Touching the Net and Reaching Over the Net
Also known as: touching the net in pickleball, paddle touches the net, paddle over the net, reaching over the net in pickleball, breaking the plane in pickleball, pickleball net touch
Touching the net or net posts with your paddle, body or clothing while the ball is live is a fault. You may not hit the ball before it fully crosses to your side of the net. Your paddle may cross over the net only on the follow-through after you hit the ball.
Rule 13.G covers net contact. It is a fault if you or anything you wear or carry touches the net or its supports while the ball is live. The ball is live from the start of the score call until the rally ends. Once the rally is over, it is not a fault to touch the net.
The ball must completely cross the plane of the net before you hit it. Reaching over to hit it on the opponent's side is a fault. Once you have hit the ball on your side, your paddle and follow-through may cross over the net. You still may not touch the net, your opponent or your opponent's court.
There is one exception. Your opponent's shot may bounce on your side and then spin or blow back over the net. You may then reach over, or go around the net, to hit it. You may cross only after the ball has crossed back. You must hit it before it bounces on their side.
Tips by skill level
After a put-away at the net, finish your swing and stop your momentum before the net. Keep your free hand off the net too.
Against heavy backspin dinks that may bounce back to their side, be ready to reach over once the ball has crossed back. Hit it before it bounces on their side.
Example
At the kitchen line, a player smashes a high ball down hard. His paddle carries over the net on the follow-through without touching it, and the point stands. Later, his partner brushes the net with her shirt during a rally, and their team loses the rally.
Why it matters
These rules come up often in fast exchanges at the net. Knowing them helps you call your own faults fairly.
Common mistakes
- Following through into the net after a put-away
- Reaching over to volley a ball before it crosses the net
- Touching the net post while the ball is live
- Thinking any paddle over the net is a fault, even on the follow-through
Frequently asked questions
Can I touch the net in pickleball?
Not while the ball is live. If you, your paddle or your clothing touches the net or the net posts during a rally, it is a fault. After the rally ends, it is not a fault to touch the net.
Can my paddle go over the net in pickleball?
Only after you hit the ball. You may not reach over to hit a ball that hasn't crossed to your side. Your follow-through may cross the net. You still can't touch the net or the opponent's court.
What if the ball spins back over the net in pickleball?
If it bounced on your side and then crossed back, you may reach over or go around the net to hit it. Wait until it has crossed back, and hit it before it bounces on their side.
Sources
Related terms
- Fault (General)A fault is any rule violation that immediately ends a rally, including serve errors, non-volley zone violations, out-of-bounds shots, and illegal contact. The side that commits it loses the rally. A fault by the receiving side scores a point for the servers, and a fault by the serving side loses the serve.
- Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone)The kitchen is the 7-foot non-volley zone on each side of the net. You may not hit a volley (a ball out of the air) while standing in it or touching its line. You must let the ball bounce first.
- VolleyA volley is any shot hit out of the air before the ball bounces. In pickleball it must be struck while standing outside the kitchen — the non-volley zone — making footwork and position as important as stroke mechanics.
- Around-the-Post (ATP)An around-the-post, universally shortened to ATP, is a legal shot played around the outside of the net post rather than over the net, at any height at all. It arises when a sharply angled ball pulls a player outside the sideline. This leaves the outside route as the only way back into the opponent's court.
- ErneAn Erne is an aggressive volley hit from beside the net post. The player jumps or runs around the outside of the kitchen and contacts the ball legally outside the non-volley zone for an unexpected, sharp-angled winner.
- Hands BattleA hands battle is a rapid-fire exchange of speed-ups and counters at the kitchen line. Reaction speed, paddle readiness, and placement under pressure win it.
Related guides & benchmarks
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