well as ad-hoc member games and open club tournaments.
How to Book: Open the session invite, tap Accept, and follow the payment instructions. Note: Occasionally, you may be invited to book before payment is requested; in these cases, payment prompts will follow once the session is confirmed.
Profile Photo: Please upload a clear photo of yourself to your Spond profile so our hosts and organisers can match names to faces.
Cancellations & waiting lists
Declining Invites: If you know you cannot make a session, please select Decline. This helps our organisers track attendance accuracy.
Changing Your Status: If you previously accepted a session but can no longer attend, please update your response to Decline immediately.
Waiting Lists: Declining frees up space for players on the waiting list. If a spot becomes available, an invite will be sent to you individually. Please accept and pay promptly—otherwise, the offer will move to the next person on the list (you will typically have 12–24 hours to respond, or less if it is a same-day session).
Refund Policy: Unfortunately, refunds or credits cannot be offered for sessions cancelled by members. The administration for this is too intensive; instead, the money is used to keep session fees as low as possible for everyone.
Membership & fees
Temporary Membership: New players start as temporary members to "Pay & Play" for up to 3 sessions (the session fees still are paid via Spond).
Annual Subscription: After your third session, our Membership Secretary will send an annual membership request via Spond.
Annual Fee: £5/year (for 2026/7).
Contact & communication
Email: hinghampickleball@gmail.com
Club Messages: Official notices and day-to-day announcements are sent using the messaging feature inside the Spond app.
WhatsApp: We have a club WhatsApp group for Pickleball related chat. Please send your mobile phone number to hinghampickleball@gmail.com to be added to the group
Your committee
hinghampickleball@gmail.com
We have a committee of volunteers who communicate regularly.
We have an annual general meeting, to which ALL club members are welcome to attend.
Committee members:
Chairperson: Helen Grover
Secretary: Neil Collins
Treasurer: Andrew Thorpe
Membership secretary: Devendra Mahatme
Safeguarding officer: Val Green
General committee members:
Fay Manning (who is also one of our club Pickleball coaches)
Denese Chettleburgh
Jonathan Oakes
Danny Clarke
Coaching
The club has access to three Level 1 pickleball coaches:
Fay Manning- contact via Spond or WhatsApp (direct message via the club site)
Nigel Chowles- contact via Spond or WhatsApp (direct message via the club site)
Jonathan Lindner (jmltennis@outlook.com)
Note all 3 coaches have full time jobs elsewhere so can only provide coaching ad-hoc.
Club documents & membership terms
Full details of Hingham Pickleball Club constitution and membership terms and conditions, as well as minutes from meetings can be found on Spond. Please select: groups – Hingham Pickleball Club-Files. Membership terms and conditions are accepted by you when you initially sign up as a member via our Spond electronic form.
Your pickleball introduction
These notes are for new players. Those brand new to Pickleball will have undertaken an intro session with us. Those who have had intros at other centres may also find these notes useful.
Safety
warm up before play (gentle stretches, warm up muscles)
wear non-slip court shoes. Change into court shoes upon arrival if conditions outside are wet. This avoids the court becoming slippery.
consider the use of impact rated sport safety glasses (there are also lensless Pickleball safety glasses available)
keep hydrated (before, during and after play)
keep courts free of personal items.
be aware of location of first aid kit and defibrillator.
Don’t walk behind players when they are playing.
Don’t run backwards.
Bear in mind that we have limited room behind the baselines at Hingham.
If a ball leaves your court, call “ball on” immediately. Do NOT run onto a court to retrieve a ball. A player on the court should pick the ball up, wait to see who needs it, and then throw it to that person.
Make an honest assessment of your current fitness before considering playing (e.g. current injury, illness etc)
Court boundaries & line calls
A Pickleball court’s boundaries are the same for singles and doubles play. It includes (if adapted from a badminton court) the doubles side lines, together with the baselines and the centre lines. In addition, the Non -Volley Zone (NVZ) is marked as an additional line, 6 inches (15.24cms) further from the net than the short service line in badminton.
A ball touching any part of the sideline or baseline is considered in. (a serve must CLEAR the NVZ, not touch it)
Line calls- you MUST be able to see the ball, the line and a gap between to be able to call a ball out. Note that a difference in perspective may mean that your partner may be able to call a ball out that you cannot. Any doubt – ball is IN. There are no lets for uncertain line calls.
Players should only make line calls on their side of the court.
Game flow & the two-bounce rule
NVZ line- consider it the winning line- your aim will be to get both players to the NVZ line as you win most points there. Conversely, you should aim to keep your opponents pinned back from the NVZ for as long as possible.
As the name suggests; you CANNOT volley if standing within this line. You also cannot volley the ball outside it, then enter it through momentum. Clothing or paddles also cannot enter it in such circumstances. You CAN enter the NVZ to hit a ball after it has bounced.
points can only be won on serve (with standard scoring method)
Start game with server on the right- hand side. Serve diagonal- clear the NVZ line.
Serve must bounce before being returned. The return ball (which can land anywhere on the court) must also bounce before being hit again by the serving side. This is the “2 bounce rule” so remember - the returner cannot volley, so the serving team should stay back after the serve to be able to receive the return and let it bounce.
Sequence: serve – bounce – return of serve – bounce – return…any legal shot can then follow, i.e. groundstroke, volley, dink etc.
Grip
Use the chopper grip for all shots. The chopper grip (or continental grip) is where the paddle is held as if it were an axe or hammer, with the V-shape of the thumb and index finger aligned on the top-left bevel (for right-handers).
