What is Pickleball?
Conceived by three individuals from Bainbridge Island, United States in 1965, pickleball is a sport involving a paddle and a plastic ball. Despite its name, pickles are not involved!
Participants, whether playing singles or doubles, compete on a hard surface, volleying the ball across the net until a victor emerges. Much like tennis and, to some degree, chess, pickleball demands a blend of strategic maneuvers, straightforward strokes, and endurance.
Equipment
To play pickleball, you'll need a court - either indoor or outdoor - a net, paddle, and ball. Find a nearby court here.
Each player needs a paddle, which comes in various sizes, weights, and materials like graphite, fiberglass, and carbon fiber.
Your skill level, budget, and personal preferences will determine the paddle that suits you best. We have a selection of equipment ready for you to buy, or visit your local sports store to find the right fit.
Pickleball balls vary slightly for indoor and outdoor play but are essentially hollow plastic balls with air-flow holes.
Simple How-to-Play
- Pickleball is played on a hard surface with marked lines indicating the court and field of play.
- The court, which can be indoors or outdoors, resembles a tennis court but is smaller and lacks alleys, measuring approximately 13.41m long and 6.1m wide.
- A tennis-style net spans the center of the court, requiring players to volley the ball over it.
Serving:
- The server must stand behind the baseline and utilize an underhand stroke.
- Contact with the ball must be below the waistline, with the paddle head positioned below the wrist joint.
- Serves are aimed diagonally crosscourt to be playable by the opposition.
- The two-bounce rule requires that the ball must bounce once on each side before it can be volleyed. See image.
- The serving team switches sides after each point (i.e. switch left service area to right service area), and both players get to serve until they fault. The first serve of each game is from the right/even court.
Scoring:
- Scoring may initially seem complex, but it's essential to note that points can only be scored when serving.
- Scoring differs slightly between singles and doubles matches, with doubles being more common.
- Players are encouraged to announce the current score before each serve to maintain clarity.
- The winning side is the first to reach 11 points, with a lead of at least 2 points over their opponent.
Getting Started
When beginning a new sport, your first step should be reaching out to a local association, venue, or speak with someone you know who already plays the sport. Find a nearby venue here.
Often, free trial sessions are available which allows learning without financial commitment.
Terminology
- Dink Shot / Drop shot: A soft shot which lands in the non-volley zone. See court layout in our rules section.
- Kitchen / Non-Volley Zone: The front area (~2.13m from the net) of the court on either side of the net. When standing in this area, volleying in not permitted.
- Paddle: A bat players hold to hit the ball.
- Side Out: Switching serving side.