In just the past few years, pickleball has increased substantially in popularity as the fastest-growing sport in America for the third year in a row. But you don’t need any statistics to tell you that: Almost everybody across the country seems to be talking about it. So what’s the hype about and why is this the solution to keeping America healthy?
Pickleball is widely considered a cross between tennis, ping pong, and badminton. Invented in 1965, it originated as a makeshift badminton game with a badminton net, ping-pong paddles, and a perforated plastic ball. Following a few test matches to experiment with rules and some creativity, inventors Congressman Joel Pritchard and businessman Bill Bell, eventually landed on the pickleball we know today, dubbing it “America’s newest racquet sport.”
Today, this sport is played by families across America. In fact, it is the inclusivity of pickleball that makes it so popular. While the game can be played at a high intensity, as other racquet sports throughout the world, the smaller court and slower pace of it makes it more manageable for anyone to pick up and appealing as the perfect, relaxing, yet active, sport for all Americans, regardless of athletic ability. It doesn’t matter if you’re a retiree or an adolescent, you will work up a sweat.
Even more, pickleball is a relatively easy sport to pick up. In other racquet sports like tennis, it may be frustrating to figure out the handle, the stance, and everything else that goes into the overall technique of how to hit a fast-moving and bouncy ball. However, in pickleball, the shorter racquet, the slower-paced balls, and the lack of reliance on hand-eye coordination makes the game extremely accessible. Grace Walsh, who tried just one session of pickleball, reported that one of the key takeaways was that it was “[v]ery easy, as it turns out” to pick up the rules. No matter your athletic background, it does not take long to get the basics down.
Additionally, pickleball is rather inexpensive, with a beginner racquet starting at $5 dollars. The next step is finding a surface to play on, but that isn’t too difficult either. Unlike other sports, pickleball can be played anywhere. In fact, some crafty and passionate players have even decided to use their driveway as a pickleball court by simply spray painting court markings and placing a net in the middle. But with more and more public pickleball courts being built across the United States, it has become an ever-more convenient game.
As effortless as the sport is, players have found it to be incredibly relaxing and rewarding. Since the intensity of a match is dictated by its players, it is up to you whether you want to trash talk your opponent or simply have a relaxing chat with them. While hitting a ball back and forth between two people repeatedly can seem monotonous, the options are where the fun lies – you can smack the ball down or you can savagely dink it, throwing your opponent for a loop or accidentally embarrassing yourself in the process. And similarly to tennis it can also be played as a doubles game, making it undeniably one of the more social games there is. Regardless of the level at which you play the game, its lesson has been present from the very beginning – it’s one about getting together with friends and playing a simple, easy, and fun sport.
With America having a consistently poor track record relating to physical activity, having an easy, convenient, and affordable game is becoming more and more valuable. Luckily, pickleball offers both a healthy and fun game for players of all ages to get “hooked on.” One game of pickleball can burn up to 600 calories per hour, making it an excellent means of exercise for overall health. So, if you’re looking to get fit while having fun, pickleball might just be the game-changer you need.
