Random Blog Post - Pickleball

Pickleball

For this “Random” blog post, I wanted to share a little about my favorite sport currently: pickleball. Pickleball is taking the world by storm right now and is the fastest-growing sport in the United States. In this blog post, I will take you through the origin of pickleball, how to play it, and why it is the hottest sport right now. 

Origin of Pickleball

Pickleball started in 1965 in Bainbridge Island, Washington. One summer day, Joel Pritchard came home from playing golf with his friend Bill Bell. They sought to entertain their kids so they decided to play badminton. However, they couldn’t find the right equipment and improvised by playing with ping pong paddles, a wiffle ball, and a badminton net. They started to play and realized that this could be an actual game. The next weekend, they invited their friend Barney McCallum to play with them, and they created the rules for the game. Once the rules were in place they had to come up with a name. They eventually decided on “pickleball,” getting the name from the local pickle boat races in their town. However, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the origin of its name. There was a long-standing belief that the game was named after Pritchard’s dog “Pickles.” In the end, it was revealed that the dog Pickles was actually named after the sport–not the other way around (USA Pickleball). 

How to Play

Now that you know a little about how the game came about, I can now tell you the rules of the game. You can think of pickleball as a mix of ping pong, badminton, and tennis. The court is about the same size as a badminton court at 20 by 44 feet, with the net being similar to tennis at 36 inches (34 inches at the center) (Pickleball). The lines are painted as you see in the picture above with the court being divided in two. You must serve the ball underhanded, from the baseline, and diagonal from where you are serving. Unlike tennis however, you only get one serve (if you miss it’s the other person’s serve) and you can only win points when you are serving. In the picture above, you can also see the section labeled “non-volley zone,” also known as the “kitchen.” As the name suggested, you are not allowed to hit a volley in this area. A volley means hitting the ball out of the air without it bouncing. This non-volley zone is meant to prevent people from coming to the very front of the net and smacking their shots right back at their opponent. The only exception to the rule of not entering the kitchen is if the ball bounces in it. The game is typically played up to 11 and you have to win by 2.

What’s All The Hype About?

There are many reasons why pickleball was declared the fastest growing sport in America (SFIA). Some of the reasons are that:

• Pickleball is easy to learn. Unlike tennis where you need to put in hours of practice to be decent, pickleball doesn’t require much to be a solid player. The balls aren’t that heavy, the court is small, and the paddles are easy to direct, making it easy for almost anyone to learn how to play the game. If you’re someone who just wants to learn a new sport for fun, or you’re a hardcore athlete who loves competition, pickleball does the job for both.

• Pickleball doesn’t take that much space. A pickleball court is about a quarter of the size of a tennis court. It is also a lot cheaper to build than a tennis court. This makes it much easier for homeowners or parks and recreation centers to put these courts in their homes or parks. This has allowed for a huge spike in the number of pickleball courts being built and this trend doesn’t look like it’s slowing down. 

• Pickleball is a fun, social way to exercise. Because pickleball courts are so small, it allows players to be close enough to talk while they play. So, you can easily bond with family and friends while you play. Not only that, but pickleball makes for some of the best cardio you can get. You are constantly moving around with very few breaks and need to always move your arms and legs. Pickleball also enhances your balance, agility, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination and doesn’t put that much strain on your body. This means that older people can participate as well. 

Overall, pickleball is a sport that you must know nowadays, and hopefully, from this blog post, I have inspired some of you to pick up a paddle and play. 

Works Cited

How to Play Pickleball | A Basic Overview. Pickleball. https://www.pickleball.com/rules-how-to-play-pickleball

“Pickleball History: Pickleball Origin.” USA Pickleball. 

https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/history-of-the-game (2022, February 2). 

Pickleball Participation Report 2021. SFIA. 

https://www.sfia.org/reports/Pickleball-Participation-Report-2021 (2021).