Pickleball

Pickleball is a sport similar to badminton and tennis. It involves playing on a court with the same dimensions as a badminton court with a wooden paddle.

History

Pickleball was created during the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, near Seattle. According to co-inventors U.S. Congressman Joel Pritchard, William Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, the original purpose of the game was to provide a sport for the entire family.

The origin of the sport's name is not known. Some saywho the name came from a family dog named Pickles that would chase after balls and then hide them in the bushes. Pickles' ball was later shortened to "pickleball." Initially, families played pickleball in their backyards on a hard surface, on driveways and on residential dead-end streets. As the sport grew throughout the 1970s, it evolved from a family activity into a paddle court sport with formalized rules. Now, pickleball is played in school physical education programs and at parks and recreation centers, correctional facilities, camps, YMCAs and retirement communities. The sport is popular among active senior adults and at community centers.

The Court

The game is played on a court that is the same size as a badminton court (20 feet wide by convert|44|ft|m long). The net is set at 36 inches high on the edges and convert|34|in|mm in the middle. [cite web |url=http://www.usapa.org/officialrules/pbrules.pdf |title=Official Tournament Rulebook |accessdate=2007-06-27 |format=PDF]

Terminology

Baseline— The line at the back of the pickleball court (22 feet from the net).

Centerline— The line bisecting the service courts that extends from the non-volley zone line to the baseline.

Crosscourt— The opponent's court diagonally opposite yours.

Dink— A soft, low shot, initiated from within or just behind the non-volley zone, that lands in the opponent's non-volley zone.

Double Bounce Rule— After a serve, each team must play their first shot off the bounce, after which the ball can be played off the bounce or volleyed.

Fault— An infringement of the rules that ends the rally.

Foot Fault— Failure to keep at least one foot behind the baseline and touching the ground at the moment the paddle contacts the ball during a serve, or stepping on or into the non-volley zone while volleying a ball.

Let Serve— A serve that touches the top of the net and lands in the proper service court (it is replayed without penalty).

Non-Volley Zone— A seven-foot area adjacent to the net within which you may not volley the ball. The non-volley zone usually includes all lines around it.

Poach— In doubles, to cross over into your partner's area to play a ball.

Rally— Hitting the ball back and forth between opponents.

Serve (Service)— An underhand lob or drive stroke used to put a ball into play at the beginning of a point.

Server Number— When playing doubles, either “1” or “2,” depending on whether you are the first or second server for your side. This number is appended to the score when it is called.

Sideline— The line at the side of the court.

Volley— To hit the ball before it bounces.

Basic Rules of Pickleball

The lines: The baseline is the end of the court. Any balls bouncing past this line are considered out. When serving, you must stand behind this line. Sidelines and the baseline should be positioned so that any ball bouncing on the line is good. On the serve, a ball striking the non-volley zone line is considered a fault.

The non-volley zone: Seven feet from the net, a line marks the non- volley zone. You are not allowed to hit the ball without letting it bounce first if your foot is on or between this line and the net, or if you stumble into this zone after hitting the ball.

Scoring and winning: A team gets a point when they win a rally that they served. When a point is won, the players of the winning team switch sides. The first team to 11 points wins, but you have to win by two points.

The serve: The player on the right always serves first. The ball must contact the paddle below the waist using an underhand motion and must land in the diagonally opposite court, past the non-volley line. The player must hit the ball without bouncing it first. Both players on a team will serve before the service passes to the other team. To keep the first service of a game fair, only the first player serves during the first service of the game.

Keeping track of scoring: Because players switch sides with each point, a simple scoring system was devised to keep track of who is serving. Before each serve, the server calls out his team’s score, the other team’s score, and then, whether he is the first or second server for his team. For example, if his team has 5 points, the other team has 3, and his partner has already served and lost the point, he would call out, “5, 3, Server 2.”

The return: The receiving team must let the ball bounce before returning the serve. Also, the serving team MUST let the returned ball bounce once more before hitting it back. This means that there will be two bounces during the first two hits of the rally.

Singles play: The server serves from the right side of the court when his or her score is even and from the left side when the his or her score is odd. [http://www.thepickleballstore.com/About Retrieved on 2008-06-22.]

References

[http://galeleach.com/artofpickleball.htm The Art of Pickleball: Techniques and Strategies for Everyone, Leach, Gale H., Acacia Publishing (first edition 2005; second edition 2008)]

External links

* [http://www.pickleballcentral.com Latest Pickleball News!]
* [http://www.usapa.org USA Pickleball Association (USAPA)]
* [http://www.thepickleballstore.com/Selecting+a+Pickleball+Paddle Paddle Characteristic Guide]
* [http://www.usapa.org/schedule/index.php Comprehensive List of Upcoming Pickleball Tournaments]
* [http://www.usapa.org Simplified Rules]
* [http://www.galeleach.com]
* [http://holdmycourt.com/ Free Online Reservation System for Sports Courts]