Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. There are over 8.9 million active players and the sport is beginning to gain a foothold in the UK, with the 2023 English Open seeing over 1,000 competitors from across the globe.
It is a game for all ages, with similarities to tennis, badminton and squash. Pickleball is also frequently compared to padel, another fast-growing racket sport, though padel is played with walls on the court, whilst a pickleball court is open on all sides.
Pickleball courts
A pickleball court will look familiar to fans of other racket sports, with some subtle differences. The most obvious difference is that the service boxes are at the back of the court. The front of the court meanwhile is one single area is known as the ‘non-volley zone’, or ‘the kitchen’.
The court is 20ft by 44ft (6.1m by 13m) for all formats of the game, the dimensions being the same as a badminton court in its doubles configuration.
The net is 36 inches high (0.91m), and 22ft wide (6.7m), so it should extend roughly a foot past the edge of the court on both sides, similar to a tennis net.
Rules of pickleball
Much like other popular racket sports, the game can be played in either a singles or doubles format. Players hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball with paddles over a low net until a fault is committed. Only the server can score on each point.
Faults include failing to clear the net on a return, hitting the ball out of bounds, and failing to hit the ball before it bounces twice on your side of the court.
A serve must bounce once in the diagonal service box of the opponents, much like tennis. However, unlike tennis, the server must also allow the returned ball to bounce once before they can strike it. This is known as the ‘two-bounce rule’, after which point either player can hit the ball on the volley, without waiting for a bounce.
The ‘non-volley zone’ is aptly named, with players not allowed to volley whilst stood in this area of the court. Players may only volley the ball if both feet are outside the zone when they strike the ball. Players may strike the ball, but only when it has bounced. They must have clearly placed both feet outside the area again before they may strike a volley.
The game is generally won when one side reaches 11 points, and is leading by two clear points, otherwise the game continues until one side goes two points ahead. Tournament games are sometimes played to 15 or 21 points instead.
How is the game played?
As stated above, only the server may score on any given point. They gain a point for every fault the non-serving player or team commits. If the serving side faults, no points are awarded, but the serve now passes to the non-serving player or team.
There are two main types of serve. The volley serve, in which the ball is hit without bouncing off the ground. In this instance, players must serve underarm, with the ball being hit whilst the paddle is below the waist. Alternatively players may opt for a drop serve. When serving in this way, the ball may bounce, and there are no rules on how they strike the ball.
