When we watch a great athlete at work, we forget just how much training, effort and dedication has gone into them getting to that standard. Being among the best at any sport puts you in an elite selection of people, and for most of us being good – able to play to the best of our abilities and succeed some of the time – is the goal. That’s the difference between those of us who play sports for fun, and those who are professionals.
One sport that is becoming very popular with players who just want to play an engaging and exciting game for fun is Pickleball. While there are professional players it has yet to make its way on to the world stage in any big way, but that’s surely on the cards as it rockets in popularity. Let’s talk a little more about why Pickleball is so popular, and what you need to do to become a good player.
Why Play Pickleball?
The simple fact is that there are few games that are as simple to get to grips with as Pickleball. It has rules that are easy to understand, uses what is pretty much a standard badminton court with a few minor changes, and you can buy the equipment to set up a back yard Pickleball court at great prices that make it a very attractive sport to learn. How do you play Pickleball? It’s easy, so let’s have a quick look!
Pickleball uses elements of table tennis – the wooden bat or paddle and the lightweight perforated ball – plus some similar rules of play to tennis and badminton. The idea is, as with most racquet games, to get the ball across the net and force your opponent – or opponents as it can be played as a doubles game – into a fault. Now, only the serving team or player can score, so if the fault is from their side, they simply pass play over and do not score a point. The first to 11 points by two clear is the winner, although this can differ in tournament games.
The ease with which Pickleball can be learned is down largely to the simple rules – you can find them at the links we supplied and also more in this article about where to play across the USA – which are similar to badminton and tennis, and also in the fact the serve is underarm so there is no special technique to be learned. How do you become good?
Getting Good at Pickleball
It’s a game that, once you play it, you’ll love it more and more, and so will your friends and family. The game is designed for players of all ages so the whole family can join in, and you can start your own tournaments and find a local Pickleball club to join for more practice.
This is a game that is played more and more as the years go by so get into Pickleball now and you’ll see what great fun it can be. As with most sports the only way to get better at Pickleball is to practice. The good thing is that as it is among the fastest-growing sports in the USA right now there are many Pickleball courts in sports centres, in parks and schools, and people also put them up in their yards.
It’s easy to mark a Pickleball court out and there are plenty of resources online to help you get it right. As we said above, the equipment is far from specialised and therefore not expensive, so a home Pickleball court can be put together for very little outlay.