By: Gabrielle Guzinski

"Pickleball is one of the newest trending sports..."

I never heard of the sport pickleball until my freshman year of high school, circa fall 2015. It was during my gym class where it was introduced to my classmates and me. Low and behold, I ended up enjoying it, only to find out it has been around for quite some time. The origins date back to over fifty years ago, “In the summer of 1965, pickleball was founded by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Within days, Joan Pritchard had come up with the name “pickle ball”—a reference to the thrown-together leftover non-starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races. Many years later, as the sport grew, a controversy ensued when a few neighbors said they were there when Joan named the game after the family dog, Pickles. Joan and the Pritchard family have held fast for decades that the dog came along a few years later and was named after the game.

Pickleball is a combination of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, making it a sport for all ages. According to progresspickleball.com, “It is played with paddles and a ball like a wiffle ball but slightly smaller. The net used is a slightly modified tennis net and is lowered to 34 inches at the center. Pickleball can be played both indoors and outdoors and as either doubles or singles. The rules are simple, and the game is easy for beginners to learn, but can develop into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players.”

In tournaments, referees are required to ensure fair play. To decide who serves or chooses sides first, any fair method like a coin flip can be used.

For serving:

• The server’s arm must move upward when hitting the ball.

• The paddle must hit the ball below waist level.

• The paddle head must be below the wrist at contact.

Two-Bounce Rule:

• When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning it.

• The serving team must also let it bounce before returning it.

• After these two bounces, both teams can either hit the ball before it bounces or play it off a bounce.

Buffalo, New York has several places to learn pickleball, including organizations that offer classes and clinics:

• Rally Niagara: Offers small group classes once a week over four weeks, covering fundamentals, strategies, and skills. David Butler, a US Pickleball Association member, teaches the classes.

• JCC Buffalo: Max Carrol, a top-rated pickleball player, offers lessons and clinics that cover basics, strategy, and positioning.

If you are looking to learn how to play pickleball, here are two recommended books that can help you get started and improve your skills:

1. “Pickleball Fundamentals” by USA Pickleball Association - This book is ideal for beginners and covers the basic shots, rules, and more than 40 drills to practice. It’s a comprehensive guide for those new to the sport.

2. “How to Play Pickleball: The Complete Guide from A to Z” by Joe Baker and Coach Mo - This guide offers a detailed approach to learning pickleball, starting with basic rules and progressing to advanced strategies. It includes diagrams and explanations to help players of all levels.

View the chart provided to see facilities, cost, time and if they have lessons or not for each organization. 

Pickleball is one of the newest trending sports but is here to stay in the world of sports. There is even potential for it to be in the Olympics allegedly in around four years, if it gets the proper exposure.

See you on the courts!