Trilogy @ Vistancia Pickleball Club
What's Pickleball, you say ..... Read below and watch the videos
Originating in 1965 the game was created by Joel Pritchard, congressman from Washington State and Bill Bell, successful businessman. They were looking for a game their families could play together. The property had an old badminton court and since the couldn't find any equipment they improvised. Pickleball is very successful in retirement communities but has recently crossed the boundary to all age groups. It is not uncommon to see the 10 year old child playing the 70 year old grandparent and providing a very competitive game for each.
Pickleball is easy to learn, easy to setup, inexpensive to play and provides a vigorous workout. The court is a combination of the badminton and tennis court with a 34" net. Lightweight paddles and a plastic perforated ball (a wiffle ball) are all the equipment you need.
You can view a Beginner Clinic Video here: Click here for the video.
Playing Tips:
http://www.azpickleball.info/index.php?page=playingtips
Additional Playing Tips:
AzPickleballFun by Bob Halpin - Instruction, Strategy, and Drills
Official Pickleball Handbook - by Mark Friedenberg
Pickleball Strategy Guide - by Steven Bloom
Tips on Pickleballstuff.com
Tips by Gale Leach
USAPA Training Site Playing tips and videos.
Official Pickleball Handbook - by Mark Friedenberg
Pickleball Strategy Guide - by Steven Bloom
Tips on Pickleballstuff.com
Tips by Gale Leach
USAPA Training Site Playing tips and videos.
Rules of Pickleball
1) Court: The net is hung 36" on ends and should be 34" at the middle. When laying out courts, allow enough room at the ends and sides for player movement.
2) Serve: Player must keep one foot behind the back line when serving. The serve is made underhand. The server must contact the ball in the air; it cannot be hit after a bounce.
The service is made diagonally cross court and should land between the non-volley zone and the baseline. Only one serve attempt is allowed, except if the ball touches the net on the serve and lands in the proper service court. Then the serve may be taken over. At the start of each game, the first serving team is allowed only one fault before giving up the serve to the opponents. Thereafter, both members of each team will serve than default before the ball is turned over to the opposing team (in doubles).
a) A point is scored by the serving team when the receiving team (or player) makes a fault.
b) When the serving team makes its first fault, players will stay on the same courts and turn the ball over to the other team. Players switch courts only after scoring.
Singles Play: All rules apply with one exception; when serving in singles, each player serves from the right hand court when the score is 0 or an even number and from the left hand court when the score is odd numbered.
Determining the Serving Team or Player: Use a coin toss or rally the ball until a fault is made. The winner has the option of serving first or receiving.
3) Volley: All volleying (hitting the ball before it bounces) must be done with player's feet behind the non-volley zone line. It is a fault if the player steps over the line on the volley follow through.
4) Double Bounce Rule: Each team must play their first shot off the bounce. That is, the receiving team must let the serve bounce and the serving team must let the return of serve bounce before playing it.
5) Fault: It is a fault when:
a) Hitting a ball out of bounds. A ball landing on the line is good;
b) The ball does not clear the net;
c) Stepping into the non-volley zone and volleying the ball;
d) Volleying the ball before it has bounced once on each side of the net
6) Scoring: A team may score a point only when serving. A player who is serving shall continue to do so until a fault is made by his/her team. The game is played to 11 points. A team must win by 2 points.
7) Additional Rules
a) The server may not serve until his opponent is ready, but the opponent shall be deemed "ready" if a return of serve is attempted.
b) If a player is playing a ball that has bounced in the non-volley zone and she/he touches the net with the paddle or any part of the body, it will constitute a fault for that player.
c) A service fault occurs when the server swings the paddle with the intent of striking the ball but misses.
d) Only the player served to may receive the service, but if the ball touches or is hit by his/her partner, the serving side scores a point.
1) Court: The net is hung 36" on ends and should be 34" at the middle. When laying out courts, allow enough room at the ends and sides for player movement.
2) Serve: Player must keep one foot behind the back line when serving. The serve is made underhand. The server must contact the ball in the air; it cannot be hit after a bounce.
The service is made diagonally cross court and should land between the non-volley zone and the baseline. Only one serve attempt is allowed, except if the ball touches the net on the serve and lands in the proper service court. Then the serve may be taken over. At the start of each game, the first serving team is allowed only one fault before giving up the serve to the opponents. Thereafter, both members of each team will serve than default before the ball is turned over to the opposing team (in doubles).
a) A point is scored by the serving team when the receiving team (or player) makes a fault.
b) When the serving team makes its first fault, players will stay on the same courts and turn the ball over to the other team. Players switch courts only after scoring.
Singles Play: All rules apply with one exception; when serving in singles, each player serves from the right hand court when the score is 0 or an even number and from the left hand court when the score is odd numbered.
