Pickleball is a sport which combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. It is played with a perforated plastic ball and composite or wooden paddles about twice the size of ping-pong paddles. It is played on a badminton-sized court with a net similar to a tennis net, but slightly lower. Because of the smaller court and lighter paddles, the game is easier to play than tennis.

It can be played indoors or outdoors and is easy for beginners to learn. While it is easy to learn the sport, mastering its complexities provides scope for players to continue to develop their game for years. When played between experienced players, it is a fast-paced, competitive game.

Unlike most other sports, it can be easily played between players of widely differing ages. Due to this fact and its low-impact nature, it is an extremely social game that has multi-generational appeal, so the game has developed a passionate following.

The rules of pickleball are simple, making it a great introductory sport. The game can be played as singles (two) players or doubles (four) players. The doubles game is the most popular for social play.

There is some strange terminology used in pickleball such as “Kitchen”, “Erne”, “Nasty Nelson” and many more.

Whether you’re a beginner who just wants to learn a new sport for fun, or you’re a seasoned player who craves the thrill of more competitive play, this game with the funny name offers something for everyone.  

How it all began …

The origin of pickleball.

Pickleball was invented in 1965 at the home of Joel Pritchard on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. Three dads (Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum) created the game when their kids were looking for things to do during the school break.

They attempted to set up badminton, but no one could find the shuttlecock. They improvised with a perforated plastic ball, lowered the badminton net, and fabricated paddles of plywood from a nearby shed.

Simple rules were used to begin with. However, the game gradually evolved into a popular sport throughout the US, Canada and the world.

Where does the name “pickleball” come from?

There are two theories:

The first is that “the combination of different sports (tennis, ping-pong, badminton) is reminiscent of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.” 

The second states that the game was named after Joel Pritchard’s dog – named “Pickles.” According to this account, Pickles was known for chasing the ball, putting it in its mouth and running off the court.