If you have played this court sport, you know pickleball is fun, easy to pick up and suitable for all ages! But in case you have not played it yet, you must know that this game was born in the US and it’s rapidly growing and spreading all over the world. 

A little bit of history

This sport was invented in 1965 by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, three friends, —and dads!— from Bainbridge Island, WA who came up with a great idea to entertain their kids during summer. They improvised and started playing with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. Soon, in 1976, many enthusiasts of “America’s newest racquet sport” —as the Tennis Magazine itself referred to the game— enjoyed the first Pickleball Tournament in the world. By 1990, Pickleball was being played in 50 states! 
Today, it is played on all continents.

But, how is it played?

5 Basic rules

#1: The ball must stay inbounds

Like ping pong, if you happen to hit the ball out of bounds, you lose your serve and give the ball to the other team. Pickleball requires the ball to bounce during the serve and return, so if the ball goes “out” on your serve you have a better chance “at net” returning your opponent’s serve.

#2: There should be one bounce per side

If you let the ball bounce twice on your side, it is returned to the other team. If you serve or return to the other side, it must only bounce once on your side. Your serve will be over if it bounces more than once (or goes out of bounds). Basically, let the ball bounce once before you return it to the other side. 

#3: Serving must be done at the baseline

There are a few regulations when it comes to serving in pickleball. The most important thing is that the serve is done at the baseline. 

The serve must be done underhand with the ball held below the waistline and served diagonally to the opposite side.

#4: The serve can’t land in the no-volley zone

This zone is anywhere inside of the lined box that is 7 feet from the net. The no-volley zone is on both sides of the court. This is often called the kitchen line and you’ll hear players saying, “stay out of the kitchen” when referring to the no-volley zone.

In general, on the serve, the deeper the better. Just remember that it needs to bounce once on each side before continuing the volley and dropping in the kitchen. 

#5: The game ends at 11 or 15 points

Traditionally, pickleball ended at 11 points. But, similar to volleyball and tennis, the winning team must win by at least 2 points. So if you’re at 11 but the other team gets 10, the game will go on. This means that the next score the game can end at will be 12. 

And that’s not all! Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles, new players can learn the basic rules quickly in a single session, and no special apparel is needed – just something comfortable and appropriate for a court sport.