What is Pickleball and How do I Play?
When you hear ‘pickleball’ your first thought may be retirement communities! We don’t blame you - the fun and somewhat mysterious sport has only recently exploded and trickled down to younger demographics. Does a social, easy to learn and inexpensive game sound like your thing? If so, you should join the 4.8 million players in the US that are enjoying this game. Trust me, no matter what your age, once you start it’s hard to stop so let’s get into it! What is pickleball and how do I play?
Background
You may be wondering how a sport called pickleball even got off the ground? The game was created on the west coast in the summer of 1965 and has now turned into one of the fastest-growing sports in America. Looking for a way to occupy their children, the Pritchard’s came up with a small-scale version of tennis with wooden paddles and a short net. Pickleball is known as the hybrid that mixes tennis, badminton and ping pong. The name originates from the amalgamation of discarded sports equipment just like a pickle boat.
The Court
Pickleball is played on a smaller version of a tennis court. A unique aspect of pickleball is the 7-foot non-volley zone (NVZ) in front of the net, AKA the kitchen. The saying goes “if you can’t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen!” but unfortunately, this kitchen is always off limits unless the ball has bounced first.
Equipment
One of the great things about pickleball is its low start-up costs. Each player uses a pickleball paddle and the game is played with a regulation pickleball, similar to a wiffle ball. Interestingly, there are different pickleball balls for indoor and outdoor play.
How to Play
The objective of the game is to be the first player or team to score 11 points, however you must win by two. The game starts with a serve, made diagonally from behind the right service area. Your feet cannot touch the baseline and the ball cannot land in the NVZ or on the kitchen line. Be careful not to fault, because you only have one attempt!
After the serve, the double bounce rule requires both teams to let the ball bounce once on their side before they can hit it out of the air (aka a volley). Each time the ball enters your side of the court, you are allowed one bounce and one hit to get the ball back on the other side of the net. The point ends when:
A ball bounces twice on the same side of the net
A ball is hit into the net
A ball is hit out
A fault is committed (remember you can volley anywhere except the kitchen)
Although you can learn to play pickleball in as little as 15 minutes, you can spend hours trying to perfect your game. Pickleball is a game of accuracy, not power. We know your time is valuable which is why all our custom pickleball content on Coterie is delivered in quick 2 minute tutorials. Visit https://www.activecoterie.com/ to learn more!
