It’s not tennis, it’s not badminton, and it’s not ping pong…it’s pickleball!

 

It may be news to you, but pickleball, a hybrid game created in the 1960s, has been enjoying steady growth across America for decades. This past April, NBC published an article about the sport titled, “Pickleball: The Fastest Growing Sport You’ve Never Heard Of.” The story states that pickleball has “had a 650 percent increase in numbers over the last six years, according to USA Pickleball Association (USAPA).”

While younger people are picking up the sport now, pickleball’s initial adoption was due to the 55+ retired community. Pickleball may be the activity you want to try in retirement when you want to stay fit and enjoy yourself, but not overdo it.

So, what exactly is pickleball?

 

The Pickleball Court

The pickleball court is 20’ wide by 44’ long. Each side has an in-bounds play area of 15’ long and 20’ wide. If playing doubles, that 20’ is divided into 10’ sections, which also delineates the “in-bounds” edges of the serving area and switches back and forth in a manner similar to tennis between points.

In the center of the court, there is a net 36″ high at each end and at least 34″ high in the center. Players on both sides are prohibited from entering near the net in the non-volley zone, which extends 7’ from the net on either side. (This area is called “the kitchen.”)

 

 

How Pickleball Differs From Tennis

The pickleball court is smaller than a tennis court, and there are no doubles alley. The court size is the same whether you’re playing singles or doubles.

A pickleball racket is very similar to a ping pong racket, although it’s a bit larger. The balls used for the sport are very similar to Wiffle® balls.

Pickleball service is underhand, rather than overhand like tennis.

 

How Pickleball Differs From Badminton

When serving in pickleball, the server must straddle the baseline. In badminton, you can serve from anywhere in the service box as long as it lands cross-court in the diagonal square.

After the serve in pickleball, each team must let the ball bounce once before they hit it.

In badminton, you can hit the birdie in any part of the court after it is served; however, in pickleball, there is a non-volley zone, or “kitchen.”

 

How Pickleball Differs From Ping Pong

Scoring for pickleball is very similar to ping pong. Play ends for a point in both games when one side commits a fault. For pickleball, faults include:

  • Not hitting the serve into the opponent’s diagonal service zone
  • Not hitting the ball beyond the net
  • Hitting the ball or not hitting after the second bounce on one side of the net
  • Hitting the ball out of bounds
  • Volleying the ball on the service return
  • Volleying the ball on the first return by the serving side
  • Stepping into the non-volley zone (the first seven feet from the net, also known as the “kitchen”) in the act of volleying the ball.

 

How To Win

With pickleball (as well as tennis, badminton, and ping pong), only the serving team can score.

For pickleball, the first side scoring 11 points leading by at least 2 points wins the game. If the two sides are tied at 10 points apiece, the side that goes ahead by 2 points wins the game. (NOTE: Tournament games may be played to 15 or 21 points.)

 

Where Did The Name “Pickleball” Come From?

According to the USAPAs (United States of America Pickleball Association’s) official website, pickleball was created in the state of Washington in 1965 by former State Representative Joel Pritchard and his friend, Bill Bell.

The story goes that both their families were sitting around bored over a holiday, so the two men created the makeshift game on a doubles badminton court with ping pong paddles and a plastic perforated Wiffle ball, eventually lowering the net to 36 inches. Designed so that every family member could play, that inadvertently included the Pritchards’ dog, Pickles, who kept running off with the ball. Thus, legend has it, the name for the sport was born.

 

How Do I Find A Pickleball Court?

Nowadays, you can find pickleball courts in almost any city. For instance, here’s a schedule of locations in Seattle.

Give pickleball a try, and let us know how you like it!