What Are The 3 Ways To Score In Pickleball: Quick Guide

You score when the other team faults on your serve, return faults, or technical fouls.

If you came here wondering what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball, you’re in the right spot. I coach new players every week, and this guide breaks it all down in plain English, with real examples and tips you can use today. By the end, you’ll know exactly how points happen, how to set them up, and how to avoid giving them away.

Scoring Basics You Must Know

In standard play, only the serving team can score. You earn a point when the other team commits a fault during a rally while you are serving. The score calls include server number and team score. The serve must land in the correct box, and both the serve and return must bounce.

Rally scoring exists in some leagues and team events. In rally scoring, a point is awarded on every rally, no matter who serves. Most parks and local clubs still use side-out scoring. When people ask what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball, we look at how points happen under both formats.

Based on the official rulebook, a fault includes hitting out, into the net, volleying in the non-volley zone, double bouncing, or hitting a player or their gear. These rules set the stage for how points appear.

The 3 Ways to Score in Pickleball at a Glance

Here is what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball, explained simply.

• Serve and return faults by your opponents. This covers missed returns, illegal volley returns, and service winners or aces.
• Rally faults by your opponents while you are the serving team. Think out balls, net hits, kitchen foot faults, or double bounces.
• Technical fouls awarded by a referee against your opponents. Rare, but it gives your team a point.

Each path is clear and rule-based. Once you know them, you can plan your shots to push those faults.

Way 1: Score on the Serve and Return

If you ask what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball, the first is serve and return faults. You start the point with control. Use that edge to force weak returns or draw illegal ones. In side-out scoring, these are gold.

What counts as a serve or return fault

• The return does not land in. They hit out or into the net.
• The receiver volleys the return. That breaks the two-bounce rule.
• The receiver fails to reach the serve. That is a service winner or ace.
• The return hits the player or their gear before bouncing. That is a fault.

Tactics that create these points

• Aim deep to the backhand. Most players return shorter from that side.
• Add a little arc and depth. Deep serves buy you time for the third shot.
• Mix pace. A soft serve, then a firmer serve, keeps them guessing.
• Target the “T” near the sideline. Feet get tangled there.

From my coaching notes, two easy wins are a deep serve to backhand and a surprise body serve. These draw short or missed returns all day.

Mistakes to avoid

• Going for aces every time. Your miss rate will spike.
• Serving too short. The returner steps in and attacks.
• Rushing the next shot. Let the return bounce and move your feet.

One simple drill

• Place two cones two feet from each baseline corner.
• Serve 20 balls, trying to land between cone and baseline.
• Track your make rate. Aim for 70% or better with depth.

Way 2: Score on Rally Faults While You Are Serving

The second answer to what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball is rally faults. After the return, your goal is to keep the ball low, deep, and safe. You want the other team to miss first.

Common rally faults you can trigger

• They hit out under pressure. You aimed deep or to the corners.
• They net a ball. Your shot stayed low and skidded.
• They volley with a foot on the NVZ line. That is a kitchen fault.
• They let the ball bounce twice. Your depth pins them back.
• The ball hits their body or clothing. It counts as a fault.

How to force those errors

• Use third shots that drop near the kitchen. Low shots draw pop-ups.
• Aim to big targets. Deep middle is safe and hard to attack.
• Make them hit up. Keep the ball below net height.
• Change pace. A soft dink, then a speed-up, then back to soft.

I teach a “safe triangle”: deep middle, deep backhand corner, and soft drop into the near kitchen. This trio covers most points I see up to 4.0 level.

Mistakes to avoid

• Over-hitting winners. Let them miss, especially on windy days.
• Attacking balls below the net. You will clip the tape.
• Hanging back after the third shot. Close the gap to the NVZ.

One simple drill

• Cooperative third-shot drop: 50 reps crosscourt, no winners.
• Add pressure: partner moves you side to side before the drop.
• Track your drops that land in the kitchen with a safe arc.

Way 3: Earn a Point from a Technical Foul

The last answer to what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball is the technical foul. It is rare, but it is in the rules. A referee can award a point to the other team for misconduct after a technical warning.

What can cause a technical foul

• Verbal abuse or threats.
• Paddle or ball abuse that crosses a line.
• Ongoing delay or unsportsmanlike actions after a warning.
• Coaching violations in events that restrict coaching.

Under the rulebook, a technical foul awards one point to the opponent. It may also remove the serve if the server’s team committed it. In rec play without a ref, most groups use a warning system and replay. In events, the point stands.

How to avoid this trap

• Breathe and reset between points. Count to five.
• Ask the ref a calm question if you are unsure.
• Let the ref handle line calls if needed. Avoid arguing.

I have seen exactly one technical foul in a local event. It flipped a tight game. Keep your cool. You cannot win if you are not in control.

Strategy: Build Your Game Around High-Percentage Points

To master what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball, build a plan that feeds them. You want steady serves, smart third shots, and clean kitchen play. That plan sets up the other team to fail first.

Try these simple, high-yield habits:

• Serve deep 80% of the time. Sprinkle in one body serve each game.
• Third shot to the middle. Make both players guess who takes it.
• Dink crosscourt more than straight. You get more court and margin.
• Attack only high balls. Shoulder height or above is green light.
• Watch feet at the NVZ on fast hands. Kitchen faults happen fast.
• Talk early and often. Call “mine” or “yours” to avoid chaos.

When players ask what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball, I add this: points come from pressure with margin. Aim big. Play smart. Lower the net in your mind by keeping the ball low.

Scoring Examples and Scenarios

Let’s turn the rules into clear pictures. These quick cases show how points appear in real games.

• You serve deep to the backhand. The returner volleys the return by mistake. You score because the return must bounce.
• You serve, they return in. You hit a soft third shot drop. They net the next ball. You score on their rally fault.
• You serve wide. They reach and pop up short. You attack, and they step on the NVZ line while volleying. Kitchen fault. You score.
• There is a heated exchange. After a warning, your opponent throws a paddle and yells. The ref calls a technical foul. You score a point.
• In rally scoring format, you receive serve. You hit a deep return, then win the rally with a low dink. You score because points happen every rally in that format.

These cases cover what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball and how they show up in play. Use them in practice to spot chances fast.

Frequently Asked Questions of what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball

Can you score on the return in standard pickleball?

No. In side-out scoring, only the serving team can score a point. You can score on the return only in rally scoring events.

Do service aces count as a separate way to score?

They count under serve and return faults. If the receiver cannot return the serve, you earn a point while serving.

What is a kitchen fault, and does it score?

A kitchen fault is volleying while touching the NVZ line or inside it. If your team is serving, the fault by the other team gives you a point.

How many technical fouls does it take to give up a point?

One technical foul awards a point to the other team. A technical warning does not award a point.

What are the 3 ways to score in pickleball in simple terms?

Serve or return faults, rally faults while you serve, and rare technical fouls. Learn to force safe errors, and the points will come.

Do let serves allow a replay?

No. If the serve clips the net and lands in, play continues. There are no service lets under current rules.

What is the two-bounce rule?

The serve must bounce before the returner hits it, and the return must bounce before the server’s team hits it. After that, you can volley outside the NVZ.

Conclusion

You now know the heart of scoring: serve and return faults, rally faults while serving, and the rare technical foul. Keep this simple aim in mind: create safe pressure and let the other team miss first. That is how smart players win more points with less risk.

Put today’s tips into your next game. Practice deep serves, soft third shots, and calm kitchen play. If this helped clarify what are the 3 ways to score in pickleball, share it with a friend, subscribe for more guides, or drop a question in the comments.