# What is pickleball? Canonical: https://zestasy.com/wiki/what-is-pickleball/ Section: Zestasy Wiki > Movement · Updated: 2026-10-14 · Publisher: Zestasy *Zestasy Wiki: our reference answers. Checked for facts and sources; less curated than the magazine.* Pickleball is a paddle sport, usually played as doubles, in which players use solid paddles to send a perforated plastic ball over a low net on a court the size of a doubles badminton court. It was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island in Washington state, and it is easy to start because the court is small, the ball is slow and serves are made underhand. If you have walked past a court recently and heard a steady, hollow pock-pock-pock, followed by laughter and an argument about a kitchen, you have met pickleball. It is the sport for people who like tennis but not running quite that much, who like table tennis but want to be outdoors, and who want to be playing a real game within half an hour of picking up a paddle. ## Where it comes from According to its history, pickleball was [created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickleball), at the summer home of Joel Pritchard, who devised it with friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. The families had a badminton court but no shuttlecock, so they improvised with paddles and a perforated plastic ball, lowered the net, and wrote rules as they went. The name has several origin stories; the one told by Pritchard's wife connects it to the "pickle boat" in rowing, a crew made up of leftovers from other boats, much as the game was made of leftover equipment. ## The kit and the court - **Paddles** are solid, smooth-faced and a bit larger than a table tennis bat. - **The ball** is hollow plastic with holes in it, rather like a wiffle ball. It does not bounce as much as a tennis ball, which slows the game down. - **The court** is 20 by 44 feet (about 6 by 13 metres), the same size as a doubles badminton court. The net is 34 inches (about 86 cm) tall. Courts are often set up on existing hard courts and in indoor sports halls. ## The basic rules - **Serve underhand**, diagonally across the court, into the opposite service area. - **The two-bounce rule:** the receiving side must let the serve bounce before returning it, and the serving side must then let that return bounce too. After those two bounces, players can volley, meaning strike the ball in the air. - **The kitchen:** the area seven feet from the net on each side is the non-volley zone, known to everyone as the kitchen. You cannot volley while standing in it. You can step in to play a ball that has bounced. - **Scoring:** games are usually played to 11 points, and you must win by two. Only the serving side scores points. Doubles scoring involves calling out three numbers before each serve, which is baffling for exactly one game and then becomes second nature. ## Why it is easy to pick up - **Small court.** Less running to cover, so rallies happen from the first session. - **Slow ball.** The holes and the low bounce give you time to react. - **Underhand serve.** No need to master a big overhead serve before you can play. - **Social format.** Most play is doubles, and open sessions often rotate partners, so you meet people quickly. That said, it is not a gentle stroll at a good level. The kitchen rule rewards soft, angled shots called dinks, and quick hands at the net. It is easy to start and hard to stop thinking about. ## How to start Look for a club, a leisure centre session or a beginners' evening. National bodies such as [Pickleball England](https://www.pickleballengland.org/) list clubs and coaches, and venues often lend paddles and balls for the first sessions. Wear trainers suited to court sports, which grip well when moving side to side; running shoes are less ideal. And warm up before playing, since even a small court involves quick changes of direction. If you are choosing between racket sports, our pages on [padel](https://zestasy.com/movement/what-is-padel/) and [starting tennis](https://zestasy.com/wiki/starting-tennis/) are useful comparisons. ## FAQ ### Is pickleball the same as padel? No. Padel is a different racket sport, played on an enclosed court where the walls are part of the game; our [padel page](https://zestasy.com/movement/what-is-padel/) explains it. Pickleball uses a light plastic ball on an open court. ### Can I play singles? Yes, singles is played on the same court, though it involves more running. Most recreational play is doubles. ### Is it only for older people? Not at all. It is popular across ages, partly because it is easy to start, and the top levels are fast and athletic. ### Do I need lessons? Not to begin. A beginners' session or a friend who plays will teach you the rules in minutes. Coaching becomes useful when you want to improve your dinks and net play. ## Sources - [Wikipedia: Pickleball](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickleball) - [Pickleball England](https://www.pickleballengland.org/) ## Related - [What is padel, and why is everyone playing it?](https://zestasy.com/movement/what-is-padel/) - [How do you start playing tennis as an adult?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/starting-tennis/) - [Is table tennis a good sport to take up as an adult?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/table-tennis-as-an-adult/) - [How do you join an adult sports team as a beginner?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/joining-an-adult-team/) - [Do you need to be fit before you try a new sport?](https://zestasy.com/movement/trying-a-new-sport-as-an-adult/) - [All Movement answers in the Wiki](https://zestasy.com/wiki/#movement)