What is pickleball? Rules, everything to know about the fast-growing sport

Pickleball is the sport that's been taking American suburbs by storm. It seems like every couple with a solid 401(K) and an ascot wants to challenge you and your significant other to a friendly match. However, just because it's rising in popularity doesn't mean that everyone knows what the sport entails.

If you have heard of the sport at all, you probably know that it is similar to tennis or badminton and that it can be played in either singles or doubles formats and that there is a "kitchen". However, the game has several unique rules that make it stand out and have made it grow so rapidly while being one of the most easily-accessible games to play. Here's everything to know about the sport.

Pickleball: What makes pickleball the perfect sport for everybody to enjoy

Where did pickleball originate?

Right here in the good ol' U.S. of A. The sport was invented by Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell in 1965 on Brainbridge Island in Washington. The sport became so popular in its home state that it was named Washington's official state sport in 2022.

Per Pritchard's wife Joan, the game was coined "pickleball" after she said it reminded her of "the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats."

What equipment is needed to play?

Not much, just a paddle, ball (which is shaped and formed similarly to a standard wiffle ball), and net. If you want to get real specific, you'd need a standard court as well, but as is the case with most sports, going barebones doesn't take away from the fun when playing it casually.

There are certain requirements for each of the pieces of equipment listed. The paddles cannot have a combined width and length over 24 inches, and the length cannot exceed 17 inches by itself. The net must be 36 inches tall and the net posts should be 22 feet apart.

How big is a pickleball court?

A pickleball court is supposed to be 20 feet by 44 feet .

What does the basic gameplay entail?

Similar to tennis, the basic point of the game is to continue rallying a ball back and forth onto opposite sides of the net in the middle of the court until your opponent(s) makes a mistake or you deliver a return that they themselves cannot return.

What are the rules?

Serving rules:

• Only the serving team can score points
  • If the serving team commits a fault, then they will give up service rights
• Games can be played to 11, 15, or 21 points, where the winner must win by two or more points
• The serving team or player must serve from the right/even side of the court when their score is even and the left/odd side when their score is odd
• The first team to serve can be determined in a variety of way, but is most commonly determined by flipping a coin
• The serve must be made underhand
• Contact with the ball must be made under the server's waist
• At least one foot must be behind the baseline, and neither foot can be in contact with the baseline
• The serve must be made diagonally across the court and must land in the designated zone

Fault rules:

A fault is simply a rule violation. They occur when:

• A serve does not land within the appropriate area of the receiving court
• The ball hits the net on the serve and does not land on the serving side
• The ball is volleyed before a bounce has occurred on each side
• The ball is hit out of bounds
• A ball bounces twice before being hit
• A player’s clothing, or any part of a player’s paddle touches the net or the net post when the ball is in play
• A service rule is violated
• A ball in play strikes a player or anything the player is wearing or carrying

What is the kitchen?

The non-volley zone, more commonly referred to as the "kitchen," is an area on a pickleball court that you or your opponents cannot step inside of to volley. In order to step into the kitchen, you must allow the ball to bounce before you can step into the kitchen and return the ball.

After stepping into the kitchen, you may stay in the kitchen, but you will not be able to touch the ball once it is returned back to you. In order to do so, you must be out of the kitchen. In general, it is a good rule of thumb to simply stay out of the kitchen altogether unless absolutely necessary.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is pickleball? Rules, everything to know about the fast-growing sport