Determining the Serving Team or Player: Use a coin toss or rally the ball until a fault is made. The winner has the option of serving first or receiving.
3) Volley: All volleying (hitting the ball before it bounces) must be done with player's feet behind the non-volley zone line. It is a fault if the player steps over the line on the volley follow through.
4) Double Bounce Rule: Each team must play their first shot off the bounce. That is, the receiving team must let the serve bounce and the serving team must let the return of serve bounce before playing it.
5) Fault: It is a fault when:
a) Hitting a ball out of bounds. A ball landing on the line is good;
b) The ball does not clear the net;
c) Stepping into the non-volley zone and volleying the ball;
d) Volleying the ball before it has bounced once on each side of the net
6) Scoring: A team may score a point only when serving. A player who is serving shall continue to do so until a fault is made by his/her team. The game is played to 11 points. A team must win by 2 points.
7) Additional Rules
a) The server may not serve until his opponent is ready, but the opponent shall be deemed "ready" if a return of serve is attempted.
b) If a player is playing a ball that has bounced in the non-volley zone and she/he touches the net with the paddle or any part of the body, it will constitute a fault for that player.
c) A service fault occurs when the server swings the paddle with the intent of striking the ball but misses.
d) Only the player served to may receive the service, but if the ball touches or is hit by his/her partner, the serving side scores a point.
ALL ABOUT PICKLEBALL/PICKLEBALL HISTORY
Pickleball was invented during the summer of 1965 by three men who lived on a small island very close to Seattle, Washington. Joel Pritchard, William Bell and Barney McCallum were looking for a sport the whole family could play when they created Pickleball.
This game was named after Joel Pritchard's dog named Pickles. Pickles (the dog) became interested in the new game and would pick up any loose ball and disappear with it. Hence, the name "Pickle Ball." In the beginning the game was played on any hard surface such as backyard patios, driveways and on dead end streets. Since the mid 1970's formal rules have been developed. In 1972 a corporation was formed to protect the new game (Pickle-Ball, Inc.). The three-creators also formed the United States Pickle-Ball Association (U.S.A.P.A.) to govern and promote the sport. The game is now played in schools, recreational facilities and health clubs. Pickleball is still being played at family homes.
Pickleball is a net court game that is played by either two or four people. Doubles play with four people will be the most practical arrangement due to the number of students in physical education classes. The doubles badminton court on the gymnasium floor or on any hard, smooth outside surface can be converted to a pickleball court.
Simply attach a pickleball or badminton net to standards at a height of 3 feet. Light weight wooden paddles and the plastic "whiffle-like" ball help to produce exciting long rallies which consist of ground strokes and volleys at the net similar to tennis.
ETIQUETTE AND COURT MANNERS
1. If there is disagreement whether the ball was clearly in or out, play the point over.
2. Never walk behind a court (or enter one) while a rally is in progress.
3. When a point is over, return the ball to your opponent, not merely in his/her general direction.
4. If the opponent claims there was a major distraction while hitting a shot (such as a ball bouncing onto the court), don't hesitate to replay the point.
5. Verbal outbursts are -distracting to your opponent and to players on other courts.
6. Throwing equipment in anger is unsportsmanlike and dangerous. Control your temper on the court at all times.
7. Give your opponent time to get into position to return the ball before you serve.
Trilogy@Vistancia Pickleball Club
Positioning and Scoring in a Game
Now that the rules of the game, the serve, and the basic strokes have been covered, it is time to get players involved in a game. It is important that players get on the court quickly. Playing a game can be introduced earlier but make sure you cover critical things on rules first. It is much easier to teach the right way first rather than try to correct bad habits later. Having the players working together in a comfortable learning situation is critical at this point. Select teams of four players trying to get a stronger player on both teams if possible.
Practice the Serve
Have players start by serving three times to each court at the directionally opposite side. It is important to have players serve to different courts so they are familiar with how they are serving. Encourage them to try serving deep to the opponents backhand if they feel confident. However, it is more important to get the serve in than trying to serve an ace. You cannot score a point if you do not get the serve in.
Practice Ground Strokes
Next have the players rally the ball back and forth across the net on the bounce from the baseline trying to hit to the opponents forehand and backhand. Have players count out how many times they are able to get the ball back and forth over the net without a fault. Make a game of this acknowledging the winning court. If one or two players are having difficulty, partners should observe and demonstrate what they think their partner can correct. The most frequent error will be hitting the ball into the net or “skying it” in the air. The player needs to focus on hitting the ball with the paddle face straight up and down.
