Pickleball, new racket sport: differences with tennis and padel

Easy to learn, suitable for all ages and practicable in both singles and doubles, it is a mix of table tennis, tennis and badminton.

One of the first to propose it is Aspria Harbour Cluba historic oasis of sport and wellness in the greenery of the San Siro area in Milan, always at the forefront in terms of activities and treatments. We tried it together with the instructors of the Milanese club which has ad hoc camps.

Pickleball, what it is and where it originates

«It is a sport that focuses on fun and is suitable for everyone: if played in pairs, the motor activity is of low intensity, because the game is mostly based on strategy, and is therefore perfect even for seniors. If played in singles, however, it requires more physical characteristics and is therefore also suitable for those who prefer more intense activities”. He explains it like this Massimo Lacarbonara, Deputy General Manager e Sport Manager dell’Aspria Harbour Club.

But why is it called that? Pickle means “pickle”the name of the dog of Joel Pritchard, former member of the US Congress and inventor of the game on a hot summer afternoon in 1965. With him was his friend Bill Bell, with whom a new way of dribbling was born as a joke an old badminton court, with ping pong rackets and a four-legged ball. It slowly spreads in the United States, but becomes very popular especially after Covid.

Pickleball: main differences with tennis and padel

But why do you like it so much? «Americans say it’s a sport easy to learn, hard to masterbecause it is simple to learn and does not have the difficulties of tennis” says Marco Verzura, Por Tres Academy pickleball instructor at Aspria Harbor Club in Milan. «It has similarities with table tennis» he continues «especially for shots at the net, while it has the preparation for volley as in padel and tennis. Even thenetwork setting is differentas it is more frontal and crouched. Compared to the padel, the lob (lob) is a little used and not very effective shot. It is only used as a last resort in case the ball touches the tape and therefore the opponent is ready to hit or smash me outside the prohibited area of ​​the court. Doubles, compared to singles, is played a lot in the kitchen, the no volley area, and you try to move the opponents in such a way as to create an opening for a passer or volley exchanges, typical of table tennis.”

Pickleball, court characteristics and game rules

Pickleball is easier to play than to explain flat rackets and very light perforated plastic balls. The rather small pitch, made of concrete or synthetic, measures 6.10 m by 13.41 m. It has a central net 91.4 cm high and 106.7 cm high on the sides and has a “non-volley” zone of 2.13 m near the netmarked with a darker color, where the ball cannot bounce during the serve, called kitchen.

You start by hitting from behind the baseline diagonally, being careful not to hit the “kitchen”. The service is fought from belowat waist height, with hammer arm and flat racket. The ball must bounce once on the half located on the opposite diagonal (as mentioned) before being hit by the opponent. It can only be hit on the fly when it has already bounced once on each side of the court (in the kitchenvolleys are not allowed).

This characteristic slows down the pace (in fact, some call it tennis in slow motion) allowing more dribbles and therefore adapting to a level of play suitable even for beginners. If the opposing team or player fails to respond they lose the point. Only those who hit the serveIndeed, can scorekeeping the beat. When you make a mistake, knocking the ball out or touching the net, the serve passes to the other player, or team. Each game features 11, 15 or 21 points.

The physical and mental benefits of pickleball

This sport it involves the whole body: starting from the legs and arms during the exchange of blows and movements, up to core which maintains balance and position. By being dynamic helps maintain cardiovascular health, as well as coordinationwithout putting too much stress on the joints. Counting strategy, pickleball also requires attention, concentration and mental alertness. All seasoned with a fun dose of sociality that allows you to play arm in arm with different ages and generations. Ready to fall in love with pickleball?