Pickle at the peak

1.     What are the rules?  Here is a link to USA Pickleball rules for recreational play and tournament play. Official rules

2.     What do I wear?  Comfortable athletic wear like what you would wear for tennis, racquetball, or badminton.

3.     How long is the game or match? A typical game is approximately 15 minutes, and a match is anywhere from 1 hour to 75 minutes.

4.     How many people can play a game? There are singles matches with 2 opposing players or doubles with a total of 4 players, 2 on each side.

5.     How do I learn to play?  Become familiar with the rules, take lessons, enroll in a clinic, or find a group of players willing to introduce you to the game in a casual fun way. Look for opportunities to strengthen your skills.

6.     How long does it take to learn? It is a relatively easy sport to learn.

7.     What skills do I need to play? Hand eye coordination, agility, and balance

8.     How do I find people to play with?  Need to know how we will manage a true single looking for a partner to fully answer this question.

9.     Be familiar with Pickleball etiquette.

Pickleball is a fast-growing sport with its own set of terminology. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player, here are the top 20 basic pickleball terms you should know:

1.     Pickleball: The name of the sport, a combination of pickle boat (the dog’s name) and the sport’s originators’ names, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum.

2.     Paddle: The racket used to hit the pickleball. Paddles can vary in size, weight, and material.

3.     Pickleball Court: The playing surface, which is smaller than a tennis court, with specific boundary lines.

4.     Baseline: The back boundary of the court, where players stand to serve.

5.     Sideline: The side boundary lines of the court.

6.     Non-Volley Zone (NVZ): Also known as the “kitchen,” this is the area near the net where players are not allowed to volley (hit the ball in the air).

7.     Volley: Hitting the ball in the air, without it bouncing on the ground first.

8.     Dink: A soft, controlled shot that is intended to clear the net and land in the opponent’s non-volley zone.

9.     Drive: A fast, low shot that is hit with more power and speed.

10.  Third Shot Drop: A soft, controlled shot played from the baseline, often used as the third shot in a rally to approach the net.

11.  Fault: An illegal serve that results in a point for the receiving team.

12.  Let: A serve that touches the net but still lands in the correct service court. It is replayed without penalty.

13.  Side-Out: When the serving team loses the serve, and the opposing team gains the serve.

14.  Rally: A sequence of shots and volleys between teams until a point is scored.

15.  Double Bounce Rule: The rule that states that both teams must allow the ball to bounce once on each side before volleys are allowed.

16.  Baseline Drive: A hard, low shot played from the baseline.

17.  Out: When a ball lands outside the court boundaries, resulting in a point for the opponent.

18.  In: When a ball lands within the court boundaries, resulting in a point for the player who hit it.

19.  Topspin: A shot with forward rotation that makes the ball dip and land faster.

20.  Side Spin: A shot with lateral rotation that can cause the ball to curve to one side.

For a complete list of terms, Visit USA Pickleball

1.     Don’t walk behind a game in progress. Wait for the stoppage of play.

2.     Be courteous when returning a loose ball from an adjacent court. Make sure to have the attention of their players before sending them their ball.

3.     Keep celebrations sportsmanlike – no excessive or over the top celebrations.

4.     When asked to play with a group be mindful of their skill and interest level and adjust the level of play accordingly.

5.     When in doubt about the correct call for an “out” rules say final decision goes to the opponent.

6.     Be prompt with your court times. If reserved, begin and end at the reserved time. If open play, be courteous to those who are waiting to play.

7.     Be familiar with the official rules of Pickleball (link to USA pickleball rules)

8.     Finish your matches by walking to net, tap paddles and say, “Good Game.”

9.     Respect your opponents, venue and adjacent pickleball game players.

10.  Notify staff of any court, net, pickleball area of any issues immediately

As defined by USA Pickleball, here are the levels and brief descriptions. For more details on each level … For more details on what skills and game knowledge from USA Pickleball Read more.

The Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) is a system for rating pickleball players’ skill level. DUPR calls it “The most accurate and only global rating system in Pickleball.

DUPR Calculation: Margin of Victory + Type of Result + Outcome.

Level 1.0 – 2.0   Player is just learning, minimal sports background and understanding of the game rules.

Level   2.5   Player has limited experience, skilled enough for a short rally, knows enough to keep score.

Level 3.0 – Player understands fundamentals, learning proper court positioning, can keep score and is now playing tournaments.

Level 3.5 –Player can maintain short rallies, learning proper court positioning, basic knowledge of stacking and situations where it can be effective.

Level 4.0 Player demonstrates a broad knowledge of the rules of the game, has a moderate number of unforced errors per game.

Level 4.5 – Player understands strategy and can adjust style of play and game plan according to the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and court position, limited number of unforced errors.

Level 5.0 – Player can easily and quickly adjust style of play and game plan according to the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and court position, rarely makes unforced errors.

Level 5.5+ Player is a high caliber player, consistently performs at high level.