Pickleball
A guide to playing the game
What is Pickleball?
Pickleball is a fun, social sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. Played both indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court and with a slightly modified tennis net. Two or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, over a net.
The rules are simple and the game is easy for beginners to learn, but can develop into a fast-paced, competitive game.
A brief Pickleball history
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. Three dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities — are credited for creating the game. Combining badminton nets, table tennis bats and a wiffle ball, the three men created the first iteration of what would go on to become pickleball.
The name ‘Pickleball’ is said to have come from either Joel’s wife Joan, who said that she named the game after a crew that is made up of the leftover oarsmen from other boats called a “pickle boat”. Meanwhile, McCallum said that the name came from Pritchard’s dog, Pickles, who would chase the ball and run off with it.
Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the US and Canada where nearly 3 million people play the sport. The game is growing internationally as well, with many European and Asian countries adding courts.
In the UK, pickleball clubs started to form around 2011 and the sport has continued to grow ever-since. It’s estimated that in 2023 there are around 270 pickleball venues and 7000 players in the UK, with the game only expected to grow further in the coming years.
The Pickleball court
A pickleball court is the same size as a doubles badminton court and measures 20×44 feet. In pickleball, the same court is used for both singles and doubles play. The net height is 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle.
The court is striped similar to a tennis court with right and left service courts and a 7-foot non-volley zone in front of the net (referred to as the “kitchen”). Courts can be constructed specifically for pickleball or they can be converted using existing tennis or badminton courts.
Pickleball rules
The game follows specific pickleball rules designed to ensure fair play and enjoyable competition. The court is divided into two service boxes and then a non-volley zone close to the net called ‘the kitchen’.
To start a point the ball is served underarm into the opposite service box, clearing the kitchen. The ball must bounce once on both sides of the court before the player or doubles team can start to volley, in accordance with the pickleball rules.
The rally continues until either a player/team make a mistake (e.g. hit a shot out of bounds or in the net) or someone hits a winner (ball bounces twice).
The kitchen is also known as the non-volley zone, meaning that if you play a shot inside the kitchen, you must let the ball bounce first, otherwise it’s a point to the other player/team.
How to score in pickleball
Scoring is simple – the winner is the first player or team to reach 11 points. Like in a tie-break in tennis or padel however, you have to win by two clear points. If the score is tied at 10-10, you keep going until one side goes two points clear.
The rules of pickleball state you can only win points on your serve and you continue serving until you lose a point. After winning a point on your serve, you swap sides to then serve to your other opponent/ into the other service box.
In doubles, players serve in turn. When you watch pickleball doubles, you’ll often hear players call out three numbers when announcing the score – the third number refers to which of the two players is serving.
For example, if the score is 3-3 and your team is about to start serving, you would call out 3-3-1 – indicating that player one is serving. If you then lose the point it would become 3-3-2 as the serve now goes to your partner rather than the opposition.
The only time this is different is at the start of the game, where only one player gets to serve. For this you would call 0-0-2.
Pickleball service rules
In pickleball, the ball is served diagonally to the opposite service box. The ball must travel beyond the kitchen and bounce in the service box before the player can return the ball (the ball has to bounce on either side of the net before players can start to volley).
Players can either serve underarm or the ball can be bounced on the ground and then hit underarm. When serving, players must stand within the sidelines and centreline and at least one foot must be behind the baseline.
Come and join the fun!
Whether you’re a beginner or have played before, come and try Newark Pickleball!