What’s the fastest growing sport in the US? What activity is adding new players at a rate of about 10 percent a year? If you’re one of the more than three million Americans who now participate, you know the answer: it’s pickleball!

All over the country, communities are building new pickleball courts. They’re also adding pickleball lines to tennis courts. According to the sport’s sanctioning body, USA Pickleball, there are over 8,000 places to play in the country, and more are being added every day.

What’s This Pickleball Thing All About?

What is pickleball and why is it exploding in popularity? Well, it’s an approachable game, easy to learn yet challenging to master. The concept is actually quite simple.

It’s played on a hard-surfaced court, indoors or out, about half the size of a tennis court. Players hit a plastic ball with holes back and forth across a net, using paddles that look like oversized ping pong paddles. It can be played as a singles game, but doubles play is more widespread. As in tennis, the object is to hit the ball over the net such that your opponent(s) can’t return it.

The game has been around since the 1960s, although it caught fire only in the last decade. It was invented on something of a lark in the Pacific Northwest. Two families wanted to play badminton and couldn’t find enough rackets. They scrounged up ping pong paddles and a whiffle ball, lowered the net, and the game was off and running.

Why the name “pickleball?” There’s an enduring story that one of the families had a dog named Pickles who chased the ball. Actually, the dog didn’t come along until after the game got started, but the sport had no name at first. The old tale might not be true, but it ought to be.

What Makes Pickleball So Popular?

Pickleball is one of the most welcoming games ever invented. Here are some reasons why:

It’s inexpensive. All you need is a paddle and a pair of tennis shoes.
It’s easy to learn. You can grasp the basics and start playing against other beginners in an hour.
Men and women can compete together. Size and strength aren’t as big an advantage as in some sports.
It’s easy to find a game. Most venues have “open play” sessions with a system for rotating players in. You don’t have to call three friends and arrange a date. Just grab your paddle and show up.
It’s easy on the body. While it’s a vigorous workout, the wrists, elbows, and shoulders don’t take the pounding they do in sports such as tennis.
It's fun! People who don't play have no idea how much fun it is.

Is Pickleball Like Tennis?

While both sports involve hitting a ball over a net, and tennis players have an edge in learning pickleball, the games are actually quite different. Not only is pickleball easier on the joints, but it involves less running on the smaller court.

Because a pickleball has holes, it doesn’t travel as fast as a tennis ball. Smash shots are often returned. While there’s a place for “kill shots” in pickleball, the soft game and finesse are more important, especially in doubles.

There are several pickleball rules that make it a unique game.

Serves are underhanded or sidearm. Hard serves are possible, but “aces” are rare.
Normally the ball can be played either out of the air (on the “volley”) or on the first bounce. However, there are exceptions. The “two bounce rule” dictates that both the serve and the return of service must be allowed to bounce. This gives a slight advantage to the receiving rather than the serving team.
You can’t just stand at the net and whack the ball as it comes over. There’s a line seven feet from the net called the kitchen line. The area between that line and the net is the no-volley zone, or the kitchen. You’re not allowed to play the volley if you have a foot in the kitchen. You may enter the kitchen to play the bounce, but you have to get out before you can take the next shot out of the air.

Sounds Like Fun! How Do I Get Started with PIckleball?

A good spot to start is the USA Pickleball site, on a page called Places2Play. Just enter your zip code and it will list nearby locations, often with contact information, hours, and level of play. Many venues offer instructional sessions as well as times dedicated to beginner play. Some provide paddles for first-timers. If you’re not certain, just stop by a court and ask! Pickleballers are a friendly bunch, and if their level of play isn’t right for you, they’ll have some tips on places to try.

Many municipal recreation associations sponsor pickleball, as do clubs such as YMCAs. In addition, more and more private communities are building pickleball courts and offering them to residents as an amenity.

An example is Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island. It’s a spectacular, private, residential club with elegant homes and a golf course, tennis courts, and yes, pickleball courts. As part of your Long Cove Club lifestyle, you can master “dinking” and “banging” on well-kept courts surrounded by South Carolina pines. The accessibility of pickleball is just one of the features of this amazing community.

OK, I’ve Played a Few Times. Now How Can I Improve at Pickleball?

If you’ve played even once or twice you know the basics. You may not be quite up to speed on the unique scorekeeping, but you have the general idea. You know the serving position for doubles play, with three players at the baseline and the non-receiver on the receiving team at the kitchen line. You’ve figured out that you don’t want to hit the ball as hard as you can every time. Here are some tips to take your game to the next level.

Get to the kitchen line, get to the kitchen line, get to the kitchen line. This can’t be emphasized enough. After you return a serve, unless you accidentally hit a high shot that can be slammed, run to the line as soon as you see your shot is good. Your partner should move up with you. It’s hard to convince beginners to do this. Don’t be shy. Get right up there and try to stay there. If one team is at the line and the other is deep, the team near the net usually wins the point.
Don’t get caught in “no man’s land.” Sometimes you have to be at the baseline. If you're deep and you pop the ball up, you need to stay deep. If you chase down a lob you’ll be deep. But once you’re at the line, don’t drift halfway back. Beginners have a tendency to do just that. If a good player sees it, they’ll hit the ball hard right at your feet.
Serve deep. You’ll see players hitting fast serves, easy serves, flat serves, and lob serves. All can be effective. The important thing is to land the serve close to the baseline. A deep serve makes it harder for the other side to hit a strong return.
After your side serves, stay deep. Remember, you have to let the returned ball bounce. If you move forward and the return lands close to the baseline, you have no chance.
Hit your return of service deep. Then run to the kitchen line. Now you have the advantage. You and your partner are at the line, and your opponents are deep.
Learn the “dink” shot. Remember, your opponents can’t go into the kitchen to hit the ball in the air. If you gently drop the ball over the net, they’ll have to reach into the kitchen and play it on the bounce with an upward motion of the paddle. A well-placed dink shot can’t be hit hard. To hit a good dink, loosen your grip and use a gentle stroke, but still use a full arm motion and follow through.
Keep the paddle in front of your body. Be ready to react if your opponent hits the ball hard.
If your opponents are deep, try to keep them deep. A short shot gives them a chance to recover and get back to the kitchen line. Aim for their feet.
Learn the drop shot. This comes into play when you’re deep and your opponents are at the kitchen line (for example, after they return your serve). You can hit hard and try to power the ball past them, but it’s often better to hit a “third shot drop” just over the net so your opponents can’t attack it. Then you can move to the kitchen line and equalize their advantage. This is a difficult shot to master, but your game won’t get much past beginner level until you do. Play the ball out in front of you, and hit it a little harder than a dink shot. Aim for the ball to arc on your side of the net so that it falls down into the opposing kitchen. Practice. And practice some more.
Watch the pros. There’s not much pickleball on TV, but there’s plenty on YouTube. You can’t do everything they do, but note how they position themselves and how they strike the ball, especially on soft shots. There are instructional videos online as well, including many on the USA Pickleball site.

Most important, start playing and play a lot. What are you waiting for? Grab a paddle and let’s go!