Pickleball is what?
Pickleball is a paddle sport (similar to a racquet sport) that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis.Two or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, similar to a Wiffle Ball, over a net. The sport shares features of other racquet sports, the dimensions and layout of a badminton court, and a net and rules somewhat similar to tennis, with several modifications. Pickleball was invented in the mid 1960s as a children's backyard pastime.
Play Pickleballs
The ball is served with an underhand stroke so that contact with the ball is made below waist level (waist is defined as the navel level) in an upward arc. The server hits from behind the baseline on one side of the center line and aims diagonally to the opponent’s service court (as in the figure on the right).
Only the serving side may score a point. Play ends for a point when one side commits a fault. Faults include:
not hitting the serve into the opponent's diagonal service court
not hitting the ball beyond the net
not hitting the ball before the 2nd bounce on one side of the net
hitting the ball out of bounds
volleying the ball on the service return
volleying the ball on the first return by the serving side
stepping into the non-volley zone (the first seven feet from the net, also known as the 'kitchen') in the act of volleying the ball.
A player may enter the non-volley zone to play a ball that bounces and may stay there to play balls that bounce.[10]:A-22 The player must exit the non-volley zone before playing a volley.
The first side scoring 11 points leading by at least two points wins the game. If the two sides are tied at 10 points apiece, the side that goes ahead by two points wins the game.[11]
Tournament games may be played to 15 or 21 points with players rotating sides at 8 or 11 total points respectively.[12]
The server or server and partner usually stay at the baseline until the first return has been hit back and bounced once.
At the beginning of a doubles game before any serving, the score is 0–0. Then the side serving first gets only one fault before their side is out, meaning that their opponents serve next. After the first fault each side gets 2 faults (one for each team member serving) before their side is "out".
In singles play, each side gets only one fault before a side out and the opponent then serves. The server's score will always be even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10...) when serving from the right side, and odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9...) when serving from the left side.[10]:A-15
Rules for those in wheelchairs are similar to the standing rules with minor alternatives. The player’s wheelchair is considered to be part of the player’s body and all applicable rules that usually apply to the body will also apply to the player’s wheelchair. A pickleball player in a wheelchair is allowed two bounces instead of the one a standup player would receive. When a player in a wheelchair is serving the ball, they must be in a stationary position. They are then allowed one push before striking the ball for service. When the player strikes the ball, the wheels of the wheel chair shall not touch any baselines, sidelines, center lines or the extended center or sidelines. When there is a mixed game of those in wheelchairs and those standing, the applicable rules apply for those players respectively. Standing players will adhere to the standing pickleball rules and the wheelchair players will adhere to the wheelchair pickleball rules.
