Pickleball Slang

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Pickleball Slang

Pickleball isn’t just about fast-paced rallies, dinks, and volleys—it’s also about community, camaraderie, and a unique culture that comes with its own quirky slang. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to the sport, knowing pickleball slang can help you feel like part of the club and add some fun to your game. Here’s a guide to the most common pickleball slang terms and what they mean.

1. Pickler is a die-hard pickleball enthusiast who lives and breathes the game.
2. Pickled is when a team loses a game without scoring a single point (similar to a shutout).
3. Kitchen line is the non volley line / zone near the net. Stepping into the kitchen to volley the ball is a fault. Example: “Stay out of the kitchen unless the ball bounces!”
4. What is a dink in pickleball? Dink is a soft shot, controlled hit that lands in the opponent’s kitchen, on the opposing side. This shot is often used to slow the pace of play.
5. Flapjack is a shot that must bounce before being hit. Refers to the double-bounce rule at the start of each rally.
6. Rally is a continuous exchange of shots between opponents before the point ends.
7. DUPR is how you are scored. We have a whole post about What is DUPR in Pickleball.

Pickleball Game Slang

7. Erne is a volley taken near or outside the kitchen by jumping or positioning close to the sideline. Named after pickleball player Erne Perry, it’s a sneaky and advanced move.
8. ATP (Around the Post) is shot that travels around the net post without crossing over the net. This is legal as long as the ball lands in the opponent’s court.
9. Third Shot Drop is a soft shot, usually played after the serve and return, designed to land in the opponent’s kitchen and neutralize their advantage.
10. Dinking Battle is a prolonged exchange of dinks near the net, where players attempt to force mistakes or set up winning shots.
11. Banger is the name of a player who relies on powerful shots and smashes rather than finesse.
12. Reset is a defensive shot used to regain control of the rally by slowing down the pace and forcing the opponent to play softer shots. Another way people use this is to yourself when you are on a losing streak and need to “reset” your mindset to know that you can catch up and forget about the last line of losing points.

Pickleball Player Slang

13. Widow/Widower is what people call the spouse or partner of someone who spends all their free time playing pickleball.
14. Slammers are players who hit the ball as hard as possible, often disregarding finesse. This happens often when playing in leagues where the ball it hit very hard almost every single time without slowing it down.
15. Poaching in doubles is when one partner crosses into the other’s side of the court to intercept and hit the ball, sometimes to their partner’s annoyance. Other times it is because one partner is near the net and knows their partner won’t get to it, such as to return a drop shot.
16. Stacking is a doubles strategy where teammates adjust their starting positions to keep their strongest shots (usually forehands) in play.

Slang for Pickleball Shots

17. Lob is a very high, arching shot intended to go over the opponent’s head, often used to push them back to the baseline. This is done often when the opposing side are both at the kitchen line and you need to try to move them back, or buy yourself time from the transition zone to the kitchen yourself.
18. Smash is a powerful overhead shot aimed at ending the rally. Most times it is your pickleball paddle overhead, hit with force down over the net hopefully resulting in a point if your side served.
19. Pancake is when someone is holding the paddle flat and stationary, often to block a smash or fast volley.
20. Tweener is a funny one but does make sense. It is the term for a shot hit between the legs, typically in a desperate attempt to return a difficult ball.
21. Cross court is what it says, you are hitting the ball from your side diagonally across the pickleball court to the other side in attempt to make the opponent miss because it is hard to return.
22. Dead ball in pickleball refers to a rally that has ended, meaning play stops, and the result of the rally is determined (e.g., a point is scored, or the serve changes sides). It occurs due to a fault or rule violation. Once a dead ball is called, no further play on that rally is allowed.
23. Let is when the ball hits the net when served but still lands in the proper area beyond the kitchen line, it continues to stay in play and counts.

Scorekeeping Pickleball Slang

21. Side Out is when the serving team loses the rally, and the serve goes to the opposing team.
22. Foot Fault is when a player steps on or over the baseline while serving or into the kitchen during a volley.
23. Two-Bounce Rule explains the rule requiring the ball to bounce once on each side before volleys are allowed in a rally.
    • Meaning if your side is serving, the person returning it needs to allow it to bounce before hitting.
    • Once they return back to your (serving) side it must bounce once before returning that one.
    • From then on it does not need to bounce, it can be hit out of the air.
24. 0-0-2 is said as the starting score in doubles pickleball, with the “2” indicating the second server position.

Fun Pickleball Terms

25. Paddle Tap is the pickleball equivalent of a handshake, where players tap paddles at the end of a game to show good sportsmanship.
26. Yippee is the playful exclamation when scoring an unexpected or lucky point.
27. Pickleball Tacos is a fun term for when the ball gets squished and deformed, often during hard play.
28. No Man’s Land is the area between the baseline and the kitchen, considered a vulnerable spot because players are often caught off-balance.

When you are learning how to play pickleball, these funny and quirky slang terms are part of what makes the sport so engaging and fun. Whether you’re mastering your dinks, pulling off an ATP, or trying to avoid getting pickled, these terms add character to the game and bring players together. Next time you hit the court, sprinkle some of this lingo into your conversations and enjoy the camaraderie that makes your game play so special!

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