Pickleball is a hybrid game that contains many elements of Badminton, Ping Pong, and Tennis. This game is comparatively new, and it’s already getting love from US and Canadian sports enthusiasts.
The simplicity of this game is the most impressive part. Anybody (Of any age range) can start playing this game without feeling awkward, and it takes very little time to gain a considerable amount of skills.
People play this game in both types – indoor & outdoor. The court is from Badminton, and the net is from tennis, slightly modified. That’s why it’s called “Hybrid Game.”
Are you thinking of the PingPong part? Well, you’ll be playing with a paddle and plastic ball that looks identical to PingPong!
Honest players have talked about – What is Pickleball, below.
Table Chart of Page Contents
About Pickleball – (What is Pickleball?)
Whether you’re learning Badminton or Pickleball, you have to know the basics. It will help you understand the central concept of a game and figure out how to master it. However, the basic idea of a game can be divided into some elements or segments. Here are the essential elements of Pickleball:
- Serve: The serve must be made diagonally crosscourt, and the ball has to land within the diagonally opposite court.
- Service Sequence: The first serve will be from the right-hand court. Later on, you have to follow your score because that will determine your serving court. ‘Even’ for right-hand court and ‘Odd’ for left-hand court.
- Scoring: The serving team can score points only. The opponent has to wait for their serving to gain points.
- Two Bounce Rule: When the ball is served, opponent players have to reply before two bounce. If somebody fails to do so, this rule will eliminate the serve.
- Non-Volley Zone: It is also known as The Kitchen. Nobody is allowed to serve or reply standing in this area.
- Faults: Each fault of your team will give a point to your opponent team (If they are the one serving). The fun fact is, your team can commit fault for two times in a row without giving points to the opponent – only if your team is the one serving.
- Determining Serving Team: Old tossing method or other methods will happen between the two groups. The winning team will assess the serving team – it can be their team or the opponent team.
History of Pickleball Game
Three fathers – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum invented the game Pickleball, out of curiosity. Pickleball was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Washington.
That three fathers noticed their children were bored having the same summertime activities over the past few years. They wanted them to do or play something new. Suddenly they saw a badminton court, but the number of racket was only two, but three children. After a while, they slightly modified the rules and provided a plastic ball – hence, they named it “PickleBall Game.” However, they invented the ‘Single Score’ version, but now we have both single score (For Two player) and double score (For Four Player) with proper rules and equipment.
If you know what pickleball is, you might have heard about the famous ONIX Z5 Graphite Pickleball Paddle, right?
PickleBall Court Layout
The court size is the same as Badminton – 20 feet by 44 feet. But the inner sight of the Pickleball court is unique as it should be.
Well, it’s not complicated as well. I’ll be explaining ‘PickleBall Court Layout’ in a simplified format. Pickleball court is divided into three sections; they are:
Sender Side
The sender side is the first section of PickleBall court. It measures 20 feet by 15 feet. Then this section is split into two halves just to make room for the second player of the team. If you’re playing Single Score, then you can utilize the whole area. But in the Double Score game, you can use only the half portion (10 feet by 15 feet area).
Kitchen (Non- Volley Zone)
The kitchen is the only way to prevent players from smashing the ball to opponent players. Nobody is allowed to serve or reply to one’s ball standing in this area. You’ll lose a point if you do so. This kitchen area for each team measures 7 feet from the net – 20 feet by 7 feet.
Receiver Side
The receiver side is the third & last section of PickleBall court. It is the same as the ‘Sender Side,’ no difference. Total measurement is 20 feet by 15 for two players and 10 feet by 15 feet for one player.
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Equipment and Their Usage
Like every other game, Pickleball requires some essential equipment too. Not being too fancy, you can have a great gaming experience with the following equipment:
Pickleball Paddle
It acts like the racket of Badminton. But it’s much smaller in size and made of wood or plastic. You’ll find two types of paddles in the market – Lightweight & Heavyweight. The price varies too; you can find both cheap and expensive paddles for 10$ to 150$.
