Pickleball glossary
The terms and slang you hear on the court, defined in plain language. New to the game? Learn the rules first, then come back here when someone yells "Erne."
- ATP (around the post)
- A shot hit around the outside of the net post, below net height, that lands in bounds. Legal and spectacular.
- Banger
- A player who drives almost every ball hard instead of playing the soft game. Beatable with patience and resets.
- Bert
- An Erne where you cross in front of your partner to poach the volley near the net. Named after the Erne, backwards.
- Dink
- A soft shot from near the kitchen that arcs just over the net and lands in the opponent kitchen, too low to attack.
- Dillball
- Player slang for a ball that is dead or out of play. Also the name of this app.
- Erne
- An aggressive shot where a player jumps around the outside of the kitchen to volley near the net without a fault.
- Falafel
- A shot hit with so little power it barely travels, usually off the middle of the paddle.
- Golden pickle
- Winning a game 11-0 while serving the entire game, so the other team never serves.
- Kitchen
- The non-volley zone, the 7-foot area on each side of the net where you cannot volley.
- Lob
- A high, deep shot hit over the opponents to push them off the kitchen line.
- Pickle
- Sometimes called out before a serve to warn that play is starting.
- Poach
- When a player crosses over to take a shot that would normally be their partner, usually at the net.
- Reset
- Taking pace off a hard ball and dropping it softly into the kitchen to neutralize an attack.
- Side out
- When the serving team loses its serve and the other team takes over serving.
- Stacking
- A positioning tactic where partners line up on the same side to keep their preferred forehands in the middle.
- Third shot drop
- A soft shot by the serving team on the third shot of the rally that lands in the kitchen and lets them move up to the net.
- Two-bounce rule
- The rule that the serve and the return must each bounce before anyone can volley.
- Volley
- Hitting the ball out of the air before it bounces. Not allowed from the kitchen.