What is Pickleball?
Pickleball is a paddle sport played with a whiffle ball on a badminton-sized court and a tennis-style net. A non-volley zone (or kitchen) prevents volleys close to the net, and the serving team cannot volley the return of serve. These unique rules favor players with less mobility and allow senior players to compete successfully with younger competitors.
Pickleball is enjoyed by people of all ages and athletic abilities thanks to its ease of play and straightforward rules. The sport is inexpensive, social, and healthy, and has been widely accepted in school gyms, fire stations, community centers, local parks, athletic clubs, and thousands of backyard sports courts. In some ways it’s a combination of tennis and badminton, and along with sports such as table tennis and racquetball, pickleball has exploded in popularity.
How to Play
Now that you know what pickleball is, there are five basic rule of playing pickleball.
The first rule is to always stay inbounds. No matter if it is you, yourself, or the ball, it’s important to make sure you’re within the lines and staying on the sidelines. The lines along the court will guide you to ensure the ball stays inbounds. If it falls out of bounds, you lose your serve, or give the ball to the opposing team.
The second rule is to follow the proper serving regulations, meaning to determine who serves first before the game starts, hold the ball below the waistline, hit the ball diagonally in the opposite direction, and if you make an incorrect serve, the opposing team gets the ball.
Third Rule, the ball should only bounce on once on each side of the court after it is hit. If it bounces more than once, the opposing team will gain a point and they will get the next serve.
When it comes to the fourth rule, the ball should not touch the no-volley zone, which is the area between the sidelines and the net.
The final rule deals specifically on the scoring system of the game. The game can only end at 11, 15, or 21 points. When playing in singles, the game can only go to 11 or 15 and when playing in doubles, 15 or 21 are the most common points that you can get. The winning team should be winning by two points.
