What is Pickleball?
Pickleball is a court sport played on a badminton-sized court with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center. It is played with a perforated plastic ball similar to a wiffle ball and composite or wooden paddles about twice the size of ping-pong paddles. It can be played indoors or outdoors and is easy for beginners to learn, and can develop into a fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players. The game has developed a passionate following due to its friendly, social nature, and its multi-generational appeal.
Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles. New players can learn the basic rules quickly in a single session. No special apparel is needed – just something comfortable and appropriate for a court sport. Equipment is inexpensive and easily portable. The game can be played by all ages and is particularly popular in school P.E. programs and in adult living communities.
The sport is governed by the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA.org), which maintains the rules, promotes the sport, sanctions tournaments, and provides player rankings. www.usapa.org
History
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, by three enterprising dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. Their children were bored with their usual summertime activities. It evolved from the original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout North America and is now taking off in other parts of the world.
The origin of the game’s name is thought to be derived from the co-inventors’ family Cocker Spaniel, “Pickles”, who loved to chase stray balls and hide them in the bushes.
The Court
A pickleball court is 20 feet × 44 feet for both singles and doubles. The net is hung at 36 inches. A non-volley zone extends 7 feet back from the net on each side, commonly called “the kitchen”.
The Equipment
Competitive paddles used in pickleball are constructed from a high-tech composite, ranging in cost from $50-$150 each. Pickleball paddle specifications may be found at http://ipickleball.org/wp- content/uploads /2014/12/Paddle _Material_Specifications.pdf. An official pickleball is made of plastic and is between 2 7/8 inches to 3 inches in diameter and weighs between .08 and 1.02 ounces. There are no color restrictions. The USAPA has tested and approved a number of outdoor and indoor balls for official tournament play. A complete list can be viewed here: http://www.usapa.org/ifp-ball-specifications/
Places to Play
Virtually every state and Canadian province has pickleball venues. Senior residence communities, YMCAs, local community recreation centers, schools and parks are just some of the places likely to have pickleball courts. The USAPA compiles the most up-to-date and comprehensive listing of places to play at http://usapa.org/ptp/index.php. The known places to play increases approximately 76 per month for a total of 3,748 as of Jan 2016.
Currently, the USAPA is tracking over 200,000 pickleball players and 12,668 pickleball courts in North America, with an average of 76 new places to play pickleball debuting across the U.S. and Canada each month!
Tournaments
The USAPA supports and sanctions tournaments throughout the United States. See http://usapa.org/schedule/index.php for a current list of upcoming pickleball tournaments. In 2009, the USAPA held the first Nationals Pickleball Tournament in Buckeye, Arizona. Over 400 players participated in divisions for all ages. In 2015, the Nationals VII Tournament is anticipated to be the largest tournament in the world, with more than 700 participants competing in Casa Grande, Arizona. See http://usapa.org/nationals/ for detailed information.
Estimated Pickleball Players within the United States
Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) 2015 Participant Report, they reported pickleball currently has 2.46 million players. SFIA is the premier trade association for top brands, manufacturers, retailers and marketers in the American sporting goods and fitness industry 1906. If you quote their participation number, you need to reference SFIA and not USAPA as the source.
Ambassador Program
USAPA currently has a network of over 2,000 volunteer ambassadors who have pledged to promote the sport of pickleball and the USAPA in their local area. They serve as local representative for USA Pickleball for all activities related to pickleball within the area they represent. Ambassadors support and abide by all official rules, assist with local clinics/tournaments and look for opportunities to add/grow the game in their community. A list of all current USPA ambassadors (by state) can be found at usapa.org.
The USA Pickleball Association www.usapa.org
The USAPA was formed in 2005 to promote the sport. It maintains the official rules, sanctions tournaments, provides player rankings and produces the annual National Pickleball Tournament. It is run by an Executive Director and a volunteer board of directors supported by thousands of dues-paying members. The USAPA provides assistance through programs such as:
Training Grants – The USAPA Grant program provides funds to subsidize training programs for school students, local residents, organizations or individuals who are pickleball novices and do not belong to a pickleball club or other organized group.
Useful USAPA Links
To learn more, visit www.USAPA.org or Facebook.com/USA Pickleball Association.
USAPA Demographics
58% Male
42% Female
39 and Under = 6.4%
40-59 = 27.5%
60+ = 66.1 %
