Pickleball is a racket/paddle sport that incorporates elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and is played by people of all ages and skill levels! The game is easy for beginners to learn, but a match with experienced players can be fast paced with plenty of back and forth action.
The Court
The dimensions of a pickleball court is the same as a doubles badminton court and measures 20 ft × 44 ft feet. In pickleball, the same court is used for both singles and doubles play and the net height is 36 inches at the sidelines near the posts and only 34 inches in the middle. The court lines are similar to a tennis court or badminton court with right and left service courts and a short service line parallel to the net. In Pickleball the short service line is positioned 7 foot from the net and the space between the line and net is called the non-volley zone (referred to as the “kitchen”). Because of their dimensions, courts can be constructed and lined specifically for pickleball or existing tennis or badminton courts can be converted by adding the proper lines.
The Equipment
Each player needs a pickleball paddle, which is similar in size to a racquetball racquet. This means they are smaller than a tennis racquet but larger than a ping-pong paddle.
Back in the 1960’s when the game was invented, pickleball paddles were made out of plywood and even today, an entry-level Pickleball paddle is still made from wood. But over the years, the materials have advanced and the core of a modern-day Pickleball paddle is a Nomex, Polymer or Aluminium honeycomb. Surrounding these cores is an exterior facing using materials such as fibreglass, graphite or carbon fibre.
The balls used for Pickleball can come in a variety of colors and they are made of a hard plastic resembling a wiffleball. There is a distinguishing difference between Indoor and Outdoor balls as Indoor balls are 2-3 grams lighter than Outdoor balls.
Pickleball Nova Scotia 