Pickleball in brief

 

Pickleball is a fun and exciting paddle sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. Pickleball can be played by almost anyone, no matter of their age or physical capabilities. The rules are simple and the game is easy and fast for beginners to learn, but can develop into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players.

 

Pickleball can be played both indoors and outdoors, although in Finland due to hard winter and fairly short summer the game is solely an indoor activity. The game is played on a badminton court with the net set lower like in tennis. In Pickleball you use special paddles and perforated polymer balls, with two or four players on the court.

 

Brief History

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, USA. Three dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum – whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities are credited for creating the game. Pickleball has evolved from original hand made equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the US and Canada with an estimate of over 3.3 million players (2018). The game is growing internationally as well with many European and Asian countries adding courts. Finland was the first Nordic country to play this fantastic sport. Here we started to play in early 2014.

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Equipment

 

When playing pickleball, each player will need a pickleball paddle, which is smaller than a tennis racquet but larger than a ping-pong paddle. Originally, paddles were made only from wood, however today’s paddles have evolved dramatically and are primarily made of lightweight composite materials, including aluminum and graphite. Players will also need a net and a pickleball. The ball itself is unique, with holes through it like a wiffleball and there are different ball models intended for indoor and outdoor play.

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* Text borrowed and more information of Pickleball in English from www.usapa.org (USA Pickleball Association)