Chapter 1

Welcome to Your New Favorite Sport

IN THIS CHAPTER

Finding out what pickleball is

Brushing up on the history of the game

Discovering the benefits of playing pickleball

Before coauthor Reine discovered pickleball, she was your typical work-from-home programmer leading a boring, sedentary lifestyle. Some weeks, she wouldn't leave the house for several days in a row. She felt isolated, depressed, and out of shape. Clearly, she needed a hobby! After failing to find much interest in knitting, hot yoga, soap making, or matchstick model building, something new in the adult learning class catalog caught her eye: pickleball! This sounded right up her alley. From day one of starting to play, she was hooked. She not only enjoyed the game but was also meeting a lot of interesting, fun-loving people and laughing more than she had in years. In a very short time, pickleball brought joy back into her life, transformed her health and self-confidence, and led to many close friendships.

This story is not unique to Reine. We've heard variations countless times, told by people from all walks of life. Former athletes are discovering pickleball and competing again for the first time in decades, igniting a spark they once thought was lost. Lonely folks are finding themselves immediately welcomed into a community of people who share a passion for this quirky, addictive game. Those struggling with various health issues are finding pickleball to be a safe, accessible option for getting more fresh air and exercise (definitely way more fun than using an elliptical.) The list goes on and on. Can pickleball save the world? Probably not, but there's no doubt it's saving lives.

Who's Playing Pickleball? Everyone!

Why, you may ask, would you want to get off of your comfy, custom-indented spot on the couch and go running around a tiny court chasing a plastic ball? Here's why: It's fun! Pickleball is pure joy. Despite its silly name, it's an amazing game. It has action, patience, surprises, athleticism, power, finesse, strategy, trash talk (all in good fun), and so much more.

The rules of the game have made it perfect for players of all ages. Does your shoulder no longer allow you to hit an overhead serve? No problem - the serve is underhand! Do you suffer from some abdominal swelling (a.k.a. overeating), or dislike running long distances? This sport is typically played as doubles on a small court, so you don't need to train for a marathon. It's not uncommon to see players of three different generations on the same court enjoying the game together, as you can see in Figure 1-1.

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc./Courtesy of Getty Images

FIGURE 1-1: Pickleball is fun for everyone, young and old!

The learning curve is short in pickleball, but you can spend a lifetime trying to master it. You can pick it up in less than an hour and enjoy the challenge indefinitely because there is always more to learn. Therein lies the joy for many of us. People play the game at swanky country clubs as well as small city parks, schools, and prisons. It's the same game, no matter where you play it.

Now, don't get us wrong; this sport can definitely be physically challenging, and is played by elite athletes at the highest levels. Multiple professional pickleball tours take place with amazing players who constantly push the limits of the sport. This game will continue to grow and change. One thing we can say with certainty is that pickleball is here to stay. Welcome to your new healthful addiction! (It's like having broccoli as your passion. "Pickleball" has a better ring to it than "broccoliball," though.)

In this book, we cover why people love to play pickleball, how and where to play, and the proper body mechanics for safe and effective play. We take you through all the different shots, the fine art of "dinking," and how to strengthen the mental part of the game. If you choose to advance into intermediate levels, we take you on a deep dive through improving, training, and even playing in tournaments. Pickleball is quite social, offering many different opportunities to meet new friends. This comprehensive book on the game of pickleball can serve as a handy reference tool for anything you want to know about the sport as you begin to play, play more often, possibly get addicted as so many others have, and more.

In this chapter and the rest of Part 1, you dip just briefly into the origins of this wonderful sport and then get to know the basic rules and scoring. We also cover the burgeoning world of pickleball equipment, gear, and fashion. We give you the low-down on the different kinds of courts, where to find them, and how to find people to play with. Are you a former soccer star or tennis ace? If so, you'll want to read Chapter 5 for some help with transitioning from other sports. Part 1 gives you all the information to get started in your new pickleball life.

Pickleball in a Nutshell

Created in 1965, pickleball is a hybrid of tennis, table tennis, and badminton. You play the game on a court with a three-foot high net, and the aim is to hit a perforated plastic ball over the net with a paddle (about twice the size of a table tennis paddle) in a way that prevents your opponents from returning it. At first glance, it looks a lot like tennis on a miniature court. It involves less running than tennis, which is great if your knees don't like that sort of thing. Pickleball has unique rules that place a high emphasis on precision and strategy. The sport, which has a multigenerational following, can be fast-paced and competitive. Pickleball is a fast-growing sport all over the world, with more than 5 million players and counting.

Fun and accessibility were at the heart of pickleball from the very start. It was designed to be a game that everyone could play. After players are introduced to the sport, they often find that they can't stop smiling. It's so easy to become addicted! You may find yourself waking up in the morning, looking forward to playing pickleball, possibly after dreaming about it all night. You will start looking for pick-up games anywhere you can find them - a gym, local park, tennis club - you name it. You'll start recruiting all your friends to play so that you can keep talking about pickleball nonstop without seeing them roll their eyes so much. Then you'll probably want to learn more and improve. Pickleball For Dummies is for anyone with the enthusiasm to step on the court, understand the rules and fundamentals, perhaps move on to more advanced strategies, and, of course, have a blast playing.

Getting Everyone in on the Act

Joel Pritchard (shown in Figure 1-2) was a congressperson from Seattle who spent summers with his family and friends on Bainbridge Island, Washington. One summer in 1965, the kids were complaining of boredom. Joel and his friend, Bill Bell, felt there must be a way to get kids and parents to play together, so Joel set out to create a new game. Failing to find enough tennis rackets, he tried four table tennis paddles and a wiffle ball. The table tennis paddles didn't work so well, so the dads crafted some larger wooden paddles to use. They started to play on the old badminton court in the yard, and the kids lowered the net to waist height. Soon there was laughter, some shrieking, and a lot of rallying back and forth. They introduced the game to another friend, Barney McCallum, and made up some rules and a scoring system (with some inspiration from badminton). From there, the game has continued to evolve to this day.

We've encountered more than one version of how the sport's unique name came about. One story from Barney McCallum claims that the game was named after Pritchard's dog, Pickles. Peggy Pritchard, Joel's daughter, points out that the dog came later, however. She says that her mother, Joan Pritchard (a competitive rower in college), came up with the name, loosely derived from the term pickle boats that college rowing teams use for the "odds and ends" members of their team. The "odds and ends" were much like the random pieces of equipment Pritchard had grabbed to play the new game. Whichever story rings true, the quirky name is as fun as the sport itself.

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc./Courtesy of Pickleball, Inc.

FIGURE 1-2: Pickleball pioneer and U.S. Congressperson Joel Pritchard (left) with Dan Evans, Governor of Washington (right).

Here's a quick timeline of pickleball's evolution:

• 1965: Pickleball is created by Congressperson Joel Pritchard and his friends.
• 1967: The first "official" pickleball court is built on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
• 1972: A corporation is formed for the new sport.
• 1975: Articles begin being published about "America's newest racquet sport."
• 1976: The first known pickleball tournament in the world is held at South Center Athletic Club in Tukwila, Washington.
• 1982: The United States Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA) is organized to encourage the growth and advancement of pickleball on a national level, and the first official rule book is published two years later.
• 1990: Growing exponentially each year, pickleball is now played in all 50...