Pickleball In and Around the Queen City
Did you know that Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country? Pickleball is a sport that is commonly referred to as a mix of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. Pickleball is a racquet/paddle sport that is played with a paddle and a whiffle ball (i.e. a plastic ball with holes) on either an indoor or outdoor court that is the same size as a badminton court and a modified tennis net (i.e. a pickleball net is two inches lower than a tennis net).
It is played on a court with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes. The game is scored similar to tennis, with players trying to hit the ball over a net and into the opponent's half of the court. Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles, and is enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a great way to get exercise and have fun. The rules of pickleball are similar to those of other racquet sports, but there are a few specific to pickleball. For example, the ball must be served diagonally, and players must let the ball bounce once before hitting it back over the net. If you are interested in learning more about pickleball, there are many resources available online, including instructional videos and local clubs where you can play and learn from experienced players.
Terms to Know
Carry: A normal pickleball shot bounces off the paddle. A carry is when the ball slides along the paddle when swinging the paddle forward, giving the visual appearance of you throwing the ball off your paddle.
Cross-court: Cross-court refers to a player’s position on the court. When a player is located in one of the playing boxes (let’s say the right side), cross-court refers to the box that is diagonally across from that player (in this example, the left side) on the other side of the net.
Kitchen: The kitchen is 7’ space on either side of the pickleball net. This space a different color from the reminder of the court to make it easily identifiable. A player may not step into this space unless the ball has already bounced within it. A player may not stand in the kitchen and hit the ball out of the air. This is also referred to as the “non-volley zone.”
Live ball: A live ball is a ball that will bounce off the playing surface once. A player must make contact with the ball off of the first bounce or else the ball will become “dead.”
Dead ball: A dead ball can refer to a ball that is no longer in play. A player must make contact with the ball off of the first bounce or else the ball will become “dead.” A dead ball can be a pickleball that has lost its proper bounce.
Dink shot: A dink shot is commonly understood as a softly hit pickleball ball shot that is hit from the non-volley zone that lands on the opposite side in the non-volley zone. A dink shot may be hit directly in front of or cross-court from the player who is hitting the dink shot. A dink shot can also be understood as a shot hit from anywhere on the court that is softer in nature, intended to land in non-volley zone.
Double bounce: Double bounce indicates that the ball bounces twice thus creating a dead ball or it can make reference to the “two bounce rule” (i.e., double bounce rule).
Double bounce rule: The double bounce rule is a pickleball-specific rule that prohibits any pickleball player hitting the ball out of the air until the serving team and receiving team have allowed the ball to be hit and bounce off the ground once on each side.
Ground stroke: A ground stroke is any shot made on the pickleball court. A common ground stroke in pickleball is called a drive. This ground stroke is a shot that is hit hard with pace using your whole body to generate pressure against an opponent.
Lob: A lob is a type of shot that a player hits out of the air or off the bounce over their opponent’s head.
Volley: Volley means to hit the ball out of the air.
Non-volley zone: The non-volley zone is 7’ space on either side of the pickleball net. This space a different color from the reminder of the court to make it easily identifiable. A player may not step into this space unless the ball has already bounced within it. A player may not stand in the non-volley zone and hit the ball out of the air. This is also referred to as the “kitchen.”
Third shot drop: In pickleball, the three basic shots any player must hit are the serve, return, and a third shot option (lob, drive, drop). A third shot drop is a shot that takes a dink shot and combines distance. With this type of shot, the player hits a soft shot hit, after the return of serve. This shot has a gentle arch intended to be unattackable and land into the kitchen. The purpose of this shot is to take away space from your opponents and allow your team to get to the non-volley zone.
