Pickleball mixes tennis and table tennis on a small court: a solid paddle, a plastic ball with holes and an underarm serve. The rules are simple and the ball is not fast, so on your first evening you already play real games. Most people play doubles. Here is what you need, how to find a court and players, and the two rules that make pickleball different.
What you need
- Paddle. A pickleball paddle has a solid face without strings and is bigger than a table tennis bat. Where people play, you can often borrow a paddle and a ball.
- Ball. A plastic ball with holes. The indoor ball is softer with bigger holes, the outdoor ball harder.
- Shoes. Indoor shoes or tennis shoes that hold when you move sideways.
A court and players
A pickleball court is the size of a badminton court with a lower net. Estonia has few courts marked for pickleball yet: people play in sports halls and on tennis courts with extra lines. The kahur.ee venue list has the ones we know. If you know another, write to us.
To find players:
- Club nights. At a club night pairs are put together and partners change. You come alone and play with several partners and opponents during the evening.
- Open games. The kahur.ee open games page lists games that still need players.
Your first time on court
- Serve underarm. Hit the ball below your waist with the paddle moving upwards. The serve goes diagonally over the non-volley zone into the opponent's box. Each server has one attempt.
- Two bounces. The serve must bounce before it is returned, and the return must bounce on the server's side too. Only then may you hit the ball out of the air.
- No volleys in the kitchen. In front of the net, on both sides, is a 2.13 metre non-volley zone (the "kitchen"). Standing there, you may hit the ball only after it bounces.
- Scoring. Only the serving side scores. A game goes to 11, won by two. In doubles the server calls three numbers before serving: their team's score, the opponents' score and the server number.
The full rules in Estonian are on the pickleball rules page.
How your level grows
At club nights and kahur.ee competitions your level is worked out after every game, in doubles too. A win against stronger players raises it more, and a loss to stronger players lowers it little.
What beginners ask
Is pickleball only for older people? No. Pickleball began as a family game and every age plays it. The court is small, so there is less running than in tennis.
Can a tennis or table tennis player play at once? The feel for the ball helps, but the two-bounce rule and the non-volley zone are new. Tennis players hit too hard at first.
How long does a game take? A game to 11 takes 10 to 20 minutes.