Hi.
You’re probably here because you’ve made the glorious step into the best cult around - pickleball.
If we hear that pickleball is the fastest growing sport ONE more time, we’ll agree and ask where you want to play.
Let’s dive into everything you need to know about this sport that’s transitioning from a retirement activity to the fast-paced professional realm:
pickleball fun facts
- Pickleball was invented in 1965.
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The founder of pickleball named the sport after their dog, Pickles.
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The first permanent court was made in 1967.
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Pickleball was invented to cure summer-break boredom, and really boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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You can eat pickles when playing pickleball, but we recommend you stick to chomping on your fav snack after the game is over.
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Pickleball can be played indoors and outdoors, we’re looking at you Midwest in the winter.
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There is an official pickleball rating system, the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR).
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A DUPR rating ranges from 2.0-8.0.
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Even though there is a major rivalry between pickleball and tennis players, Selkirk claims that “18 of the top 20 men’s and women’s doubles players (90%) come from a high level tennis background.”
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A pickleball court measures 20’ x 44’
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The same court size is used for singles and doubles.
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“61 % of players live east of the Mississippi River” - USA Pickleball
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“Getting pickled” means that you didn’t score a point in the game. Aka every pickleballers worst nightmare.
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The most popular outdoor pickleball color is bright yellow, trailed by orange and white.
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You burn 36% more calories playing pickleball than walking- cheers to health and wealth.
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Be careful what paddle you bring to the court, there are illegal paddles you won’t be able to play a tournament with.
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Pickleball is for everyone.
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Did you know that installing a pickleball court costs about as much as installing a swimming pool? About $25,000 give or take.
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Your pickleball skill level is rated on a scale of 1-5. 1 is beginner to five being advanced - look at you, you pro.
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Your skill level can rise above a 5 - which is usually what it takes to rank and play at a professional level.
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When you ask “what is pickleball?” you’ll usually hear “it’s like tennis and ping pong combined” or, “it’s basically the best sport ever” and so on, and so forth.
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A pickleball has 26 or 40 holes.
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They should weigh between 0.78 - 0.935 ounces.
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An indoor ball has 26 holes.
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An outdoor ball has 40 holes.
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Indoor balls are made of softer plastic.
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Outdoor balls are made out of harder plastic.
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There isn't a way to recover a cracked pickleball. You’ll have to throw it away and play with a fresh one.
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The pickleball net isn’t the same height across. It’s 36 inches at the posts and 34 inches at the middle.
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In 2023, Anna Leigh Waters, Catherine Parenteau, Lea Jansen, Simone Jardim, and Irina Tereschenko were ranked as the top female pickleball players.
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In 2023, Ben Johns was ranked as the top pickleball player in men's doubles and singles.
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Adding lead tape to your paddle helps you have a heavier swing, increase your paddle’s “sweet spot” and help you have more power.
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Stretching before and after your games will help you avoid an injury (and keep you limber on the court)!
pickleball terms
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The kitchen: the sacred space by the net to be avoided at all costs unless the ball bounces in the kitchen first.
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Baseline: the back line of the court where you serve the ball.
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Sidelines: are the longer stretches of the court.
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Centerline: The perfect spot to hit in the middle of both players in doubles (especially effective playing a lefty and righty team).
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Stacking: One player will stack on their best side to keep forehands and strong playing points on their ideal side.
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Dink: a softer shot you use to hit the ball into the kitchen. You can do a cross court dink or a dink straight across to the person in front of you. It’s often used to set up different types of plays.
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Erne: an elite move you should totally try! An Erne happens when a player leaps over the kitchen and smacks a ball hard back at the opposing team.
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Rally: Any point in pickleball where multiple players hit the ball.
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3rd shot drop: The third shot in a rally that drops into the kitchen, typically hit from the baseline or midcourt.
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Atp: no, not adenosine triphosphate, the stuff that gives you the energy to move your body around… in pickleball, an atp means “around the post,” this means you hit the ball into the other team’s court but you do so around the side of the net. It’s a legendary shot.
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Typically there’s one team on offense, and one on defense during a longer point.
pickleball strategy
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The offensive players are in more control of the point at the kitchen, giving them more opportunity to hit shots at a deep angle, dink, or go for a hard drive.
