FACTS ABOUT THE ‘FASTEST-GROWING SPORT IN AMERICA’
WHAT IS PICKLEBALL?
Invented by three suburban dads in the US state of Washington in 1965, it is now the state sport. The recreational yard sport combines aspects of tennis, badminton and table tennis.
The pandemic’s enforced homebound restrictions fuelled the game’s growth; it now counts roughly 5 million players across America.
HOW IS IT PLAYED?
Pickleball is played either as doubles – two players per team – or singles; doubles is most common. Players must serve the ball over a 36-inch high (0.91 metre) net, using an underhand stroke diagonally across the court.
It must not land in the front 2.13-metre zone, called the non-volley zone or the “kitchen” – though no one knows where this term originated. Players must let the served ball hit the ground first to play it; they cannot simply smash the return.
Strategically popular is the dink shot, a soft return into the kitchen, forcing players to rush the net, similar to a soft drop shot in badminton. The games go to 11 points – though the winning side must win by two points – and only the side serving can score a point.
In just 30 minutes, you can burn 195 to 350 calories playing pickleball. A typical game takes 15-20 minutes to play. In tournament play, a match is best of three games, and a full match usually takes about an hour.
WHY IS IT CALLED PICKLEBALL?
There are three theories. One suggests that because the founders originally used different equipment from other racquet sports – a tennis court, badminton racquets, wiffle balls – it reminded Joel Pritchard of a “pickle” boat – a term from rowing used to describe a motley crew of rowers put together at random to compete in races, often the leftover rowers that no one wanted on their team.
Another story Pritchard says had a family dog named Pickles, and the game was named for the pet. That theory was debunked after it was confirmed the dog was born after the game was invented.
A third story suggests co-founder Bill Bell called it pickleball because he liked hitting the ball in a way that put his opponent in a “pickle”.