Pickleball Guide

Playing pickleball is a fun sport where each player will need a pickleball paddle, which is smaller than a tennis racket but larger than a ping-pong paddle. Pickleball paddles are primarily made of lightweight composite materials, including aluminum and graphite. On a Pickleball court players will also need a picklebal net and a pickleball. The ball is unique, with holes. Different ball models are intended for indoor and outdoor play. Balls come in many colors, such as white, yellow and green, are single color to meet International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) specifications. Wondering about pickleball near me, there are more than 38,000 indoor and outdoor courts in the U.S. To find one, use the Pickleball+ app, or put your ZIP code into the USA Pickleball Association’s court locator website.

Choosing Your Pickleball Paddle

Choosing The Right Pickleball

Learn the differences between indoor and outdoor pickleballs and how they’ve been carefully constructed to accommodate different courts and styles of play. If you’re just starting to play pickleball, you may notice something oddly familiar, even nostalgic, about the ball.

That’s because when the sport began, players used the same lightweight, perforated wiffle ball used in the classic backyard game. The modern pickleball ball echoes the design of this ball, but with subtle changes tailored to the sport and the court. Depending on what kind of court you’re playing on, though, you’ll want either an indoor ball or an outdoor ball. Each has a slightly different construction.

Pickleball Rules

The ball is served underhanded and diagonally to the opponent’s service court without bouncing it off the court. Points are scored by the serving side only and occur when the opponent faults (fails to return the ball, hits ball out of bounds or into the net, etc.) The server continues to serve, alternating service courts, until the serving side faults. The first side scoring 11 points and leading by at least a 2-point margin wins and you must win by 2 points. See video below for more info.

Pickleball Strategy

Strategy is so important in the game of pickleball, as pickleball is not only a physical game, but also a mental game. If you are looking for pickleball strategies on how to win at pickleball, then you have come to the right place! Whether you are playing doubles pickleball or singles pickleball, this blog will break down pickleball strategies and pickleball tips to help you win on the pickleball court!

Doubles Pickleball Strategy

Just starting at doubles pickleball? The video below will outline doubles strategies that will be of special use to those of you just beginning your pickleball journey. There are obviously many more strategies to learn, but these doubles strategies will help you become a better pickleball player and a smarter player in general.

Singles Pickleball Strategy

While the basic skills of pickleball will cross over well from doubles to singles, there are some fundamental differences between the two formats and you’ll need to switch gears a bit if you are going from doubles to singles. Singles is much more about speed and power.

Get in shape playing pickleball

Studies found that pickleball, compared to walking at a self-selected pace for half an hour, had a 14 percent higher heart rates and burned 36 percent more calories. Another study from Western Colorado University found that picklers averaged a heart rate of 109 beats per minute and burned 354 calories per hour, which qualifies it as a moderate-intensity workout alongside hiking, yoga and water aerobics. The players also saw significant improvements in their cholesterol levels, blood pressure and maximal oxygen uptake, a measure of cardiovascular fitness, after playing for an hour every other day for six weeks.

Get To Know Pickleball

Pickleball is a fast growing sport that involves a court and a net. Pickleball has had a 650 percent increase in numbers over the last six years, according to USA Pickleball Association (USAPA). The growth is not in the over-60 crowd, says Justin Maloof, executive director of USAPA, but the younger set. “When the sport first caught on in the sunbelt states around 2009, it was at 55-plus centers and RV communities,” he says. “It snowballed from there. But these days, there are many municipalities and parks and rec departments that are setting up courts, making it accessible to a younger crowd.”

Vulcan V320 Hybrid Pickleball Paddle

The Vulcan V320 Hybrid Pickleball Paddle is a great starter paddle for newer players, or for those who are ready to graduate from an economy paddle to the first rung on the ladder of high-quality composite paddles. The combination of the fiberglass face with a thinner-than-average (10mm) polypropylene honeycomb core ensures the V320 hits with all the “pop” a player could desire. Featuring a traditional shape and handle-biased weight distribution, players will come to view the V320 as a solid baseline paddle model with which they will develop their skills and eventually evaluate other paddles against.

HEAD Extreme Elite Fiberglass Paddle

The Extreme Elite Fiberglas Paddle provides solid heft and top-quality control so you can play pickleball at your own pace. With an elongated body and ergonomic grip, this is a versatile piece of gear that gives you the ability to cover large areas of the court, stress free. The design is ideal for control players who want to be able to manage dinks up at the net while still being able to drive balls on the serve.