The boom of pickleball

Pickleball is a simple game to learn for the most part. You are playing on a court about half the size of a traditional tennis court, with a paddle and “wiffle ball” like perforated plastic ball in singles or doubles.

While serving, all serves must be made underhand, below the waist, and have to land diagonally into the opponent's service court.

After the serve, the ball has to bounce once on the receiving side and then on the serving side after the return before either team can hit or volley the ball out of the air.

The kitchen is a 7-foot area on either side of the net, and players cannot hit a volley out of the air while being inside the kitchen. Doing so will result in losing the rally.

Scoring in pickleball can also be a little confusing at first but is easy to get the hang of. Points can only be scored by the serving team when the opponent commits a fault such as hitting the ball out or in the net, or just getting the ball by the opponents. Games are usually played to 11 points and must be won by at least two points.

The cost of playing is also a big reason why people pick up this game so quickly. You can purchase a paddle and ball at Walmart for around $30-$50. 

When it comes to finding a court to play on, there are free public parks with courts scattered all throughout the United States allowing for people and skill levels to play the game for free, which is where you will find most pickleball players. 

When the sport first began its rise, it was considered a sport for the “older” generation, but it has quickly turned into a sport for all ages and is actually dominated by people between the ages of 25-34. The sport is expected to rise a lot more in the younger generations as high schools and colleges around America are starting club teams and it is likely that it will become an official sport at both levels in the near future.