Pickleball is a ball game similar to tennis, combining elements of badminton, table tennis and tennis. 2-4 players use a sturdy wooden or composite racket to hit a perforated polymer ball (similar to a Wiffle ball) with 26-40 circular holes. The sport has the characteristics of other racket sports: badminton courts are similar in size and layout, nets and rules to tennis. Invented as a yard game for children in the mid-1960s, Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. Pickleball is rapidly growing in popularity, with more than 8,000 locations in the United States. The sport's popularity is attributed to its popularity in community centers, physical education classes, parks, private health clubs, YMCA facilities and retirement communities. The game also continues to grow globally, with many new international clubs formed and national governing bodies now spread across multiple continents. In the United States, the governing body is the American Pickleball Association (usapickleball.org), which organizes national pickleball competitions in multiple categories.
How to play piquet
Basic overview
Pick ball is played on a 20 "x 44" badminton court. Serve diagonally (from the server on the right) and only the server can score.
Before performing a volley, players on either side must bounce the ball once, and there is a seven-foot no-volley zone on each side of the net to prevent "spiking." The server continues to give the ball, changing fields, until a mistake is made. The first to score 11 points and win by at least 2 points. Pickleball can be played in singles or doubles.
The serve
The service is played diagonally, starting from the right hand court and alternating courts each time. The service court must pass 7 feet in front of the net and land on the diagonal service court.
The racket should be below the waist each time and the server must place both feet behind the baseline. The ball hits the air without bouncing. The server will continue to serve until there is an error on the service, at which point the service will be given to the other side (if the ball grazes the net but still lands in the appropriate service area, the service remains with the server).
The server must hit the ball away while serving, the server is not allowed to bounce the ball and hit it, and the service must pass through the non-flying zone to the diagonal crossing court, including the boundary line (a service that hits the non-flying zone line is considered out). Only one serve is allowed, unless the ball touches the net of the service court and lands on the court of the service court, in which case it may be reserved. At the start of each new game, the first serving team is allowed one error. Thereafter, any time the two players of each team fail to serve, service is given to the other team. When the receiving team wins the service game, the right-handed player always opens the game.
Volley is to hit the ball in the air without letting it bounce. Volley shots are made only when the player's feet are behind the non-hitting zone line (7 feet behind the net). Note: it is an offence if a player crosses the halfway line during a volley.
Double jump rules
The double jump rule is also known as the "double bounce rule", where each team must hit the first ball on the bounce. The receiving team must bounce the ball once before returning it, and the serving team must bounce the returning ball before hitting it. Two bounces are required before the ball is deflated or bounced.
Foul
Any of the following circumstances shall be deemed as a failure:
When serving, the ball touches any non-hitting area (including the court line)
The ball is hit out of bounds;
The ball does not cross the net;
Catch the ball out of the strike zone;
Hit the ball before it bounces.
Score
The team can only score when serving. The server should continue serving until the team makes a mistake. In doubles, each player on the team should continue serving until the team makes a mistake, and then the ball passes to the opposing team. This is called an "out". The game is 11-point, but teams must win by two points.