The game of pickleball can be very addictive. especially for beginners. Serving as the fastest growing sport in America with an estimated 36.5 million players and counting, pickleball participation has grown an average of 223.5 percent over the past three years.
If you’ve never played, pickleball uses a paddle similar to table tennis and combines elements of both tennis and badminton, but is an exciting game in its own right.
Although often compared to tennis, “Pickleball isn’t just a game of hitting a ball back and forth until the ball is irreversible, it’s a strategic dance of patience and finesse,” he explains. Laree Adair Mancour, Certified PPR pickleball coach at Bay Club.
Mancour was introduced to pickleball by her mother-in-law, Carole Myers, a close friend of his Joel Pritchardthe inventor of the sport, also known as “the father of Pickleball”.
After a botched knee surgery stemming from a soccer injury, Mancour found herself searching for a new athletic pursuit that could serve her competitive drive without the physical expense. Fast forward to today and she is currently a Bay Club Pickleball Pro, USA Pickleball PPR Certified and a 4.0 Pickleball athlete with countless podium finishes.
“It’s fantastic to see more people getting off their sofas to try this game, which is advertised as ‘Anyone Can Play’. You don’t need a competitive edge, you can just enjoy the laugh and the satisfaction of mastering a single shot,” he says.
With that, if you’ve been curious about how to play the game, now is the time to try your hand (or paddle) and hit the field for a new sport that will provide exercise, lots of fun, and the chance to build new friendships.
Where Can You Play Pickleball?
The fantastic thing about pickleball is that it can be played almost anywhere, including well-lit parking lots, backyards or garages — although Mancour recommends an official court. “However, as you increase your investment, you will likely become selective about your courts, prioritizing courts of official dimensions, with permanent netting and plenty of space between the courts to project your ATP (Around the Post) shots,” says Mancour.
To locate nearby pickleball courts, you can download the Places2Play app or head to the brand Website and enter your zip code.
What you need to get started
- An opponent
- A pickleball
- A pickleball paddle
- A pickleball court with a net
- A calendar to manage your schedule of drills, matches and tournaments, once you’re hooked,
Common Pickleball Terms and Definitions
Before playing, understanding pickleball terminology is important. Here are some terms that rank high in the game of pickleball.
The kitchen
This is the non-volleyball zone, often referred to as “the kitchen”. This area is where most of the game is played (you go in and out of the kitchen for a lot of the game). You can’t hit the ball out of the air while in the kitchen – it just has to bounce.
Dink
It is a soft controlled shot placed inside or just outside the no-volley zone. It’s a strategic shot that lands just over the net and inside the opponent’s zone without volleying. The goal of this shot is to force your opponent to hit up by making the shot difficult for him to generate power. If your attack is unsuccessful and the ball becomes null, you start all over pressing with the strategy of not giving your opponents a ball to attack and patiently waiting for the next opportunity for your team to attack.
A Let
Where the ball hits the net but remains in bounds.
Pickleball Rules and Overview
The Picklball court
Pickleball is played on a badminton-sized court measuring 44 x 20 feet, divided by a net that is 34 inches high at its center and 36 inches high at the posts. Each side of the court has left and right service areas, along with a 7-foot “no-volley zone,” located closest to the net.
Oars
Players use a paddle that must conform to specific size and performance criteria.
The number of games
It can be played as doubles or singles, with doubles being more common.
Races
Matches are usually played to 11 points, winning by a margin of 2.
Start playing Pickleball
Serving
Serves must be made diagonally crosscourt and underhand, with contact below the server’s waist. Only one service attempt is allowed, except in cases of “leave”, where the ball hits the net but remains in bounds.
The first serve comes from the right side of the court, served by Team A’s Partner 1. If a point is scored, Partner 1 serves from the left side. This rotation continues until Team A faults, passing the serve to Team B.
Both players on the double serve team then have a chance to serve and win points until they fault. Once Team B faults, Team B’s Partner 1 serves, switching sides with each point won. Team B’s partner 2 then serves until another error occurs, giving the serve back to Team A.
Following serving
The ball must bounce before it is returned, and the serving team must also let it bounce before hitting it back — known as the “two-bounce” rule.
Once the ball is in play
Both teams can either volley or bounce, but no volleys are allowed inside the kitchen. Additionally, players cannot enter the kitchen after volleying a ball outside of it. However, players are allowed to enter the kitchen to hit a ball off the bounce. Basically, any time except for volleyball is allowed.
Stay out of the kitchen during volleys.
Scoring
The serving team is the only one that can score. Pickleball scoring uses a “side out” method. Although it may seem complicated at first, it becomes clear with practice.
Mancour Tips to Win a Pickleball Game:
The biggest tip from the pickleball pro, and the most important thing to do to win at Pickleball, is to stop “playing” and dunking. “You can’t become a great golfer if you don’t spend hours on the range hitting the same shot over and over again: You’ll never master a Pickleball shot without hitting it.”
And when you get on the field to play—don’t think, just play. “Your body knows what to do and that voice in your head will only confuse you. Trust your gut, shut up your inner critic and just enjoy the game!”
If you’re serious about mastering Pickleball, Mancour says patience is key. “If you want to compete, it’s vital to find a compatible partner who ups your game and shares your strategic mindset.” And for shaping, Mancour recommends strengthening your quads and abs through off-court exercises, since pickleball requires a lot of squatting and balance. “Every professional spends time strength training in the gym to optimize their physical performance at the highest level.” And most importantly, have fun!
