Pickleball
Pickleball is a relatively new racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and ping-pong. The net is lower than most other racquet sports allowing for faster play. The game is played with a hard paddle and a wiffle ball, making the technique required for pickleball different than other sports. Many retired persons in fairly good physical condition are trying it out.
Pickleball Instructional Video
This tennis-like game is played by 2 or 4 people on a badminton-sized court using wood paddle racquets and a plastic, poly ball with holes. It can be played on any hard surface and is ideal for small spaces. It can be played on driveways, quiet streets, tennis courts, and multi-purpose game courts.
Rules
Serve:
A player must keep one foot behind the back line when serving. The serve is made underhand. The serve is made diagonally across the court and must clear the non-volley zone (7 feet). At the start of each new game, the first serving team is allowed only one fault before giving up the ball to the opponents. Thereafter both members of each team (if playing pairs) will serve and fault before the ball is turned over to the opposing team.
Volley:
To volley a ball means to hit it in the air without letting it bounce. All volleying must be done with the player's feet behind the non-volley zone line (7 feet from the net).
Double Bounce to Start:
Each team must play their first shot off the bounce. That is, the first receiving team must let the served ball bounce, and the serving team must let the return of serve bounce before playing it. After the two bounces have occurred, the ball can be either volleyed or played off the bounce.
Faults:
* Hitting the ball out of bounds
* Not clearing the net
* Stepping into the non-volley zone and volleying the ball
The Court:
The net is hung 36 inches on each end of the net and 34 inches in the middle. A non-volley zone extends 7 feet on each side of the net. That leaves 15 feet on each end of the court for volleying.