Practice Volleying
Now have the players move to the just outside the non-volley zone. I suggest having them step back about 6 inches from the NV line to start. Again have them hit back and forth across the net, this time without the bounce. Encourage shots to the forehand and backhand. No smashes at this point. Smashing a shot can be very intimidating to some players and force them to stay back so they don’t get hit. You want to encourage them to stay at the net so instruct players to keep shots slow and easy at this stage. Again, have the players count out each time the ball crosses the net. Remind players to keep the paddle up in front of them in the ready position in the centre of the body above the waste.
Playing a Game
Have players rally to decide on the serving team. The ball must cross the net three times and then it is in play. The team that wins the rally serves first.
Line up one court as shown in the diagram below. The serving team is on the left and the receiving team on the right. Because of the two bounce rule the serving team should have both players at the base line waiting for the ball to make the second bounce on their side.
The receiving team can move one player up since the ball will hit on their side in the right service court and once it is returned they can both move to the net and play it in the air. Have all other courts line up following the example of the court you have positioned. Tell the server that they cannot serve the ball until they check to make sure everyone is in proper position even their opponents. The server under normal circumstances would check to make sure their partner is ready and positioned correctly so this is good training. If a server does not do this, the other players should put up their arm or paddle to indicate players are not ready. If the server does not wait, call play and play a “let” for a distraction.
It is critical that the teacher explain the reasons for the above positioning so players will remember. The serving team must keep both players back because of the two bounce rule. If one player moves up, they are likely to hit the ball in the air and violate the two bounce rule, believe me; I still do it on occasions. The ball must bounce on your side before you can move up.
The receiving team can move one player up because the ball has to go to the player standing at the back service line or it will be a service fault. The idea is for the player receiving the serve to return the serve slightly elevated, deep, and as slow as possible. The shot can go to either court on the other side. Why? So that player can move up to the non-volley line before or after the ball hits on the other side. Remember, you want to keep the other team back as far as possible and on the defensive. Now both players on the receiving team should be at the non-volley zone ready to attack the next shot by the team at the back on the defensive. Al and Judy, shown on the right, are positioned perfectly and Al has just completed a volley and Judy is set for the return shot.
The two Jims on the other side are totally out of position. Tall Jim is at the NV line for a volley his partner is at the base line. As you may be able to see the return was to the person deep. Tall Jim is never going to see the ball unless his partner is able to lob the ball high and move up. The offensive team is going to hit the hall continually to the player at the back line until they can put it away. Notice how much court is open on the opposite of the net. In summary, the player receiving the serve should remind themselves, "return it deep and move up".
Keeping Score
Keeping score seems to be very confusing for some players. This is especially true of players who are taking up a racquet sport for the first time. Remind players they can only score a point if they are serving. The right hand court always starts to serve first when their side gets to serve. The serving team switches sides when they get a point. Remind everyone the server and only the server should call out the serve before they start. However, in the early stages of playing a game, tell the players that it is more important that they help each other learn the scoring system and what court they should be in.
Before starting the game have each side of the court review their positions before they start the game. One way to do this would be to have each player introduce themselves by saying “Hi, I’m Bob and I’m in the right court.” “Hi I’m Sue and I’m in the left court”. Have them repeat the other person’s name and their court position. Tell each court that the reason you have asked them to do this is so they have practiced good pickleball etiquette by introducing themselves to their partner and that when the person who started in the right court is back in that court the score has to be even. When they are in the left, court the score is odd. This helps more mature players remember the score.
Instruct players the sequence of scoring is their score first, opponents’ score next and the server number last. When starting a game, the team starting gets only one serve. The score to start is 0, 0, 2. Explain that the server is number 2 because of the one serve rule. Ask players to help each other with the scoring. If one partner is having trouble remembering, ask the other partner to state the score and have them explain how they figured it out. This is where it is really helpful to have players teaching each other.
Depending on the number of players waiting and the ability of players, the instructor may wish to have players play games to 7 and then rotate reminding them a real game goes to 11. If there are an odd number of players but free courts, have players simply rally back and forth hitting various strokes. Keep players constantly rotating in and out of games so no one is sitting for long periods of time. Although you want players to follow the rules and the correct positioning, you may want to worry about getting them playing and keeping score correctly first and really work on positioning in the next session. Beginning players find it difficult to remember to move to the net
Now that the rules of the game, the serve, and the basic strokes have been covered, it is time to get players involved in a game. It is important that players get on the court quickly. Playing a game can be introduced earlier but make sure you cover critical things on rules first. It is much easier to teach the right way first rather than try to correct bad habits later. Having the players working together in a comfortable learning situation is critical at this point. Select teams of four players trying to get a stronger player on both teams if possible.
Practice the Serve
Have players start by serving three times to each court at the directionally opposite side. It is important to have players serve to different courts so they are familiar with how they are serving. Encourage them to try serving deep to the opponents backhand if they feel confident. However, it is more important to get the serve in than trying to serve an ace. You cannot score a point if you do not get the serve in.
