Combining elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, pickleball is a sport that is fast gaining popularity in Singapore. Played in singles or doubles, it uses solid-faced paddles and a lightweight perforated plastic ball.
Categorised as a paddle sport, pickleball is played similarly to tennis where players trade shots until either side fails to return the ball. Played on a badminton-sized court, pickleball offers a moderate ball speed, making it easier for beginners, younger players and seniors to pick up.
Where did pickleball come from?
While the etymology of this sport is unclear, with some attributing its name to Pickles, the name of the dog belonging to pickleball founder Joel Pritchard, it is evidently a game born out of creative improvisation. Using an arbitrary array of sports equipment and facilities, the sport can be best described as a mash-up of some of the world’s most popular games. In fact, the first iteration of the sport began at a badminton court with a net height similar to tennis, and was played with paddleball paddles and a wiffle ball.
How to play pickleball
Intrigued? To help you get started, pickleball Coach Su Li guides us through the basics in this video.
What you need
You essentially only need two things to get things going – pickleball paddles and a pickleball.
A typical pickleball court is smaller than a tennis court. That said, the courts at SAFRA have distinct markers that allow the space to be used for both tennis and pickleball.
Let’s play!
- Stand behind the baseline and begin with an underhand serve from the right side of the court, aiming diagonally to your opponent’s service box.
- The ball must bounce once on each side before you can start volleying.
- When volleying, remember to stay out of the non-volley zone, known as the kitchen.
- When the serving team begins to serve, a rally starts. Only the serving team can score points, so if any faults occur during the rally, no points are scored and the serve goes to the opposing team, who will start a new rally.
- Keep playing until one team reaches the point limit (usually 11 points) and wins by at least two points.
- And that’s all there is to pickleball. Have fun!
Enjoy complimentary rental of pickleball equipment (paddles and balls) when you book the new pickleball courts at SAFRA Tampines, SAFRA Jurong and SAFRA Yishun. Visit safra.sg/tennis-pickleball-courts for more information. You can also play pickleball on SAFRA Mount Faber’s multi-purpose court, which you can book here.
Want more articles like this, and other lifestyle content right in your inbox? Download the new SAFRA mobile app and opt in for the eNSman Newsletter – you don’t need to be a SAFRA member to subscribe – and never miss another story!
