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11. Non-Volley Zone Infractions

11.AAllowable Contact

You must start every volley from outside the kitchen. You are free to touch the kitchen at any other time, for example stepping in to hit a ball that has bounced. A ball that has bounced is not a volley, so you can hit it from inside the kitchen.

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Volley from behind the kitchen line Volley, then momentum into the kitchen Stepping into the kitchen for a bounced ball Jumping around the kitchen Still inside when you volley Toe on the kitchen line, volley Volley in the air, land in the kitchen Paddle tip taps the kitchen Leaning into your partner Partner waits inside the kitchen

Myths about this

“You can never step in the kitchen.”

Inside this rule

11.A.1Fault: Non-Volley Zone Contact While Volleying 11.A.2Fault: Non-Volley Zone Momentum 11.A.3Fault: Failure to Exit the Non-Volley Zone Before Volleying

See Rule 11.A in the official 2026 Rulebook ↗