How Is Pickleball Played?
Pickleball is made in the combination of three popular games, ping-pong, badminton, and tennis. So like three games, pickleball is played in singles and doubles.
Single
Unlike double games, you don’t have to worry about the communication gap between the partners while playing single. However, it’s all on you to make sure every serve and hit is perfect and gives you scores.
So, while playing singles, improve your mobility to cover the whole court yourself. Practice hitting the ball deep and long but not with too much power, and keep your opponent at the back. And always be ready for return. Keep close to the centerline, before your opponent takes control.
Double
While playing double, the key thing is to know your pattern’s weakness as well as your opponents’ weaknesses. Keep your positions such that there is no gap zone or no man’s land for the opponent to attack. And make sure to move in unison, not creating any large gaps in between and try keeping the opponents at baseline.
Another important thing about double is shot variation. Improve your third shot skills to keep scoring.
Pickleball Court
The court size is the same as that of badminton’s court. The standard pickleball court is 44 feet in long and 20 feet wide, inclusive of baselines. The net at the centre is 36 inches in height.
Each service area is 15 feet x 10 feet in dimension, and the non-volley zone length is 14 feet. The recommended line widths are 2 inches.
Basic Pickleball Strategy
Below are some of the basic strategies for the fun game. Read ahead, the rules are straightforward, and it’s not that difficult to learn.
Basic Rules
Like badminton, the game starts with a toss to determine the serving team or person. The serving should be diagonal. We will get to that part in a bit.
And the faults occur when your service doesn’t land diagonally, the ball hits the net, volley from the kitchen zone, two bounces before hitting by the receiver, touching the kitchen line on getting into it, the ball gets out of the bounds, and violation of any other service rules.
The game is played to eleven points, and one has to win by two. And when a serving team has caused a fault, it’s side out or serves loss, and when it’s the receiving team’s fault, then it’s a point for the servers.
Serving
Serving is the most crucial thing in pickleball. With the right serving, you are sure to score. While playing single, you have one chance to serve. If you serve wrong, you lose the serve. And serving wrong means either your ball goes beyond the court, falls into the kitchen, or hits the net. On the line counts while serving except the kitchen line.
And while playing doubles, your service is lost when you lose a point. That is you and your partner will get to serve once. If your service is lost, the score will be count as 0-0-2. 2 means the second man. On either side, the player on the right sieve box will serve first. And you must serve diagonally.
And from 25th January 2020, a new rule comes to play: you can now bounce the ball before the opponent gets to hit. And after it comes back to you, you must let it drop once too, then continue playing without any drop. This rule is also known as the Double Bounce rule .
Hitting
Once you perfect your serving, the second most important thing to win your score is the hit. While hitting, keep one thing in mind, it’s less the power and more the pace that gives you the advantage.
And try hitting deep, which forces your opponent to go back, near to baselines. Forcing your opponent to the back also allows you to take control of the game.
Whether you are playing single or double, make sure to keep variation in your shot, like in left right and back forth.
Position
The positioning gives you the freedom to move around and hit the ball from anywhere and everywhere. So, keep near the centre-line to effortlessly reach left and right balls.
And the tip for double games is not to keep any gap and not allow opponents to find holes.
Synchronise with your partner
Yes, the key to a great game is to have the best understanding with your partner and synchronise your play and position. Having the proper communication will also save you from errors like thinking it’s your partners hit and bumping into each other.
Also, clear out the confusion, when you go back to return a ball, make sure your partner remains near the centre-line.
Some Tips To Level Up Your Game
Once you are familiar with the basic things about the game, some tips will help you get on to the next level. Let’s have a quick look at them.
- Warm-up. A quick warm-up will give you the energy needed in the game. Also, it prevents any unwanted strain or injury.
- Get the proper shoes. Put on the right tennis shoes, with comfortable soles before the play. Right shoes will also give you more mobility.
- Practice moving left-right and front-back. This practice goes a long way to allow you to hit every ball, and never miss one.
Final Words
Well, that was all the necessary things about pickleball. Put on the right shoes, pick up the paddle, and get on the court. You are going to have a lot of fun. If you don’t know a thing about the game, just read the basic pickleball strategy, and you will be fine. Have fun.