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The defensive players have a goal to transition to the kitchen together, which requires a reset of the point.
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The reset can be done with a lob, giving your team time to become a BRICK WALL at the kitchen, or a drop low enough to avoid getting smashed at.
pickleball growth
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There are in fact, no actual pickles involved in pickleball (unless you’re repping our gone pickling tee).
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There are 10,000+ places to play in the U.S.
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Most of the pickleball courts in the country are located in California, Texas, and Florida.
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California has the highest number of pickleball courts, coming in at 794 places (and counting) to play.
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Florida comes in a close second with 770 locations.
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There are over 4.8 million pickleball players (and counting).
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We hope you’re included in that number :)
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Currently, pickleball is played in 39+ countries, and is on track to be in the Olympics one day. A girl can dream.
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The pickleball paddle market is estimated at $152.8 million, casual.
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The prize pool for 2023 tournaments $9.0-$11.0 million.
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Google trends has shown interest in pickleball has increased by 467%.
pickleball tournaments
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There will be 47 professional pickleball tournaments in 2023.
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Much like other professional sports, pickleball has multiple leagues with different styles. Currently the main leagues are MLP and PPA (and a few almost leagues, hi vibe).
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There are different divisions that can be entered in a tournament.
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There are both singles and doubles pickleball, each event requiring different strategies.
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There are five different pickleball events you can watch and/or play.
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Women’s singles - one woman plays against another woman.
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Women’s doubles - two women play against another team of two women.
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Mixed doubles - a team of one man and one woman play another team consisting of one man and one woman.
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Men’s singles - one man plays against another man.
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Men’s doubles - two men play against another team of two men.
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Like other professional sports, there are now pickleball teams based on location. For example, the New York Hustlers includes top players Anna Bright, Lacy Schneemann, Tyson Mcguffin, and Rafa Hewett.
pickleball rules
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The kitchen is the 7’ area in front of the pickleball net, often a different color.
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You can cook in the kitchen, but don’t step into the kitchen.
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The kitchen CAN be stepped in after the ball bounces in the kitchen.
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A pickleball court is the same size as a doubles badminton court.
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To call out the score, say your score, your opponent’s score, and what number server you are.
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When serving, you hit the ball cross court from you to the square diagonal to your serving position.
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A serve cannot hit the kitchen or the kitchen line- it’s considered “out” if the ball hits either.
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A serve can hit the middle line and be considered “in”
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All balls that hit the lines are considered “in”
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You can only score a point if you serve the ball.
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Every time you win the point, you switch the side you serve on.
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Games are played to eleven. But you have to win by two points.
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You can only begin to volly once the ball has bounced twice (once on your opponent’s side and once on your side).
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The serve must be hit below the waist.
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If you step on or over the baseline while serving, that’s a foot fault and loss of a serving opportunity.
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Rally scoring is starting to become a hot topic debated in the pickleball community. Should we switch over from side out scoring?
famous people who play pickleball
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Celebrities are hopping into the action, including Emma Watson who was featured on a pickleball fundraiser, “Pickled.”
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Professional athletes like Tom Brady are buying pickleball teams left and right.
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Melissa McCarthy talks avidly about how her family loves to play the game.
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Bill Gates posted an Instagram reel showing off his dinking skills.
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Kim Kardashian and her family were shown playing pickleball, with some friendly sibling competition.
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Amal and George Clooney apparently have a pickleball court in their backyard, talk about couple goals.
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Gary Vaynerchuk not only plays pickleball, but owns an MLP team, called “The 5s.”
pickleball jokes and puns
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Dink responsibly.
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Probably playing pickleball.
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What do you call a woman standing in the middle of a court? “Annette.”
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Where do ghosts play pickleball? On pickleball corpse!
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Home is where the court is (I know, cheesy but relevant).
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I’ll dink to that.
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I dink therefore I am.
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I’m ok with my pickleball doubles partner poaching my shots, but we were in a bar.
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Did you hear about the pickleball player who called his serve a “Dairy Queen”? Yes, it was a soft serve.
Now that you’re the pickleball expert, go get on the courts! It’s a known fact that if you wear kol athletics while playing, your odds of winning increase.