How To Play Pickleball
You may have strolled past a pickleball session on your way home from work or come across a few at your local community club. Is it a mashup of tennis and badminton? You might have thought to yourself “Wow, it looks fun, I want to try!” Here, we will teach you all you need to know to get started on pickleball. From the equipment required to the basic rules and strategy. After completing this read you will be equipped with the essential knowledge to kickstart your journey to becoming a solid pickleballer.
Equipment
A pickleball paddle is typically around fifteen inches in length and seven inches wide with a squarish-shaped head. Graphite, carbon fibre, fibreglass and wood are the common materials used to make pickleball paddles. If you want more in-depth information regarding paddles, please check out our comprehensive guide on pickleball paddles.
The ball used in pickleball is plastic and has at least twenty-six holes and can have up to forty holes! It is fairly similar to the ball used in floorball, another rapidly growing sport in Singapore. A standard pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet in length. There are three main sections in a pickleball court. The right service court, the left service court and the non-volley zone also referred to as “The Kitchen”, a small area surrounding the net.
Gameplay And Scoring
Similar to tennis, the game traditionally begins with a coin toss. The winner gets to decide who serves. The server will serve from behind the baseline and must hit the pickleball diagonally across the net and onto the opponent’s service court. The serve has to be an underarm serve like in badminton, meaning no overarm serves are allowed.
Once the serve is executed, the ball must bounce once in the receiver's service court before they are allowed to hit it. After the receiver hits the ball back to the server’s side, the server must also let the ball bounce once, so no volleys are allowed on the first exchange. This makes the first exchange fair before players proceed to get into a full rally where volleys (mid-air shots) are allowed. To recap, the serve is executed, followed by two groundstrokes (ball bounces before hitting) before the full rally begins.
After the first exchange, the game plays out similar to a tennis match. Only one bounce is allowed after each shot but volleys are also allowed during the rally. It is important to note that you are not allowed to hit volleys in the non-volley zone (Kitchen). You can only hit the ball in the non-volley zone (Kitchen) after it has bounced.
In pickleball, you only get one serve and there are no lets, so the point continues even if your serve hits the net and goes over into the opponents service court. Your serve must not land in the non-volley zone. If you miss your first serve, it will be your opponent’s turn to serve. In a standard format, you can only score points when serving.
You will first serve from the right side, then alternate between left and right each time you win a point. This cycle repeats until you lose the point or commit a fault. Once this happens, it will be your opponent’s turn to serve. Standard games are played first to 11 points, and a player must win by at least two points.
Strategies And Tips
In a pickleball doubles scenario, effective communication between partners is crucial. Call out who will take each shot, “mine” or "yours" each time the ball is travelling to the centre of the court. This will help ensure that you don’t collide with your partner during an intense rally.
You should master the dink shot. The dink is a drop shot or soft touch shot that targets the Kitchen (non-volley zone). A well-executed dink in pickleball will stay low and land in the opponents kitchen area, making it difficult for them to attack you. Furthermore, it is useful to rush forward to the kitchen line when you have the opportunity, instead of camping at the baseline, especially in doubles. Players see more success in winning points when moving forward and playing with volleys and finesse shots instead of pure brute force from the baseline.
Now that you have familiarised yourself with the equipment, basic rules and strategies in pickleball, you are ready to step on the court as an informed pickleballer. Do check out our other content if you want to further enhance your learning and love for the sport. Our team of dedicated pickleball coaches operate at various venues across Singapore. We certainly hope to see you on the court soon!
