Pickleball is a game of energy and excitement. It is the amalgam of a few different games to attain maximum enjoyment in sport.
In the following article, we will discuss the wonderful history and origin of pickleball, the impact of other games on pickleball, the necessary skills, and the equipment needed for playing pickleball.
Pickleball is the Mixture of Sports
Contents
Playing pickleball is an exciting experience. It is the amalgam of following sports into it.
1. Tennis
Alike tennis, Pickle Ball requires a middle-held net which is approximately two inches shorter than a tennis net. Pickle Ball has certain rules which are somehow similar to those of tennis, such as; the service, faults, etc.
2. Badminton
It’s played on a Badminton sized court. Hence, it’s similar to Badminton in terms of its court.
3. Ping-Pong or Table-Tennis
Paddle and ball are the quintessential equipment in Pickle Ball. It’s played with a paddle that’s a bit bigger than a ping pong (table tennis) paddle and a little more durable and perforated ball.
Why Pickleball is so Popular?
The rapid popularity of pickleball is based on a host of reasons.
Firstly, it is a lot more convenient for the body and demands lesser physical toil that, which makes it very popular among old people.
Secondly, it is a lot easier to play too. As most racquet games require hours and hours of lessons and practice, but with pickleball, you can just walk onto a court, pick up a paddle and whiffle ball, and within just five minutes, you learn how to play this fascinating game.
It’s also fun for all ages (kids, adults, and older people) and skill levels (novice, mediocre, or expert), whether you have been playing tennis for your whole life or you have never picked up a paddle or a racquet before.
It’s certainly that easy! Additionally, pickleball is a really social sport since it promotes sociability among players.
Unlike Tennis, you’re really near your opponents and your partner, which allows you more of a social ambiance both; on and off the court.
It’s not only a fast-paced game that takes advantage of your quick hands and eyes coordination and reflexes, but also strategic, like a chess match on a card.
Last but not least, pickleball is an excellent exercise and a super competitive sport with tournaments all across the nation all year round.
If the pickleball craze has not yet hit your town, stand by because it’s on its way.
Objectives of Playing
The first and foremost object of the players in any of the games is to achieve victory against their opponents. In a pickleball game, this object is met by scoring as many as 11 points before one’s opponent.
Acquiring 11 points does not guarantee you success, but you must lead your opponent by 2 points setup.
It means you must be 2 points ahead of your opposite contestant when your score reaches the final destination; 11 points. Apart from victory and defeat, Pickle Ball has multiple objectives such as;
A. Sociability
making you very social with your teammates as well as your opponents. Owing to the smallness of the pickleball court, you are brought quite close to your teammates as well as opponents.
Consequently, making you familiar with their nature, attitude, and sportsmanship ultimately creates a strong bond of camaraderie.
B. Enhancing Physical Health
Pickle ball, unlike tennis and badminton, entails average physical movements.
This game is tailor-made for older people since it’s quite easy to play and also brings about a positive and healthy change in your body by providing you with a gym-like experience.
C. Improving mental Health
Similar to several games of the universe, pickle ball also promotes mental health. It provides recreation and entertainment coupled with thrilling excitement during the game.
These happy feelings reduce our mental burden and make us feel calm, cool, and relaxed.
Equipment Needed For Pickleball
Equipment is as necessary for a game as oxygen is for living beings. They are considered to be the must-have components for every game. Therefore, every player has to be well equipped with proper tools.
If one is in want of equipment or is half-equipped, he is certainly, not going to enjoy the game in its truer sense.
Pickleball is no exception when it comes to the necessary components of the game.
1. Pickleball Paddles
Paddles are for pickleball, racquets for tennis, bats for cricket, and legs for soccer.
In a nutshell, paddles are the most important tools in pickleball. Pickleball paddles are quite identical, in shape, to table tennis (ping-pong), and, in size, to a tennis racquet.
To be precise, pickle-ball paddles have 4 to 5 inches handle attached to them and are normally flat and measure around 8 inches in width and roughly 16 inches in length. Remember!
Although this measurement also varies as per the actual requirement of the players who hold these paddles. At first, paddles were mostly crafted out of wood only.
Those wooden paddles were quite heavy and cumbersome, so it was slightly difficult for the players to hold wooden paddles and play shots with ease.
However, modern-day paddles have developed drastically and are now made of lightweight but durable composite materials; aluminum and graphite.
They have evolved from heavy and simple wooden paddles to light, multicolored, fancier, enduring, and above all, quite comfortable for the players.
Pickle-ball paddles make a very crispy and crunchy noise when they strike the pickleball from both sides of the court.
The Pickleball paddle has three parts; the core (honeycombed structure), the face, and the edge guard (a protective covering layer that prevents the core, face, and edge of the paddle from coming apart).
These parts collectively make the actual pickle-ball paddle.
2. A Pickleball
The perforated ball has a close resemblance to Wiffle balls. It comes in multiple colors, such as white, yellow and green. There are two types of pickleball; indoor and outdoor.
A). Balls for indoors;
light, semi-rigid, and have larger holes in them. Larger holes provide more flexibility to the ball and help it bounce more than outdoor balls.
B). Balls for outdoor;
heavy, hard and have smaller holes in them. The smaller holes don’t make the ball bounce more than indoor balls.
Note: The indoor balls can’t be used outdoors and vice versa. The color of the balls must be solid and in accordance with the standards of the International Federation of Pickle Ball (IFP).
3. Modified Tennis Net
A tennis-like net is used in the pickle ball that is fixed in the middle of the court, thereby bisecting the court into two equal halves. This net is 36 inches on the sidelines while 34 inches in the middle.
