Term
Kitchen
Also called: Non-Volley Zone, NVZ
The area on each side of the net, up to 7 feet (2.13 m) from the net. You cannot volley inside it.
The rectangular area on each side of the net, reaching 7 feet (2.13 m) out from the net (3.A.4.c). The rulebook calls it the Non-Volley Zone (NVZ for short) (Section 2, Definitions), and "kitchen" is a nickname for it (pickleball.com).
You cannot volley while you are touching this area or the kitchen line (3.A.4.c, 11.A, 11.A.1). For details, see No volleying in the kitchen.
See it in a figure
This figure is from the rule "Court size and lines".
How to read the sources: numbers like (8.F.4) are rulebook sections, and links are outside sources. An "Author's note" is the author's personal experience, not an official rule.
Related
Pages that use this term
- Court size and lines
- When an Erne is allowed
- After leaving the kitchen, get both feet down before you volley
- Serve diagonally
- A serve that touches the kitchen line is a fault
- Dink
- Foot Fault
- Non-Volley Zone Line
- Overhead Smash
- Reset
- Service Court
- Third Shot Drop
- Volley
- Why is it called the "kitchen"?