How Long Does It Take To Learn Pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddleball sport similar to tennis, table tennis, and badminton. If you’re thinking about learning to play pickleball, how long will it take to pick it up? This article will guide you through everything you need to know.

Pickleball is very easy to pick up, and you should be able to learn how to play within 15 minutes. From there, it’s a matter of working on and perfecting your game. The game doesn’t favor players with the most power but, instead, relies on precision, placement, and teamwork.

So, if you want to learn how to play pickleball, don’t worry; it’ll be very straightforward. Our guide will help you through the process, and once you’ve read it, you should be ready to play your first game.

What Is Pickleball & How Log Does It Take To Learn?

Pickleball was first played in 1965 by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, who tried to set up a badminton game but improvised with a new layout, equipment, and rules to create a game of two to four players that use wooden paddles to hit a Wiffle ball over a net for points, much like tennis, table tennis, and badminton.

Pickleball has since evolved from a backyard game into a bona fide sport for which thousands of tournaments are hosted throughout the United States and around the world every year. Its rise in popularity has been attributed to the fact that it has picked up in public spaces like the YMCA, public parks, community centers, and even retirement communities.

Due to the less strenuous nature of pickleball that places less physical demand on the body, it is a popular sport among older people and people living with disabilities.

If you want to learn how to play pickleball, it won’t take you very long, especially if you’re familiar with tennis, table tennis, and badminton rules.

Pickleball Rules

A pickleball match is played on a tennis court surface that measures 20 feet wide and 44 feet long. It is cut down the middle with a 36-inch high net that reduces to 34 inches in the center of the net. The court is further split into left and right sides serving zones. There is also a seven-foot no-volley zone in front of the net before the split serving areas.

Firstly, note that pickleball is most commonly played as doubles (two players per team) rather than as singles (one on one), but a singles format of the game does exist. Both singles and doubles matches use the same sized courts and rules.

You have to swerve underhand (i.e., your arm must be moving upwards when you strike the ball). You may not make contact with the ball above waist level, nor should your wrist should be above the head of the paddle.

After the serve, which has to be across the court, the receiving player must let it bounce when it bounces on the other side. When the ball is returned to you, you have to let it bounce (the two bounce rule). After that, you can hit the ball in the air.

The only part of the court where you can’t hit the ball in the air is if you’re standing in the non-volley zone in front of the net (or “the kitchen”). If your foot is on the line, it counts as being “in the kitchen.”

The one time you can stand in the kitchen is when the ball bounces in the kitchen. You can step in, hit the ball back over the net, and reset with both feet out of the kitchen before you can hit the ball again.

For pickleball scoring, it comprises three numbers. You start the game with 0-0-2. This means that both you and your opponent have scored nothing yet and the final number indicates who the server is. The first server of the game will always be number two.

Points can only be scored by the serving team and games are typically played till 11 points, where you have to win by two, but the can be played until 15 or 21. If the serving team’s score is an even number, the first server for the game will have to serve from the right-hand side of the court, while if it is odd, they have to serve from the left side.

Points are won by the serving team if the receiving team commits a fault (violates a rule), while the serving team will lose the serve or side out.

Ball contact with any line except the non volley zone line is considered “in”.

If you’d like to go over the full set of rules for pickleball, they can be found here.

Equipment Required For Pickleball

So, now that you know the rules of pickleball, it’s time for you to get your hands on some equipment so that you can get started. And what’s really great about pickleball is that it doesn’t cost much to get your hands on some basic equipment.

The first thing you need is a paddle. Pickleball paddles are square and smaller than tennis racquets and bigger than table tennis paddles. They can be made from wood, plastic, graphite or aluminum.

Secondly, you need a ball. Pickleballs are similar to Wiffle balls and made out of lightweightpolymer, with between 26 and 40 holes. Pickleballs are made with different numbers and sizes of holes depending on whether you’re playing indoors or outdoors.

The final piece of equipment that you require is apparel and footwear. While there is no formal dress code,any standard athletic apparel is suitable for pickleball. You should also invest in a comfortable pair of tennis shoes, because footwork can be essential in pickleball.

Conclusion

So, now that you’ve read through this article about pickleballs, you have all of the knowledge you need to get started in your first match! It may take you a few games to get the hang of it, but you won’t need any more than 15 minutes before you’re right in the thick of things.