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An hour before sundown last evening, my lovely wife and I were concluding a walk in the 100 degree heat near a local park as the sunlight was starting to fade.
In the distance, we kept hearing sounds which, years ago, sounded like a tennis match being played with some very odd-sounding balls. In actuality, it was more of a hollow sound like someone hitting plastic balls with a big paddle. Further investigation revealed a foursome of college-aged men playing pickleball on one of our local tennis courts.
Exactly what IS pickleball?
Think of someone playing badminton or tennis with a smaller racket (like an oversized ping-pong paddle) using a yellow plastic whiffle ball (for those of us who remember those backyard plastic baseballs). The holes in the plastic ball keep it from flying long distances and stabilize the flight direction of the ball.
Some people describe pickleball as combining elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong.
According to one report, the sport was invented in 1965 by US Congressman Joel Pritchard from the state of Washington to keep his kids entertained outside their family home. Setting up a badminton net on the asphalt driveway, he and the kids discovered a couple of ping-pong paddles and a whiffle ball nearby. An improvised game of badminton took place by whacking the plastic ball back and forth over the badminton net using the ping-pong paddles.
After the exuberant players came back inside, the congressman’s wife (a former rower in college) said that the improvised game sounded similar to a pickle boat in rowing. If a rowing crew was thrown together at random, the new team was usually referred to as “the pickle boat”.
Since the new outdoor game utilized leftover sports equipment, the family dubbed their new game pickleball.
Though memorable, the name of the game still causes a lot of cringing from many of the most serious players. Some pickleballers feel the name of their game sounds a bit childish. Since some play a more competitive version of this game which requires exceptional skill and quickness, the name “pickleball” does make it seem like a less-than-serious sport.
If it was invented 60 years ago, why are we only recently discovering pickleball?
Since 1965, pickleball remained stuck in the brine for nearly twenty years until 1984. That is when the US Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA) was formed. It published the rules of the game and has attempted to help promote and grow the sport.
One of the biggest problems stifling the growth of pickleball was the lack of standardized playing conditions – from paddles and whiffle balls to uniform court sizes.
In 1992, a company called Pickle-ball, Inc. began to manufacture a standardized pickleball for use nationwide.
More than another decade would pass before the US Amateur Pickleball Association group was re-incorporated into a non-profit organization in 2005. The sport had started to gain some traction among seniors who were unable to keep playing tennis in their advancing age.
In 2013, the USAPA had grown to more than 4,000 members and had started to see interest in pickleball growing among younger demographics.
By 2023, the national pickleball group had exploded to more than 70,000 members.
How do you play pickleball?
For two players, it only takes a couple of pickleball paddles and a few plastic pickleballs. A visit to your local big box retailers will find the paddles cost anywhere from $25 and up. It still doesn’t cost as much as a tennis racket, but it is pricier than I had expected.
If your area has a designated pickleball court (either outdoor or indoor), you’re in luck! Otherwise, you can improvise utilizing any unused tennis court as a substitute playing location.
For the record, a regulation pickleball court is the same size as a doubles badminton court. It measures 20’ wide by 44’ in length. The net is placed at 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle. The court is striped just like a tennis court with right and left service courts.
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!
Importantly, there is a seven foot “non-volley” zone right in front of the net. Pickleballers refer to this as the “kitchen”.
Players cannot hit the ball out of the air with their feet inside it or touching these lines. If you go into the kitchen, the ball must first bounce before you are allowed to hit it.
No spiking is allowed in the kitchen!
The name of “kitchen” is also credited to the wife of pickleball’s inventor. She believed this lined-off area reminded her of the kitchen floor inside of the family’s home.
As you improve your skills at pickleball, you may be spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Fortunately, there is no refrigerator located in this particular kitchen so your waistline should benefit from this game.
Ready…set…Let’s play pickleball!
Much like tennis, the first player will serve from the right side of the court from behind the baseline. The ball must be served by hitting the ball with an upward underhand motion.
After being hit by the server, the ball must not touch the net and fall into the opposite service court of the opponent. From there, the other player’s return shot must also be allowed to hit the court once before being returned.
After that point, the game is on. A ball may be hit prior to bouncing as long as your feet are not within the “kitchen” area. The point will end when someone hits the ball into the net, out-of-bounds, or it bounces for a second time prior to being hit by the paddle.
Reminder – NO SPIKING from the kitchen (at least until you are safely at home, that is!).
Scoring is a little bit quirky in pickleball. Like tennis, you may only earn points on your own serve. Unlike tennis, pickleball players only get one attempt to serve the ball (no second chances for a service “fault”).
Also unlike tennis, play continues until a total of 11 points are secured for a win. However, the winner must have at least a 2-point final advantage. That means some games may stretch beyond 11 points for one or both of the players.
Here is a link to the pickleball rule book.
Professional pickleball players?
Much like professional tennis, the PPA (Pro Pickleball Association) moves around the country and plays a couple of professional pickleball tournaments every month. The best-of-three singles and doubles matches are quite competitive. You can even watch these events online.
Unlike most major sports, most professional players shouldn’t quit their day jobs.
In 2024, each scheduled PPA event showed a total purse ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 with the money split between winners in the men’s and women’s divisions. Since each player must pay for their own travel, room and food at these tournaments, the minimum out-of-pocket cost for the players averages more than $1,000 per event entered.
Better to keep your “bread and butter” job, unless you are one of the top pickleball players!
Much like other sports, the top pickleball players are now beginning to earn more money from endorsements with pickleball equipment and clothing manufacturers.
So don’t be a sour pickle. Get out and try this game!
Pickleball’s advantage is that it can be enjoyed by the young and old alike. The cost of equipment is relatively low. If you can’t find a true pickleball court, you can utilize one of the usually-vacant tennis courts in your area.
It remains to be seen whether pickleball’s popularity will continue to grow here in America and around the world in the years to come.
If this year’s Summer Olympics featured sports like surfing and break dancing, perhaps pickleball will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles by 2028.
Wouldn’t that be “sweet”!