Sport guide
Pickleball
Pickleball is a net sport played with solid paddles and a light, perforated plastic ball on a court the size of a doubles badminton court, with a lowered net. Serves are underhand and a non-volley zone next to the net ("the kitchen") stops players volleying close in. It began in the United States and is now played in parks, sports halls and dedicated clubs worldwide.
Importance 4 out of 5Importance rating
At a glance
- Court
- 13.41 m × 6.096 m (44 ft × 20 ft)
- Played with
- A paddle and a ball
- Formats
- Singles, Doubles, Mixed doubles
- Governing body
- Global Pickleball Federation, International Pickleball Federation, World Pickleball Federation
- Origin
- Invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA
The court
Formats
- Singles
- Doubles
- Mixed doubles
How it is played
Pickleball is played as singles or doubles on a small court with paddles and a perforated plastic ball. The serve goes diagonally across the net, and the serve and its return must each bounce before being hit. In standard scoring only the serving side scores, and a game is typically won by the first to 11 points with a two-point lead.
Explore pickleball
- RulesServe, scoring, rally and faults, each point from the official rules
- EquipmentPaddle, ball and net limits, in metric and imperial
- CourtsCourt size 13.41 m × 6.096 m (44 ft × 20 ft), drawn to scale · 2 famous venues
- Players20 players on the men’s and women’s tours, with the titles they have won
- Organisations27 organisations, from Global Pickleball Federation to national federations, by region
Related sports
Sources
- USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, USA Pickleball, 2026usapickleball.orgOfficial rulebook or governing body (tier 1 of 5)
- What is Pickleball?, USA Pickleball, Web page; no edition statedusapickleball.orgNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)