Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States with nearly triple the five year growth rates of other paddle sports like Tennis, Badminton or Ping Pong. According to CNBC's recent report "How Pickleball Took Over America," there will be 40 million Pickleball players by 2030. From paddles to apparel to indoor Pickleball recreational venues, the industry at large is expected to more than double its footprint by 2028. But to many, Pickleball is still just a quirky activity with a funny name. 

What is Pickleball?

At its core, Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of other traditional sports like badminton, tennis, and table tennis. Pickleball's popularity is certainly rooted in its inclusive nature; It can be played both indoors and outdoors, and can be played by people of all ages and genders. The Pickleball court looks like a mini-Tennis court with the service boxes inverted in relation to the net. Speaking of the net, a Pickleball net is lower than a tennis net, approximately 3 feet off the ground. Just like other paddle sports, Pickleball can be played as singles, with two people, or doubles, with four.

The paddle, made of wood, or more popularly graphite, is larger than a Ping Pong paddle but smaller than a Tennis racquet. The hard paddle surface is used to hit a large Wiffle-ball in a series of exciting rallies over the net featuring Dinks, Drives, Lobs, Ernies, ATPs and other Pickleball shots. 

How do you keep score in Pickleball?

Pickleball matches are played to eleven points, where the winner must win by two points. Pretty straight forward, right? Well, new players are often most confused by how the scoring within the game works. 

First, like Volleyball, a point can only be scored on a player's serve. If the returner wins a point, again like Volleyball, they win the serve for their team and the right to score points from there.

If you visit a public Pickleball court, you'll hear echoes of three numbers (e.g., 3-4-1 or 5-2-2) at the beginning of each point, This tells everyone the score with the first two digits, the serving team's running score followed by the returning team's running score. The third digit yelled out in doubles matches (there is no third number in singles scoring) will either be a "1" or "2" and refers to whether the service team's first player is serving or their second. When a side out is won, the team that won that point on their return now takes the service advantage with their first team member serving, as the "1," until they lose a point. Service then moves to the second team member, as the "2" until they lose a point returning the service advantage to the other team and the cycle begins again. 

What are basic Pickleball rules?

In Pickleball, your serve, which must be made with a low to high or underhand motion, with the ball making contact with the paddle below the server's hips, is hit over the net, past the Kitchen line (more on the Kitchen to come) and cross court into the returner's service box.

The Kitchen, or No Volley Zone, refers to the rectangle between the service boxes and the net. Players may not enter the Kitchen to volley a ball directly out of the air at any point. Should a ball bounce close to the net, a player may enter the Kitchen to play a ball over the net, but must exit the Kitchen before volleying another shot.

The return of serve must be played by the serving team after a bounce, then the strategy of the game really takes shape as it is an all out race to get to the Kitchen line and play a cat and mouse game to look for a scoring opportunity.

What do you need to play Pickleball?

Pickleball's accessibility and inclusivity are two of the sports biggest advantages. To play Pickleball, all you need is a court, a paddle, a Pickleball and some friends. From there, its all about having a positive attitude and alot of fun.