About Pickleball
Why the big hype over pickleball?!
Do your friends or family know what pickleball is? The name might be something different than what you expected, but once you have played the game, you find yourself wanting more. If you’re on our site, you probably already know what pickleball is. It’s addictive, fun, social, and very competitive. Below is more information about the game that continues to grow rapidly throughout the United States and now worldwide.
Over the last few years, pickleball has been rising in popularity. In fact, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the US. Due to high demand, many cities are reconfiguring their tennis courts into pickleball courts. It’s so popular, that many parks and recreation departments are now adding pickleball to their sports programming. Schools open their doors after hours for pickleball leagues to have a place to play in the winter and now college campuses are putting in outdoor courts as well as indoor, while having intramural programs available for students. People have even created courts in parking lots just to have the opportunity to play! Pickleball has also expanded across the entire globe. From India to Finland, pickleball is picking up speed and for a number of reasons. It's easy to learn and appeals to any age. Anyone can play this sport! Whether they are looking for a fun activity, healthy/social exercise, or intense competition, pickleball has the ability to fulfill all of these desires.
One of the best aspects of the game is the social atmosphere. Partners and opponents are closer together on a smaller court, which makes for great interaction. The encouragement between competitors is what makes pickleball unique. It is considered customary to commend your opponent’s shot in the middle of a game. At the end of the game, players tap the end of the paddles and say, “Good Game.”
It first began to grow rapidly in senior communities. Schools now implement pickleball in physical education classes and after school programs. Pickleball levels the playing field between age groups and athletic backgrounds. Grandparents and their grandchildren can play together competitively. What other sports let multiple generations play together?
The sport is not about power or speed exclusively. It is a sport of strategy and patience. The majority of the game is played close to the net, which means less time running around and longer rallies. The court is smaller than tennis, so many people are gravitating to pickleball because of the lower physical strain. It is a competitive while benefitting social, mental, and physical health.
The Court
The size of the Pickleball court is 20′ wide by 44′ long, used for both doubles and singles play. A net is positioned across the middle of the court, measuring at 36″ high at the outside baselines and 34″ high at center court.
Points are only won only when serving and the game is won once a team reaches 11 points. You must win by 2 points. Some establishments use “Rally Scoring” when there are many players waiting, where a point is scored on each serve. Rally Scoring games are played to 15, and it is not necessary to win by 2.
Faults include hitting the ball out of bounds, not clearing the net, volleying before the 2 bounce rule, and stepping into the No Volley Zone when volleying.