One of the biggest trending sports right now is Pickleball. Pickleball is a sport that combines many elements of other racket sports such as tennis, badminton, and ping pong.
Setting Up a Court:
A pickleball court is the same size as a doubles badminton court and measures 20×44 feet. In pickleball, the same court is used for both singles and doubles play. The net height is 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle. The court is striped similar to a tennis court with right and left service courts and a 7-foot non-volley zone in front of the net (referred to as the “kitchen”). Courts can be constructed specifically for pickleball or they can be converted using existing tennis or badminton courts.
Equipment:
When playing pickleball, each player will need a pickleball paddle, which is smaller than a tennis racquet but larger than a ping-pong paddle. Paddles are available in wood, aluminum, and other materials. Players will also need a net with a court set up with the above dimensions and a pickleball. The ball is unique, with holes through it. Different ball models are intended for indoor and outdoor play. Balls come in several colors, including white, yellow and green, but must be a single color to meet International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) specifications.
How to Play:
The basic rules of pickleball are that the ball must stay inbounds, there should be one bounce per side, serving must be done at the baseline (and served underhand cross court), the serve can't land in the no-volley zone, no shots can be taken out of the air in the kitchen (this is a no volley zone and the ball must bounce in this area), you can only score points when you're serving, and the game ends at 11, 15, or 21 points. For a more detailed list of the rules and explanation we recommend checking out youtube or scheduling a lesson with a pickleball instructor.
Cameron Greene
Author