Pickleball

Have you ever played pickleball? If you have badminton equipment, you have nearly everything you need already to enjoy this fun game that the whole family can play.

Pickleball is played on a badminton court with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center. It is played with a perforated plastic baseball (similar to a Whiffle ball) and wood or composite paddles.

To get a game started, the serve must be hit underhand and each team must play their first shot off the bounce. After the ball has bounced once on each side then both teams can either volley the ball in the air or play it off the bounce. This is called the double bounce rule because the ball must hit once on each side before it can be volleyed.

The reason it is played this way is that it eliminates the serve and volley advantage and prolongs the rallies. A good term to know is volley. To volley a ball means to hit it in the air without first letting it bounce.

The non-volley zone is the 7-foot zone on both sides of the net. No volleying is permitted within the non-volley zone, preventing players from executing smashes from a position within the zone. When volleying the ball, the player may not step on or over the line.

It is a fault if the player's momentum carries him into the zone while the ball is still in play. A player may be in the non-volley zone at any other time. The non-volley zone is sometimes referred to as the kitchen.

A game is played to eleven points and a team must win by two points. Rallies are lost by failing to return the ball in bounds to the opponent's court before the second bounce, stepping into the non-volley zone and volleying the ball, or by violating the double-bounce rule. The hand is considered an extension of the paddle. The player loses the rally if the ball hits any other part of his body or clothing.

Some of the above pickleball rules may sound confusing but they are easy to understand once you get onto the court and begin play. The whole family can join in as even younger people can enjoy the game and usually understand the rules.

You can find all of the pickleball rules and some tips on the game by doing an online search. There is a lot of information being posted on this wonderful game because it is becoming very popular.