Pickleball has become a buzzword in the world of racket sports. The name makes us wonder what pickleball is and if it has anything to do with pickles.

Pickleball is a rapidly growing sport in America. It is a sport that all members of the family love. Whether it is kids, adults, or seniors, everyone can learn and be playing within a few minutes.

Pickleball is a sport that is played using paddles smaller than tennis rackets but larger than ping pong paddles. The ball is designed with multiple holes to make it safe for the players. It is played on a court of size 44' x 20', and the goal is to earn points by causing the opponents to do faults.

Many believe that the name of the sport has something to do with Pickles, who was a dog owned by the founders of pickleball. While others believe that it has something to do with boating, and the sport was named after a boat – a pickle boat.

Pickleball enthusiasts claim that the sport does not require advanced skills or expensive gear and equipment to play. All you need is a court, which can be any paved or hard surface that is 44' x 20' in size. A net is placed across the width in the middle. Then, all you need are some paddles and pickleball balls, and you can be well on your way to playing the sport. Pickleball does not require professional coaching to learn. The rules are simple, and the game is well-suited for people of all ages.

What Is Pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle sport created by intermixing different elements from other racket sports. It can be played between two or four people who use solid paddles to hit a ball with holes over a low net. The pickleball court is similar in size to a badminton court, it has a net like the one in tennis, and the paddles used are similar to those used in ping pong.

The game is suited well for people of all ages and skill levels. It is pretty easy to learn and play and has simple and straightforward rules. The sport is adopted by many as a hobby because it is inexpensive and has numerous health benefits.

Over the past few years, thousands of courts have been built for the sport. Many gyms, community centers, parks, and sports clubs are incorporating pickleball courts due to its rapidly growing popularity.

History of Pickleball

Pickleball was invented in 1965 by Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell. Upon returning to Pritchard's home after playing golf one weekend, they found their children sitting at home being bored. They tried to engage the kids in an activity of badminton. However, they were not able to find the right equipment.

Instead of giving up the idea, they decided to improvise on the spot and play using a plastic ball and ping pong paddles. Initially, they used the badminton net, which is 60 inches above the ground, and volleyed the ball over the net, as you would expect with the birdie in badminton.

However, they soon discovered that the ball bounced quite well on asphalt, unlike the birdie. They proceeded to add some bounce rules to their game and lowered the net down to 36 inches. As the game developed, they invited their friend, Barney McCallum, over to play with them. The three of them sat down and created the rules of pickleball. While making these rules, they kept the fact that the game was for entertainment purposes and devised a game that the whole family could participate in whenever they got bored.

In 1967, the first pickleball court was constructed in the backyard of Pritchard's neighbor, Bob O'Brian. In 1972, a corporation was established to provide protection to the sport. Soon after, the game began to gain popularity. It first appeared in the National Observer in 1975, followed by an article in the Tennis magazine in 1976, which termed it the newest racket game in America.

The US Amateur Pickleball Association published the first official rulebook for the sport in 1984, and it led to significant growth in the popularity of the sport. By 1990, the sport was being played all across the US.

The game developed and grew in popularity from then on and was added to the Arizona Senior Olympics in 2001. The introduction of pickleball attracted a hundred players, and the event became known as one of the greatest pickleball events in the game's history.

The official USA Pickleball Association was founded in 2005. The Association issued an official rulebook in 2008. Since then, pickleball has been seen in different sporting events and on multiple TV shows. It has grown immensely in popularity, and millions of people have adopted this sport in one way or another.

The Name Pickleball

Anyone who hears the name pickleball for the first time usually smiles and asks a ridiculous question like, "Do you use pickles as balls now?" But can we really blame them? The name pickleball has its own sense of awkwardness to it.

There is some controversy as to why the game was given this name. It is believed that Joan (pronounced Jo-Ann) Pritchard, who was the wife of Joel Pritchard, gave the game its name because it reminded her of a pickle boat.

The pickle boat is a term used for a boat in a rowing competition in which the team comprises players that are leftover from other boats. Since the sport was improvisation and used some "leftovers" from ping pong and badminton, she named it pickleball.

Another theory suggests that the game was named after the Pritchards' dog. The dog loved chasing and running with balls. However, most people believe that the dog was named after the game rather than it being the other way around. This is because the Pritchards did not acquire the dog until a few years after developing the game.  

Playing Pickleball

The Court

The official pickleball court measures 44 feet x 20 feet. However, it is preferred to have a playable area of 60 feet x 30 feet. The court can be indoors or outdoors, depending on your location and your preference. A net with a height of 34 inches is placed across the width and in the middle of the court. The overall size of the net is 20 feet x 36 inches.

The court's layout is divided into three crucial parts: the two quadrants and the no volley zone. To understand the layout better, we will only be discussing one half of the court. The other half is exactly the same.

• The first zone is called the kitchen or the no volley zone. It is marked by a line 7 feet from the net.
• Behind the kitchen, there are two quadrants or service areas. Each quadrant measures 15 feet x 10 feet and is bordered by the sideline on one side, the centerline on the other side, the kitchen line towards the net, and the baseline on the side opposite to the net.

The Rules

Pickleball can be played as a singles game (between two players) or a doubles game (between two teams of two players each). The rules remain the same for both and are as follows.

1. The ball must be served using an underhand motion to the quadrant diagonally opposite the server. The server must stand behind the baseline and not bounce the ball on the court.
2. The serve must land in the correct quadrant and should not land out of the bounds, in the other quadrant, or in the kitchen.
3. A team receives points when their opposing team does a fault, such as missing the ball, hitting the ball into the net, or out of bounds.
4. For the serve, there are no faults, and only the serving can score. This means that if the serve lands out of bounds or in the net, the serving team will have another attempt and not give away any points.
5. The games are played to a minimum of 11 points and can only be won if the winning team has a lead of at least two points.
6. The two-bounce rule states that the ball must bounce once on each side of the net before the players can start to volley the ball.
7. Volleying the ball while in the no volley zone or even on its line is a fault.  

The Ball

Since the game is not too performance-oriented, the ball is designed to keep the players safe from injuries. The ball for pickleball is often considered similar to a wiffle ball but has a different level of durability and multiple holes drilled in it.

The standard pickleball balls are made using a lightweight plastic material. As per the rules and regulations, the ball can have anywhere between twenty-six and forty holes in them. They all weigh around 0.8 ounces and are approximately 3 inches in diameter.

An outdoor ball will often be made of a more rigid plastic, which makes them more durable. The added strength lets them last longer, and they can be smashed at higher speeds. However, they are prone to cracking and losing their roundedness.

Indoor balls use a slightly softer plastic than outdoor balls, which makes them less prone to cracking or losing their roundedness. However, these balls cannot be smashed at high speeds.

The Paddles

Pickleball paddles are smaller than a traditional tennis racket but larger than ping pong paddles. They can be made from different materials ranging from wood, graphite, and aluminum. Some paddles use other composite materials to make them durable and balanced in weight.  

The first pickleball paddles were made of airplane-grade graphite because the person who invented them was an engineer at Boeing. However, they were very expensive, and manufacturers resorted to commercially producing wooden paddles.

Pickleball paddles have a maximum length of 15.5 to 17 inches and a width between 7 and 8.25 inches. Nowadays, a broad range of paddles is available, and choosing the right one can be daunting. Remember to consider the weight, grip size, and material of the paddle when looking to buy one, and make sure it feels comfortable in your hand.