What is Pickleball?

A perfect sport for all ages, pickleball is beginning to make its mark in Australia. It’s truly the ideal for summertime – a combination of badminton, tennis and racquetball.

US Congressman, Joel Pritchard, invented pickleball in 1965. After returning from a round of golf, he and a group of friends couldn’t find the equipment to play badminton, so they fashioned some paddles and found a whiffle ball, with that, pickleball was born. And how did it get its name? Legend has it Joel Pritchard’s family dog, Pickles wouldn’t stop chasing the ball and running away with it!

Pradella Property Ventures’ Mia Pradella feels as though pickleball was the perfect sport to be added to the variety of options available to residents at Seachange Upper Coomera. “We wanted something both unique and inclusive for the residents at Seachange Upper Coomera and pickleball was the obvious choice.” “Pickleball enables players of all ages to play against each other and stay competitive,” said Ms Pradella.

Played on a court roughly one-third the size of a badminton court, pickleball uses a modified tennis-style net, wooden or graphite paddles and a lightweight plastic ball. Not only is it easy to learn, it can also be played at any age. While many of the other popular racquet sports require speed and power, pickleball relies more on finesse. This makes it the ideal outdoor sport for those living in over 50’s villages. Pickleball is a great game to play with a group of friends and also provides fantastic all-round fitness. It exercises all of the major muscle groups and can help improve mobility, balance and agility.

So whether you’re a longtime player or a complete novice, call a friend and meet them at the pickleball court. Game on!

The Rules of Pickleball 

• The rules of pickleball are similar to tennis or badminton
• Similar to badminton, you can only score while serving
• Each game is first to 11, winning by 2
• The ball must be hit 3 times before it can be volleyed
• You cannot volley the ball while standing in the area closest to the net
• All players must serve underarm