Paddleball

Have you ever wanted to play paddleball but weren't sure how the game is played? If so, this article may be of help to you.

Paddleball is generally played on a court with a single wall to the front of the players.

The court is 20 feet wide and 34 feet deep. The wall is 16 feet high and should have a fence about 4 feet high on its top. The short line is 16 feet from the wall. This leaves 18 feet between the short line and the long line, and served balls must land in this zone when they come back from the wall.

The service line is 9 feet behind the short line, and the server must stand between those two lines. The sidelines on the court are continued about 3 feet behind the long line to help determine if a served ball is long (known as a fault) or out (known as a side-out.)

Paddleball is usually played singles or doubles. Singles play is usually the more popular way to play the game, but many people enjoy doubles as well.

In the game of paddleball, the ball resembles a handball. It has a rubber surface, and is harder and smaller than a tennis ball. The paddles that are used in this game are similar in size to a racquetball paddle. They are made of wood and perforated with holes. The edge is protected with aluminum or tape or both.

Most players of paddleball will wrap the handle of their paddle with leather. A lanyard is also common. This helps prevent the paddle from flying away if the player loses his grip.

The paddleball server must drop the ball to the ground, and hit it as it bounces back up.

For the serve to be good, the ball must hit the wall, and hit the court surface between the short line and long line, and within the sidelines. If the ball lands short or long, the server gets one additional attempt. If the ball lands wide, or strikes the wall wide, the server is out.

If a good serve is made, paddleball players will hit the ball on-the-fly or after one bounce. The ball must hit the wall, within the sidelines, on the fly, and return, hitting the court surface between the sidelines and before the baseline.

There are other paddleball rules that you should learn before playing. You can find the complete list of them online by doing a simple search. You can also find locations where paddleball is played in your local area.