Pickleball: 'Fastest growing sport' over the years II VYGR

Pickleball is often described as an intersection between ping pong, badminton, and tennis. It is played on a court similar to badminton and has a net, but it requires less running than tennis. A firm paddle and perforated plastic balls are used in this sport, which can be played as singles or doubles (two players per team).

Our Ground Reporter Saksham Agarwal, had a conversation with Mr Abhinav Ajmera, who has been operating a Pickleball Club in Rajasthan's Jaipur for around 4 years now. The location of the Club is in Jaipur's Vaishalinagar. The club has three international-level coaches supervising the practice sessions.

Mr Abhinav describes the game as 'the shorter version of Tennis' and deems it perfect for both leisure and fitness.

Pickleball in Jaipur: The game has become popular in Jaipur since 2016-2017. Some of the players from the city have also participated in state-level and national-level competitions.

Origins of Pickleball

The game originated in 1965 when Joel Pritchard, a former state representative from Washington, and businessman Bill Bell wanted their families to use Pritchard's badminton court but were unable to track down any badminton equipment. They made do with a modified court, a wiffleball, and some ping-pong paddles. Afterwards, they shared this activity with their friend Barney McCallum, and the three men came up with the regulations for the new sport.

Rules of the game

The court is 44 feet long (including lines) and 20 feet broad (including lines) for both singles and doubles. Here are the primary rules of the game:

The ball must be hit underhanded and below the waist to serve. The serve is delivered diagonally across the court, and before the other player can return the stroke, it must bounce.
Only when serving is a point scored, and the game goes up to eleven points (note: one has to win by two points). The serving team will switch sides—that is, the server will move from right to left—if a point is scored.
Another area that lies within seven feet of the net is referred to as "the kitchen," or a no-volley zone. In this area, volleying the ball is prohibited.

The sport, a hybrid of tennis, badminton and ping pong, has been on the rise recently and was named the "fastest-growing sport over the recent years," according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

(Inputs from Vygr Correspondent Saksham Agrawal)

Image Source: Multiple agencies