4. Pickleball Attire
An uncomfortable attire makes a player inattentive in the game, and it diverts his mind to his loose, baggy, tight, or uneasy outfit.
On the contrary, the light, smooth, and comfortable athletic wear makes him fully attentive and engrossed in the game.
Ergo, one must choose one’s athletic attire according to bodily needs. A perfect attire is certainly gonna make you feel at ease.
4. Pickleball Shoes
Proper traction of the feet offers you proper control over your feet’ movements.
Whether it’s a solid floor or an artificially manufactured court, your shoes make it very easy to hold your ground without losing your balance.
Thus, they provide you with enough leverage to give tough times to your opponent and simultaneously offer you the brilliant opportunity to outperform others.
You are advised to use light, durable and comfy court or tennis shoes that will definitely provide you with enough grip of the floor. Slippery shoes, such as running or racetrack shoes, are not recommended for the pickle ball game.
5. Socks for Pickleball Shoes
Sports shoes, when worn without socks, cause discomfort and a malodorous smell. Hence, shoes and socks always go hand in hand.
A fine pair of shoes and socks make your feet feel fantastic and keep them well-protected.
6. Gloves For Pickleball
Shoes and socks are for feet, as gloves are for hands. Gloves offer you complete control over your pickleball paddles as well as protect your hands from getting rough.
A comfortable and fancy pair of gloves is surely gonna help you on the court.
7. Eye Guards/Sunglasses
Protection of sensitive body parts such as; the eyes should be treated as the first and foremost priority.
Providing foolproof protection to your eyes may boost your confidence because you won’t have any fear of being hit (by a ball that comes from your opponent after he responds to your shot) on your eyes.
Additionally, your eyes are protected against scorching and dazzling sun rays.
8. Caps For Pickleball
A cap is a protective covering for your head that provides you with shelter against sweltering sun beams directed towards your whole body.
Your body is covered with clothes, but your head remains vulnerable until you cover it up with a cloth-made, light, comfortable and airy cap that ensures your head’s protection.
Apart from this, a cap also keeps your longer or untamed hair in control while playing the game.
9. Handkerchiefs/Towels for Pickleball
Handkerchiefs or towels are essential hygiene-promoting and sweat-absorbing clothes. Soft, smooth, and velvety handkerchiefs or towels may be used during game breaks when players heave a sigh of relief after a fair bit of toil on the field.
10. A Good Bag for Pickleball Gear
Once you have all the required equipment at your disposal, you might feel the need to carry them all along to the court from your home and vice versa.
This need will be fulfilled if you possess an exquisite and lasting bag that has the capacity to accommodate and protect all your necessary equipment.
History & Origin of Pickleball Sport
A lot of individuals ask how did Pickle Ball get its interesting name? The origin of Pickle Ball is fairly unique and requires a close discussion on its birth as well as its interesting name acquisition.
Pickleball was invented by an amazing coincidence that took place more than fifty years ago.
Historically, it was developed by three fast friends; Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Washington State, USA, in 1965.
As the story goes on; these three friends, generally referred to as Three-Dads, were on their summer vacation, with their families, on Brainbridge Island near Seattle.
One Saturday, after they (three friends) returned to their families from golf ground (after playing golf), they found their kids bored and tired of their usual summertime activities, so they decided to amuse their kids by playing any game with them in order to make their kids enjoy their vacation.
Initially, they wanted to play badminton, but fortunately! they did not have all the needed equipment for badminton.
So, interestingly, they had to improvise with the equipment they had, and by so doing, they ended up creating a composite game that combines the elements of three games; badminton (court), tennis (modified net), and ping pong (honeycombed paddle and a whiffle ball).
Pickleball, as a game, has emerged from genuine handmade wooden equipment and straightforward rules into a very popular and much-loved sport all over the US and Canada.
The sport is growing internationally, too, as multiple European and Asian countries have started adding pickleball courts.
Most Quoted & Authentic Stories Regarding the Origin of the Pickle Ball
There are two amusing stories concerning the origin of the name Pickle Ball. The stories of the origin of the Pickle Ball are mentioned sequentially in terms of their being the most authentic ones.
Story No. 1: According to one of the creators of Pickle Ball, Barney McCallum, the sport was officially named after the Pritchards’ dog, whose name was Pickles.
The dog would follow the ball and run off with it. He kept running off with the ball in between plays, so everyone called it Pickles’ ball.
According to McCallum, “The Pritchards had a dog named Pickles, and you’re having fun at a party, right? So anyways, what the hell, let’s just call it pickleball.”
The vacationing families needed to name it because they kept playing the game day after day that first summer of 1965. So the rest is history. Pickleball was born.
One of the founders reminds an incident that ultimately resulted in the finalization of the name of the Pickle Ball game.
He states, “We were sitting at Joe’s halfway through, and we were throwing around trying to get a name for it because the dog was always around there.
You know, we have the ball and show. Joanne said, what do you call it? Pickle Ball. And it just gets up just like that. You know, picking a pickle. And that’s what we think. That’s a great name.”
Story No.2 : Joan (Joel Pritchard’s wife) said the name actually came from the game of rowing, where a pickle boat features a mixed crew.
Just similar to pickleball, that is a mix of other sports (tennis, badminton and ping-pong).
She started calling the game pickleball because “the combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.”
Conclusion
Pickleball is a game of wonderful valor. With its finest history behind it, it blends a variety of games into it.
Based upon what it offers, it surely has wonderful charm and appeals ahead with its continuously rising popularity all across the world.