Softer shots (e.g. dinks and resets) will require a decrease in grip pressure.
Harder shots (e.g. serves, groundstrokes, attacking volleys) will require an increase in grip pressure.
Ready position
Ready position feet shoulder width apart, slight knee bend, weight on balls of feet and paddle out in front ready to move in any direction. This ensures you can react quickly to the next shot.
Dink
A controlled shot- keep grip soft, ball should be placed, not hit, lock wrist- movement is from the shoulder. Remember- KPOW- Knees, Pendulum action, hit Out in front, Watch the ball
Hitting a dink at an angle across the court gives you more room for error and a slightly lower clearance height (the net is 2 inches lower in the centre of the court, than at the posts).
The dink is an important shot to learn (in time!) as it controls the game at the net and prevents the opposition from attacking the ball.
Volley
A ball which is hit before bouncing.
Should be hit out in front- no backswing, a controlled shot.
Can be used below the net height with a light grip for control and to keep the ball unattackable.
Can be used above net height with a firmer grip to hit a harder, attacking shot.
Can be used above the net with a lighter grip to “reset” an attacking shot by reducing its power.
Serve
The serve begins each rally.
The server must stand with both feet behind the baseline.
The serve must land diagonally in the opponent’s service box, clearing the NVZ (also called the “kitchen”)
If the serve hits the net, but then lands within the service boundaries, it’s a legal serve.
There are 2 types of serve:
Volley serve:
The ball is hit underhand.
Contact with the ball must be made clearly below waist height.
Paddle head below the wrist when ball is struck.
Paddle travels in an upward arc.
No spin must be added to the ball before hitting.
Drop serve: (only the conditions listed below need to be met for the drop serve)
Ball release from hand must not be propelled up or down, or spun.
Let ball bounce, then hit.
Ball can be hit with either a forehand or backhand motion.
Use which ever serve you prefer but remember, there is no second serve in pickleball; so, consistency is the priority.
- Remember- our aim is to keep the opponents back so a deep serve to the back 1/3 of the court is best.
Groundstroke & return of serve
(this shot is the same as a tennis groundstroke)
Watch the opponent hit the ball- as soon as you recognise where the ball is going get ready to hit either:
Forehand= dominant foot and weight back, paddle arm back
Backhand= non dominant foot back then same
but minimal back swing, move your feet to position so you can hit the ball out in front,
ensuring good balance before hitting the shot is very important.
Scoring in doubles
Games are usually played to 11 points and must be won by 2 clear points. (tournament games may be played to 15 or 21)
Points are scored only on the serve (with standard scoring method) the receiving side cannot score a point.
At the start of the game, the player on the right side (even court) serves to the diagonally opposite court.
Match begins with score of 0-0-2
If a point is scored, the server moves to the left side (odd court) and serves to the diagonally opposite court.
Players on the serving side continue to move from the right to left or left to right each time a point is scored.
Players on the serving team do not alternate sides unless a point is scored. The receiving side never alternates sides.
The first server continues to serve until the serving team loses a rally and the serve passes to the second server on the team (do not alternate sides) [See * below for an exception]
When the second server loses the serve, the service goes to the other team as a side out and the player on the right serves first, according to their score. That pattern continues throughout the game.
Calling the score
The score should be called as three numbers. It should be called by the player about to serve, BEFORE the serve is made.
This serves to:
Ensure the receiving team are aware that their opponent is about to serve.
Makes everyone aware of the current score (and allows time for score to be queried if required)
Keeps the game flowing. (no score querying discussions at the net!)
Proper sequence for calling the score is: server score, receiver score, then (for doubles only) the server number: 1 or 2.
To start a match, the score will be called as: zero – zero – two*
When a team’s score is even, the player who served first in that game must be on the right (even) side of the court and on the left (odd) side when the score is odd. Or, put another way, when the first server of that game is on the right side of the court, that team’s score should be even. If this is not the case, then either the players are positioned on the wrong side of the court or the called score is incorrect!
*First Server Exception: To minimise the advantage of being the first team to serve in the game, only one player, the one on the right side of the court when the game begins, gets to serve on the first service turn of the game. Since the serve goes to the other side when that player loses the serve, that player is designated as the second server. Therefore, at the start of the game, the score should be called, “0-0-2.” The “2” indicates the second server and means that the serve goes to the other side when the serve is lost.
Basic game tactics
NVZ is the “winning line” so, aim is:
Keep your opponents back and away from winning line.
Get you, and your partner to the winning line.
RETURN and RUN
Return deep- your opponents have to let the ball bounce- high loopy returnshot deep in to the court gives you time to run to the NVZ
Returner’s partner- job is to watch to make sure serve is in then be ready for next shot so that the rally can start at NVZ.
SERVE and STAY
because you cannot volley the return of serve you AND your partner should stay back to hit the ground stroke after it has bounced.
Serve team are now at disadvantage- their opponents are both already at the winning line- Serve team should use the fact that their opponents cannot volley in the NVZ to get forward by the use of drop shots and resets. (more advanced play)
Keep developing your game
This information is intended to be used to reinforce the teaching you have received at your introductory session.
It is a guide to basic play and is, therefore, not an exhaustive list of rules, shots and techniques!
As you continue to play, your game will evolve to master these basics and you should then aim to add other, more advanced shots and techniques to your game.
The club plays to USA Pickleball rules. The source notes explain that the full rules are updated in January each year. These notes are a basic guide, rather than an exhaustive rulebook.
The club encourages players to explore individual membership of Pickleball England.
Good luck!