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Sport explainer

What is pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle sport played on a badminton-sized court with a perforated plastic ball, and it's the fastest-growing participation sport in the United States.

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Quick facts

Type
Racket/paddle sport
Players
2 or 4
Match length
15–25 minutes per game
Origin
Invented in Washington State, USA in 1965
Cost to start
Paddles from $40; open play sessions are often $5–10 or free at community courts.
Fitness needed
Low to moderate; short court, short rallies, big social component.

Pickleball explained

Pickleball is a paddle sport played on a badminton-sized court with a perforated plastic ball, and it's the fastest-growing participation sport in the United States.

The court is small, the ball is slow, and the two-bounce rule keeps rallies going — which makes it unusually easy to start and hard to master.

Open play sessions, where you rotate through partners, are the standard way in and require no existing group.

The rules that actually matter

You don't need the full rulebook to play your first session. These are the rules that shape every game of pickleball.

  • Serve underhand diagonally, and the serve must bounce before the return
  • The two-bounce rule: each side must let the ball bounce once before volleying
  • The 'kitchen' — the non-volley zone by the net — can't be volleyed from
  • Games are usually to 11, win by 2
  • Only the serving side scores points in traditional scoring

Equipment you need

Beginners consistently overspend here. This is the realistic starting kit list for pickleball.

  • Paddle
  • Perforated plastic ball
  • Court shoes
  • Sportswear

Formats you can play

Pickleball isn't one thing. Picking the right format is the difference between enjoying your first month and quitting it.

  • Singles
  • Doubles
  • Open play sessions
  • Club ladders
  • Local tournaments

Where it's played

Typical venues for pickleball, and the places worth checking when you're looking for a session near you.

  • Dedicated pickleball courts
  • Converted tennis courts
  • Rec centres
  • Community gyms

Why people take up pickleball

Beyond the sport itself, these are the reasons adults commit to it.

  • Learnable in a single session at any age
  • Very low equipment cost
  • Open play makes it easy to arrive alone
  • Kind to knees and shoulders compared with tennis
  • Growing ladder and tournament scene in most US cities

Similar sports

If pickleball isn't quite right, these sports attract similar players: Padel, Tennis, Badminton, Table tennis.

Your first month

  1. 01

    Week 1 — one open play session

    Turn up, borrow a paddle, rotate through games. Nobody expects a beginner to know the scoring.

  2. 02

    Week 2 — buy a paddle

    A mid-weight beginner paddle is fine. Spending more won't fix technique.

  3. 03

    Week 3 — learn dinking

    Soft kitchen exchanges decide games at every level. Drill them for ten minutes before you play.

  4. 04

    Week 4 — enter a club ladder

    Ladders match you against similar levels and give you a weekly reason to show up.

Find people to train with

SportConnect is free: set your sport and level, browse players, coaches, clubs and gyms near you, and message the ones running beginner-friendly sessions.

Find pickleball near youExplore your city

Frequently asked questions

Is pickleball hard to learn?

Playable within an hour, competitive within a season.

How much does it cost to start pickleball?

Paddles from $40; open play sessions are often $5–10 or free at community courts.

Do I need to be fit to play pickleball?

Low to moderate; short court, short rallies, big social component.

How many players do you need for pickleball?

2 or 4. Singles is the standard format, but smaller variants exist: Doubles, Open play sessions, Club ladders.

Do I need experience to join a club or session?

No. Most local clubs, gyms and open sessions run beginner groups and are used to people arriving with zero background. Say you're new when you message them — it changes how they set the session up for you.

Is SportConnect free?

Yes. Creating a profile, browsing players, coaches, gyms and events, and messaging other members is free.

How do I find people at my level nearby?

Set your sport, level and city on your profile, then browse players, coaches and gyms in your area. Filtering by level is the fastest way to find sessions you'll actually enjoy.

Keep reading

How to get into lacrosseHow to get into mmaHow to get into yogaHow to get into padelHow to get into pickleballHow to get into boxingHow to get into runningHow to get into swimmingHow to get into cyclingHow to get into basketballHow to get into soccerHow to get into american football

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