San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
PICKLEBALL MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I’M YOUNG
Pickleball may be the fastest-growing sport in the world, and for good reason. Personally, I know it makes me feel younger. Some people play for the competition, but my friends and I play mainly for the joy and laughter that it brings. In fact, in mid-volley, one of us might just bust out in hysterical laughter. It is a fun game.
Pickleball was invented in 1965 near Seattle by Washington politician Joel Pritchard and his friends and neighbors William Bell and Barney Mccallum. They started with ping pong paddles, a perforated ball and a badmintonheight net of 60 inches that they eventually lowered to 3 feet off the ground. One story is the name came from Pritchard’s dog, Pickles, who constantly chased the ball, but Pritchard’s wife, Joan, says the dog came along later and was named after the game she titled for being thrown together like the leftover non-starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races.
One of the most difficult parts of the game is the scoring, which makes sense after a while. The game starts with a 0-0-2 score, meaning it’s the second serve and each team has zero points. If a player scores a point, then it’s 1-0-2. If that player misses the point, then it’s a side out and the score is 0-0-1. If you’re a beginner, don’t worry. The more you play, the more you will understand the scoring system.
Aside from the scoring, pickleball is probably one of the easiest games to learn. Stretching beforehand at home and on the court is encouraged. A slow warmup is encouraged, where the players hit the ball lightly over the net for several minutes. There are certain moves like dinking, where a player is up at the net and then gently hits the ball across it. Once the game starts and the ball is served and returned by the opponent, the ball must bounce once before it’s returned. After that, it can volley back and forth across the net in the air without bouncing. That’s when the pace really picks
up and the laughter fills the air if players are out for a good time like my friends and I are.
Poaching is another pickleball term. Poaching is when a player crosses the court centerline, thereby taking away a partner’s shot. It’s a good idea to talk strategy with partners prior to playing. Returning the ball is a lot of fun as long as the partners work together. Music helps, if other players at nearby courts are OK with it. For us, it is an added bonus and really gets the game flowing.
Thankfully one of our friends always graces us by bringing her playlist of music. Others may disagree, but we are always into movin’ and groovin’.
As far as physical fitness, the pickleball court is only a fourth of the size of a tennis court, so there is much less running involved than in tennis. The playing area is 20 feet by 44 feet. The net is 36 inches high on the ends and 34 inches in the middle. With our group of friends we prefer playing doubles, which is two players on each side. Others may prefer playing one on one, which is singles.
Because the ball is like a Wiffle ball, there are moments when I feel like I’m in slow motion and the ball slows way down when it’s spinning. At other times, it’s as fast-paced as we want it to be.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a buddy of mine gave up his spot with the group that I play with now, and I’m very grateful to him for that. I think that pickleball not only helped preserve my sanity, but I met a bunch of really nice people who have become great friends. We often get together after playing or do so outside of the sport.
I hear some romances have even been born on the pickleball courts. It’s a wonderful way to meet people and get out of a rut while getting some great exercise and having fun while doing it. I was sore at first, but in a good way. And the endorphin rush is addictive and so inspiring and rejuvenating.
I’m not surprised that housing areas near pickleball courts have complaints about the noise. It’s not only the sound the ball makes when hitting the paddle, but the laughing and yelling with frustration or happiness by the players.
We play at parks and areas where there is some distance between housing, so it’s never been an issue for us. Profanity is usually frowned upon as there are other courts around with students learning tennis. Instead of swearing, we tend to use less colorful words or I tend to make up new nonsensical words. Keeping things light makes us laugh and doesn’t offend others.
I can’t speak highly enough of my new sport. If you are looking for a change of pace and already enjoy tennis, ping pong, badminton or racquetball, and you like to laugh, pickleball may be the answer. Enjoy!