3 minute read
What’s the Big Dill about Pickleball?
Are you looking for a fun, low-impact sport perfectly suited to your lifestyle? Look no further!
Pickleball is America’s fastest growing sport, transforming the daily routines of many seniors — reason. It offers experience that’s perfectly tailored for older adults.
For many, it’s not just a game, but a lifestyle with all the great things older adults are looking for. It’s easy to learn, gets people moving and is social and fun.
The ranks of pickleball players almost doubled to 8.9 million participants in 2022, from 4.8 million players the year before, according to a 2023 report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Unlike more physically demanding sports like tennis, pickleball offers a more relaxed pace, yet still brings out the thrill of competition and benefits of physical activity. But don’t let the sport’s quirky name fool you — pickleball is as serious or as fun as you make it, allowing for both casual play and tournament-level intensity.
What is pickleball?
Often described as a combination of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, pickleball doesn’t need as much practice — which also is what’s made it so popular in recent years.
Pickleball courts are about a third the size of a tennis court. Rules for the game are similar to tennis, but with a slightly shorter net. It’s played with a flat paddle, similar to an oversized ping-pong paddle, with a lightweight perforated plastic ball (similar to a whiffle ball).
Pickleball has been around since the 1960s, founded by two dads in Seattle with bored kids to entertain. “Pickles” was the name of a family dog. But it was the 2020 pandemic and the resulting social restrictions that sent pickleball’s popularity soaring.
How you can get started
Finding a place to play is fairly easy, but courts are crowded. Check out your local YMCA, park district, community centers, neighborhood parks, tennis courts and schools or online Facebook groups in your area.
Paddles Up!
Lingo You Need to Know to Get a Grip on the Game
DILL BALL: A dill ball is a ball that is in play. It has bounced once legally on the opponent’s side and is live.
DINKING: “Dink” is a softer shot, usually played from near the kitchen line and intended to land in the opponent’s kitchen close to the net.
THE KITCHEN: You’ve probably heard, “avoid the kitchen at all costs.” Each side has a non-volley zone, or “kitchen,” from which no player can hit volleys. Not even a toe can touch the kitchen line during a volley.
OPA!: Pickleball players shout “Opa!” when the second shot after the serve has been hit and open volleying can begin.
PICKLED: Getting ‘pickled’ means losing a match without scoring a single point.
POACH: Poaching occurs in doubles pickleball when one team member reaches into their teammate’s side of the court to hit a shot.
Let’s Play!
If you’ve always wanted to try pickleball, join our experts for an introduction to this incredibly popular sport!
Play Pickleball at Québec’s Glen Sutton Lodge
Practice new pickleball skills as you learn from local instructors and play against fellow Road Scholars on brand-new courts in this week devoted to improving your pickleball game.
