Have you ever heard of the sport pickleball? For the ones who don’t know what it is, it’s a really fun popular sport. It’s a sport that combines tennis, ping-pong, and badminton. It is played using a paddle and a ball similar to wiffleball.
“It is crazy how fast this sport has grown,” said physical education teacher Lori Bear, who recently instructed a class in pickle ball at the Wayne Township professional development day. “I think people like it because the court is smaller then tennis, but you still get a workout.”
Here are the rules:
- Each game begins with a serve, made from behind the baseline.
- The ball is served diagonally to the opponent’s service zone.
- Points are scored only by the serving side and occur when the opponent faults (fails to return the ball, steps into the ‘kitchen’ before the ball bounces, etc.).
- The first side scoring 11 points and leading by at least 2 points wins.
- The Double Bounce Rule: After the serve, each side must make at least one groundstroke, thus ensuring two bounces, before volleys (hitting the ball before it bounces) are allowed.
- The Non-Volley Zone (or “the Kitchen”): This is a seven-foot zone on both sides of the net. Players cannot volley the ball while standing in this zone.
- Faults: These include hitting the ball out of bounds, not clearing the net, volleying from the kitchen, and violating the double bounce rule.
Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports today, with more than 35 million people playing it. It has become popular because it has simple rules and is appropriate for all ages. Many tennis courts are being replaced with pickleball courts around the United States. Indianapolis is one of the top cities for the sport and will be the host to many national tournaments this upcoming season.
Some of the tennis courts south of the school have been converted into pickle ball courts,
Lisa Bugay, a business teacher at Ben Davis enjoys this sport.
“The game is just flat out fun,” said Bugay, who helped teach the class in the MPA. “The strategy behind each shot you make gives the game its hype. They tell you it is not competitive but for me you cannot resist putting the ball away on your opponents. It’s a sport for all levels of players and a great way to meet new people.¨
Bear also enjoys this sport.
¨I like the sport because it’s easy to find people to play with and you can hold conversations and have fun while playing with others,¨ Bear said.
So if you’re interested in playing pickleball, pick up your paddles, go to a tennis court, and get ready to have some fun.