Choose the Best Pickleball Paddles from our review.
Pickleball Ball
The ball used in PickleBall Game is a ‘Plastic Wiffle Ball.’ More accurately, it’s a tennis ball with a bunch of holes in it. The weight should be from 22 grams to 26.5 grams with a diameter of 2.784 to 2.972 inches.
Pickleball Net
The ideal length of PickleBall Net is 22 feet and 5 inches. This net is made of mesh fabric material, and its job is to prevent the ball from passing through it.
You won’t have to buy these things apart if you choose a pickleball set to buy from our top 10 list.
Proper Outfit
A proper outfit is essential for professionalism. You can wear anything if you’re playing indoors with your friends & family. But you’ve to be cautious about the outfit if you’re playing outside in a tournament. Proper dress code for men & women below:
- For Man – Shirt, Shorts, Shoes, Gloves & Hat
- For Woman – Shirt, Skorts, Shoes, Gloves & Hat
You can have more knowledge about Pickleball here.
Strategy: Types of Strategy
The best part of Pickleball is the short learning curve. Anybody can acquire a handful of skills in a short period. Whether you’re an aged parent or teenager, you can learn and enjoy it with your partner player within a short time.
Pickleball can be played in two strategies in real. Let me explain them below.
Single Strategy/Score – A Brief Introduction
If you’ve only one partner, then you have to play Single Score Pickleball.
I’ll be discussing this strategy in two segments:
The Serve
A toss will happen between two players. The winner will decide whether s/he wants ‘Serve First’ or not. If you’re the one who’s serving first, then you should be careful about some facts. Don’t serve to stand in the kitchen area. Even don’t reply to your opponent’s ball standing in that area. Your opponent will gain a point if you do so.
Scoring System
The Scoring system is simple in ‘Single Strategy.’ If you miss a ball, then your opponent will gain a point. Whenever someone gains a point, you both have to switch the serving sides. If you hit the ball before the first drop, then your opponent will earn another point. Even if you hit the ball after two falls, then your opponent will gain a point. Though many rules are conducted this game, these are the primary scoring rules to remember.
Double Strategy/Score – A Brief Introduction
Are you willing to enjoy this game with three of your friends or partner? Then you can play Double Score PickleBall with them.
I’ll be discussing this strategy into two segments:
The Serve
A toss will happen between two teams. The winning team will decide whether they want ‘Serve First’ or not. Logically, the group serving first won’t get any benefit. Besides, they can’t even use two servers of their team – only the second server can serve at the beginning. Then the first serve will be passed to the opponent if they commit any fault.
Scoring System
The most tricky part of PickleBall is the ‘Double Strategy Scoring System.’ The beginners often get confused with these three-number score bar. Their asking is like -” What is PickleBall? Is the Scoring system too difficult to understand?”
The game starts with 0-0-2. This number continually changes throughout the gaming period. The most important thing is, your opponent team won’t receive a point while your team is serving. After two faults (Except the first serve), the opponent will be able to gain scores from your side.
Now, Let’s see what ‘0-0-2’ actually means. We can assume this number as “Server Score-Receiver Score- Server Number.” If your team scores a point and the server is number two, this score will be ‘1-0-2’.
What will happen if your opponent team receives the turn after your team’s two faults? After that, the score bar will be changed to ‘0-1-1’ as their server number one will do the serving. You have to Practice PickleBall regularly to make this scoring understanding clear.
Let’s Get Started With PickleBall
Though Pickleball is a new game, experienced players love to partner with newbies. The way of getting started with PickleBall is easy if you have the proper gear with you. Try finding someone genuinely interested in PickleBall. Then he or she will help you learn and understand this easy-to-play game.
Currently, I’m using and testing a bunch of PickleBall sets. You may find the following listing helpful. I’ll be shorting them by Best for Beginners, Value for Money & Expensive for Elite Players.
Readout more about Pickleball at HonestPlayers. Comment down below for any queries related to pickleball and our team will reply to you asap!