Practice Ground Strokes
Next have the players rally the ball back and forth across the net on the bounce from the baseline trying to hit to the opponents forehand and backhand. Have players count out how many times they are able to get the ball back and forth over the net without a fault. Make a game of this acknowledging the winning court. If one or two players are having difficulty, partners should observe and demonstrate what they think their partner can correct. The most frequent error will be hitting the ball into the net or “skying it” in the air. The player needs to focus on hitting the ball with the paddle face straight up and down.
Practice Volleying
Now have the players move to the just outside the non-volley zone. I suggest having them step back about 6 inches from the NV line to start. Again have them hit back and forth across the net, this time without the bounce. Encourage shots to the forehand and backhand. No smashes at this point. Smashing a shot can be very intimidating to some players and force them to stay back so they don’t get hit. You want to encourage them to stay at the net so instruct players to keep shots slow and easy at this stage. Again, have the players count out each time the ball crosses the net. Remind players to keep the paddle up in front of them in the ready position in the centre of the body above the waste.
Playing a Game
Have players rally to decide on the serving team. The ball must cross the net three times and then it is in play. The team that wins the rally serves first.
Line up one court as shown in the diagram below. The serving team is on the left and the receiving team on the right. Because of the two bounce rule the serving team should have both players at the base line waiting for the ball to make the second bounce on their side.
The receiving team can move one player up since the ball will hit on their side in the right service court and once it is returned they can both move to the net and play it in the air. Have all other courts line up following the example of the court you have positioned. Tell the server that they cannot serve the ball until they check to make sure everyone is in proper position even their opponents. The server under normal circumstances would check to make sure their partner is ready and positioned correctly so this is good training. If a server does not do this, the other players should put up their arm or paddle to indicate players are not ready. If the server does not wait, call play and play a “let” for a distraction.
It is critical that the teacher explain the reasons for the above positioning so players will remember. The serving team must keep both players back because of the two bounce rule. If one player moves up, they are likely to hit the ball in the air and violate the two bounce rule, believe me; I still do it on occasions. The ball must bounce on your side before you can move up.
The receiving team can move one player up because the ball has to go to the player standing at the back service line or it will be a service fault. The idea is for the player receiving the serve to return the serve slightly elevated, deep, and as slow as possible. The shot can go to either court on the other side. Why? So that player can move up to the non-volley line before or after the ball hits on the other side. Remember, you want to keep the other team back as far as possible and on the defensive. Now both players on the receiving team should be at the non-volley zone ready to attack the next shot by the team at the back on the defensive. Al and Judy, shown on the right, are positioned perfectly and Al has just completed a volley and Judy is set for the return shot.
The two Jims on the other side are totally out of position. Tall Jim is at the NV line for a volley his partner is at the base line. As you may be able to see the return was to the person deep. Tall Jim is never going to see the ball unless his partner is able to lob the ball high and move up. The offensive team is going to hit the hall continually to the player at the back line until they can put it away. Notice how much court is open on the opposite of the net. In summary, the player receiving the serve should remind themselves, "return it deep and move up".
Keeping Score
Keeping score seems to be very confusing for some players. This is especially true of players who are taking up a racquet sport for the first time. Remind players they can only score a point if they are serving. The right hand court always starts to serve first when their side gets to serve. The serving team switches sides when they get a point. Remind everyone the server and only the server should call out the serve before they start. However, in the early stages of playing a game, tell the players that it is more important that they help each other learn the scoring system and what court they should be in.
Before starting the game have each side of the court review their positions before they start the game. One way to do this would be to have each player introduce themselves by saying “Hi, I’m Bob and I’m in the right court.” “Hi I’m Sue and I’m in the left court”. Have them repeat the other person’s name and their court position. Tell each court that the reason you have asked them to do this is so they have practiced good pickleball etiquette by introducing themselves to their partner and that when the person who started in the right court is back in that court the score has to be even. When they are in the left, court the score is odd. This helps more mature players remember the score.
Instruct players the sequence of scoring is their score first, opponents’ score next and the server number last. When starting a game, the team starting gets only one serve. The score to start is 0, 0, 2. Explain that the server is number 2 because of the one serve rule. Ask players to help each other with the scoring. If one partner is having trouble remembering, ask the other partner to state the score and have them explain how they figured it out. This is where it is really helpful to have players teaching each other.
Depending on the number of players waiting and the ability of players, the instructor may wish to have players play games to 7 and then rotate reminding them a real game goes to 11. If there are an odd number of players but free courts, have players simply rally back and forth hitting various strokes. Keep players constantly rotating in and out of games so no one is sitting for long periods of time. Although you want players to follow the rules and the correct positioning, you may want to worry about getting them playing and keeping score correctly first and really work on positioning in the next session. Beginning players find it difficult to remember to move to the net