Pickleball

Pickleball: A Serious Way to Have Fun & Stay Active

If you're not familiar with pickleball, you'd be forgiven for assuming that the sport was just a silly game for the leisure class. But you'd also be missing the real story. After all, how many leisure games have an international governing body with a constitution and bylaws, and tournaments with committed participants from all over the world?

Created as a family game in 1965, pickleball combines elements of badminton, tennis and ping pong to provide participants with a spirited, challenging and fun workout. The game is easy to learn and accessible to players of all ages.

We invite you to come join the good times at our Oak Branch facilities. Enjoy singles and doubles matches on our regulation court Monday through Thursday, 10 am – noon. No registration or experience required.

Pickleball Basics

The game is played on a badminton-sized (20’ x 44’) court equipped with a modified tennis net. Players use wooden paddles to volley a specialized whiffle ball and compete for points.

A game is played to 11, with a single point being awarded each time the serving team wins a rally. Pickleball can be played in a singles or doubles format.

For the complete set of pickleball rules, please refer to the official rulebook provided by the USA Pickleball Association.

Common terms:

• Ace – a serve that cannot be returned by the opponent, resulting in a point
• Double bounce – a shot that bounces twice on one side of the net, resulting in a point or loss of serve
• Drop shot – a soft shot that just makes it over the net and falls rapidly on the other side
• Falafel – a shot that does not have enough power to clear the net
• Fault – a rule violation that stops gameplay (i.e., ball hitting the net on a serve)
• Kitchen – slang term for the non-valley zone, a 7’ area on either side of the net where players are not allowed to volley the ball
• Let – a serve that hits the net but still makes it to the other side (play is continued, like in tennis)
• Pickled – losing the game 11-0 (similar to being “skunked” in other sports)
• Pickler – a pickleball enthusiast

Benefits of Pickleball

With its rapid growth in popularity in recent years, researchers have begun to note that pickleball offers some distinct health benefits. The game has been associated with lower blood pressure, abating depression symptoms, and improving cardiorespiratory fitness in players.

Pickleball is very popular with middle-age and older adults, offering an important social outlet in addition to physical stimulation. The short matches and frequent breaks allow picklers to cultivate rewarding connections and build comradery.

Come join our community of picklers and start enjoying one of America’s fastest growing sports.