What is pickleball?

 

What is pickleball?

Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two (singles) or four (doubles) players hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball with paddles over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits an infraction. Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. In 2022, pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington.[2]

While it resembles tennis and table tennis, pickleball has specific rules, paddles and court dimensions. The court is 44 feet long and 20 feet wide, and the paddle is larger than the one used in table tennis. The hard plastic ball used in pickleball produces less bounce than tennis balls. On each side of the net is a 7-foot area (2.1 m) known as the non-volley zone (or the kitchen), where the ball must bounce before it is hit. The rules specify side-out scoring, where only the server can score a point. The minimal amount of bounce, the non-volley zones, and the underhanded stroke with which all serves are made, give the game a dynamic pace.

Between 1965 and 2020, pickleball became a popular sport in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, and began to grow in popularity elsewhere. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, the sport was named the fastest-growing sport in the United States by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, and by 2023 it was estimated to have over 4.8 million players. The growing popularity of the sport has been attributed to its short learning curve, its appeal to a wide range of ages and fitness levels, and its low startup costs. There are now thousands of pickleball tournaments throughout the United States, including the U.S. National Championships and the U.S. Open Tournament, along with two professional tours and one professional league. Pickleball is also growing in popularity outside the United States: there are several other national and international competitions. (wikipedia)

What are the rules of pickleball?

Basic Pickleball Rules

Official Pickleball Rules

 

Pickleball tips & tricks:

How to play pickleball video series

How do you rate pickleball skills

9 Simple Rules for Beginners

5 Pickleball shots to master

That Pickleball Guy - youtube channel

 

Pickleball Tournaments, Rating, USA Approval List:

Find Pickleball Tournaments

DUPR ( Pickleball’s Most Accurate Global Rating System)

How do I know if my pickleball paddle and balls are USA Pickleball Approved?

 

Happy Pickleballing!

 ♥︎ Erwin Pickleball Co.