PICKLE-BALL STUDY GUIDE
WHAT IS PICKLE-BALL?
Pickle-Ball is a combination of Badminton, Tennis and Table-Tennis. It is a three in one game, played with wooden or plastic paddles and a perforated plastic ball in a normal Doubles Badminton court or on any hard surface such as driveways, parks, cul-de-sacs, playgrounds, tennis courts, and volleyball courts except that the net is lowered to 3 feet high.
Pickle-Ball is played by 2 or 4 players on a court identical to a badminton doubles court in size. Easily lowering the net to 3 feet on the badminton doubles court will convert it to a Pickle-Ball court. Lightweight paddles (slightly larger than a Ping-Pong Ball paddle) and a plastic perforated ball are the keys to producing long, exciting rallies consisting of volleys at the net and ground strokes similar to tennis. The game involves strategies that include the lob (a ball hit high enough in the air to pass over the head of the net player(s); smash (a hard overhead shot); passing shots (a ball that is hit wide and out of reach of a net player) by the opponent at the net and the fast volley exchanges.
BASIC RULES OF PICKLE-BALL
ü All pickle-ball court lines in the large gym are gray.
ü Only the serving team can score points. A player continues to serve until a fault is made by her/his team/side.
ü All serves must be made below the waist.
ü A player may not bounce the ball before s/he serves the ball.
ü The receiving player must let the served ball bounce once before returning the serve. And, the serving side has to let the return of serve bounce once before returning the shot. This is known as the double bounce rule.
ü The ball can be volleyed during the rally (outside of the non-volley zone) only after the above two bounces have occurred.
ü All volleys (shots hit before the ball bounces) must be done with both feet outside of the non-volley zone. It is a fault if the player steps into the non-volley zone on the follow through.
ü The server may not serve the ball until the other team is ready.
ü The player standing in the opposite diagonal court must be the player that returns the serve.
ü The receiving team is considered ready if s/he attempts to return a serve.
ü A service fault occurs when a server swings the paddle with intent to strike the ball, but misses.
ü A point is replayed if there is disagreement or outside interference.
RULES of SERVING
The serve is made over the net to the diagonal service court from behind the end-line. The serve should land between the non-volley zone line & the baseline and the midline and the sideline. A ball contacting any line, except the non-volley zone line on a serve, is considered “in”. A serve contacting the non-volley zone line is short thus considered a fault. Server’s serve (red to red) areas when the serving team’s score is 0 or an even #, and (blue to blue) when the serving team’s score is odd. Only one serve attempt is allowed, except if the ball touches the net on the serve and lands in the proper service court. Then the serve may be taken over as a “let” serve.
At the start of each game, the first serving team is allowed only 1 fault before giving up the serve to the opponents. Thereafter, both members of each team will serve & fault before the ball is turned over to the opposing team. When the serving team makes its 1st fault, players will stay in the same courts and turn the ball over to the other team. Serving team players switch sides of court only after scoring a point. The receiving team does not switch sides. Games are to 11 points and a team must win by 2 points. A team can only score a point when they are the serving team.
FAULTS
· Hitting the ball out of bounds.
· The ball doesn’t make it over the net.
· Allowing the ball to bounce more than once before it is returned.
· Stepping into the non-volley zone and volleying the ball.
· Volleying the ball before the ball has bounced once on each side (double-bounce rule).
· Touching the net with any part of your body, clothing, or paddle.
· Not serving from behind the baseline (foot fault); only one foot can be over the baseline before contact is made.
· Making contact above the waist on a serve.
· Serve doesn’t bounce into the proper service court.
Winning Pickle-Ball will be the result of putting the ball where you want, controlling the tempo of the game, and keeping the ball in play. Size and strength are not major factors in who will win the game, because strategy and tactics tend to be just as important in the final outcome.
A SHORT HISTORY OF THE GAME
The Pickle-Ball game was invented in 1965 in Seattle, Washington USA by Mr. Joel Pritchard, the ex-congressman, and Mr. Bill Bell, a successful businessman. The original purpose was to provide a game that the whole family might enjoy regardless of level of athletic ability and strength. However, it can also be and has been played competitively. Pickle-Ball has enjoyed widespread growth throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong and now in Singapore and Malaysia. There are some 75,000 people playing Pickle-Ball in the United States alone and the number is increasing rapidly as it is an inexpensive and easy game to play. Although originally the game was meant for family to have an active, healthy and meaningful life, it is now also well accepted by the youth and all walks of life. It is a fun court game for all.
ETIQUETTE of the Game
· If there is a disagreement about whether the ball was in or out, play the point over.
· Never walk behind a court, or enter it, while a rally* is in progress.
· When a point is over, return the ball to the person who is serving, not randomly returning it somewhere.
· If the opponent claims there was a major distraction while hitting a shot (such as a ball bouncing onto the court), don’t hesitate to replay the point.
· Give your opponent (the receiving team) time to get into position to return the ball before you serve.
· It is the server’s responsibility to clearly announce the score before serving each point. Be sure to say your score first; then the opponent’s score.
· Return stray balls to appropriate courts, but not while a point is being played.
· Know the rules of the game and observe them.
· Control your temper on the court at all times.
· Most importantly, be a good sport at all times.
Other terms:
Rally – During the game, as the ball is hit back and forth between opponents, sometimes the ball may bounce and sometimes it may be hit in the air (volley) this is called a rally.
*Hopefully the students in my class will have long rallies.
Groundstroke - A forehand or backhand stroke.
Forehand stroke – When you draw the racket behind you on your dominant side and hit the ball with your fingers leading forward.
Backhand stroke – When you bring the racket across your body and hit the ball with the back of your hand leading forward.
Fault – Any mistake made by a player. *Hitting the ball out of bounds is considered a fault.