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The Pickleball Craze

Are you familiar with pickleball? If not, more than likely you will be soon.

It is one of America’s fastest-growing sports. Sooner or later somebody is probably going to invite you to join a game of pickleball.

According to the Sport and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), participation in pickleball grew by an incredible 21% last year as homebound Americans looked for new ways to stay active during the COVID pandemic.

What is pickleball?

Pickleball is a game that combines elements of tennis, ping-pong, and badminton. It is played with large paddles and a plastic ball with holes on a court similar in layout to tennis, but about half the size.

Like most racquet sports, the aim is to get the ball over the net and prevent your opponent from hitting it back.

Rules for pickleball are relatively simple, making it a great sport for anyone. It can also be quite challenging, fast-paced, and competitive when people become more experienced at playing the game.

The history of pickleball

The story is that Congressman Joel Pritchard and his neighbor Bill Bell invented the game in the summer of 1965 at Pritchard’s home on Bainbridge Island, WA. Their families were bored and sitting around complaining that they had nothing to do. Kids in the summer, right? The two dads got creative and made up a game using existing ping-pong paddles and a whiffle ball that they played on an old badminton court on the property.

Originally, they had the net set at badminton height (60 inches) and volleyed the ball over the net. After several games, they found that the ball bounced well on the asphalt surface and lowered the net to its current regulation 36 inches. The following weekend, friend Barney McCallum was introduced to the game and the three men created an early version of the rules, relying heavily on badminton. They kept in mind the original purpose, which was to provide a fun game that the whole family could play together.

As the summer progressed the game evolved. Through trial and error, they came up with a more polished version of the game similar to what is played today.

why is it called pickleball?

There are two accounts as to the origin of the name “pickleball”.

Allegedly, Joel Pritchard’s wife started to call their new game pickleball because “the combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.”

But according to Barney McCallum, they named the game after Pritchard’s dog, who was named (are you ready for it….) “Pickles”. Their dog was known to run off with the ball while it was still in play.

Originally, there wasn’t any official name until one was needed when the game started to gain popularity. Depending on who you ask, either or both stories of the game’s name could be true. I, of course, prefer the story of the dog’s name. Everyone knows I love dogs.

The basic rules of pickleball

Although pickleball is played on a court, the rules of the game more closely resemble ping-pong or badminton than traditional tennis. It can be played by singles or in pairs, either indoors or outside.

The game begins with one side serving the pickleball, using a paddle.
The server must keep one foot behind the back line and strike the ball with an underhand swing. The ball is aimed at the service court located diagonally over the net, being sure to clear the no-volley zone which is also known as “the kitchen” and extends 7-feet from both sides of the net.
Service starts from the right-hand court. Only one fault is allowed.
When playing doubles, both players get to serve once. Then the serve is taken over by the opposing team.
Both sides must allow the ball to bounce at least one time from the start of the game before returning it with the paddle. Thereafter, players may volley the ball (hit it without allowing it to bounce), provided they are not within the no-volley zone (marked on the court).
A player or team scores points only when they are serving. A pickleball game is played to 11 points and a win must be by at least 2 points.

Similar to tennis, the following moves are faults in the game of pickleball:

Failing to clear the net.
Hitting the ball out of bounds.
Volleying the ball from within, or while a foot is in the no-volley zone.
Volleying the ball before it has bounced on a first serve or first return.

For more detailed rules, check out the USA Pickleball website.

With the growing popularity of the game, it is getting easy to find a place to play. Tennis courts everywhere are being restriped and repurposed to allow both tennis and pickleball to be played on the same court.

My favorite new concept is the growth of “Chicken N Pickle”. What’s better than a game of pickleball? A game of pickleball with fried chicken, beer, and good friends!