Is Pickleball Easy For Beginners? [The Ultimate Guide]

Pickleball has become one of the fastest growing sports to take over the United States, and people of all ages are playing. However, some of us are only just hearing about it now, and that is okay.

Luckily for you, pickleball is made so that people of all ages can give it a go. Which means that if the kids and grandma are able to play it, it can’t be all that tricky can it?

Pickleball is a pretty easy game to pick up, it is not hard to learn, and the technical terminology is kept to a minimum, allowing people of a variety of ages to learn it with little trouble.

There are rules you need to know, and a basic understanding of the game is required, there may be some jargon to learn. However, the game itself is very uncomplicated, so it is easy for beginners to pick up.

Want to know more about this sport that is taking the nation by storm? We’ve got you covered.

Table of Contents

What Is Pickleball?

Pickleball is a simple racket and ball based game which has similarities to other sports such as tennis, badminton and ping-pong/ table tennis.

The name of this game originated with one of the inventors. This inventor’s name was Joel Pritchard. The game was originally named ‘wiffle ball’, however, it got renamed as ‘pickleball’ in 1967.

There are two theories around the name of the game, one theory states that Joel’s wife Bonnie believed the ball resembled a dill pickle, hence the name. The other theory is that the game is named after their dog who was named ‘Pickles’.

Which theory is correct we cannot say, but both theories are plausible.

What Do You Need For Pickleball?

To be able to play pickleball, you will need a paddle and a wiffle ball. These are both items that are able to be easily picked up at a sporting good store, or can be purchased online.

There are also different pickleball retailers you could check out, and get advice from. If you want to get serious after trying out the sport you can invest in high quality paddles which can benefit your game greatly.

You also want to pick up some quality shoes and decent attire if you do not have any already.

It is important for you to have good clothing and shoes for any sport before you play, without the proper attire you can easily get injured, even in low-exhaustion activities like such.

Where Can You Play?

There are plenty of different places to play pickleball. But, if you want to play pickleball, there are plenty of choices. There are even indoor or outdoor options for play.

There will likely be pickleball courts in your local public parks, schools, community centers, and so on.

If you want to join a private club, it could be a bit more tricky to find one of these.

You may also be able to connect with others who are a bit more interested in playing pickleball, if this is something that interests you, you could sign up for social media groups such as found on MeetUp or even on Facebook.

These places are likely to be rife with people who are filled with different people who enjoy this sport and who are willing to meet up with other enthusiasts and those who are interested in this sport.

Finding people like this is always a wise decision as you can also pick up knowledge from them, as they are sure to have knowledge that will be of value to you, and can help you to better learn the sport.

How To Play

Learning the basics of pickleball is not difficult, even if you are a total newbie to sports like this.

You could get a pickleball mentor. Finding a mentor can be an ideal way for you to get started off in this sport. Having someone who can talk you through learning this sport can help you to feel more confident and well acquainted with the sport.

You can discover different playing styles and find out which ones suit your strengths and which suits your weaknesses as well.

You could also consider joining a pickleball club if there is one around you. It will help you to interact with those who are already well involved with this sport, and you will be able to learn some different skills and techniques from them.

This can broaden your pickleball horizons.

Finding mentors can be done in a multitude of ways, one option you can take is to ask friends and family if they know of anyone who could help, or you could simply search locally for organizations and groups. And let’s not forget the magic that is online forums!

Top Tips

Any new sport can be intimidating to begin with, but these top tips can help you to get started with pickleball, and will help you to avoid some of the most common issues and mistakes that people make.

Never try to serve hard, or near to the court’s sideline. Just keep it simple! This isn’t tennis, you don’t need to be flashy about it.
The power behind your swing will never be as important as how you place your hit. Always focus on controlling the ball more than the speed of the ball.
Always consider safety first. Prevent any injuries, and improve your performance. Stretch before you play. Get into a routine where you do regular warm-ups to prevent problems from cropping up.
Getting to the non-volley line as quickly as you can is ideal, it is the strongest position.

Always put in practice, as this will help you to improve your technique by tenfold. Be patient and put in time to your practice, it will pay off in the end. It will take time to get accustomed to, practice will help you become a good player.

Pickleball Jargon

Need a bit of help getting to know the typical terminology of pickleball?

Here are the terms you need to know!

Cross court: This is the space diagonally opposite yours.
Double bounce: When the ball bounces more than one time on one side before it returns.

Let: This is a serve which hits the net cord and lands in the services court. It can also be a term applied to rallies that need to be replayed.
Fault: When a rule violation prevents play from continuing.
Dink shot: When a shot is intended to land within the non-volley zone arcs over the net.
Non-volley zone: this is the area around the net on both sizes of the court. When in this zone you cannot volley the ball.

Conclusion

Pickleball is actually a pretty easy game to learn to play, the rules of pickleball are pretty easy to pick up, and one of the reasons it is such a well-loved game is that it is super easy to learn and to play.

It is a game for everyone!