Unless you live in a cave, you’ve heard about pickleball. The sport's popularity has exploded, with courts springing up and that distinct hollow "thwop" echoing throughout neighborhoods.

A Mix of Sports

Pickleball combines parts of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. Players use paddles that are similar to ping pong paddles, but slightly larger. The ball is plastic, like a ping pong ball, but it’s larger and has holes in it. The game is played on a court that is about 25% the size of a tennis court. Like badminton, pickleball is played in both singles and doubles formats.

For Families

Pickleball was developed by three men in Bainbridge Island, Washington. The men were looking for an activity that was suitable for entire families to join in. They got creative with an old badminton court, some ping pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. As their families and friends had fun with the new sport, the trio developed more formal rules.

Photography: Pinterest/PickleballsPlay

Millions of Players

Today, nearly 14 million people play pickleball in the United States. Professional play is regulated by the United States of America Pickleball Association. The game is also popular in other countries, and now there's an International Federation of Pickleball helping to regulate the game in Canada, France, Great Britain and Spain.

Photography: Pinterest/The Landings

Games and Matches

Each pickleball match consists of 3 games. Games are typically played to 11 points, though some tournament games are played to 15 or 21 points. A team must be ahead by two points to win a game, and win two out of three games to win the match.

Kitchen on the Pickleball Court

On the pickleball court, on each side of the net, there are rectangular areas that are 7 feet wide and 20 feet long. These non-volley zones are known as the “kitchen.” Players can’t hit the ball while standing in the kitchen; this keeps players from smashing the ball right at the net.

Photography: Pinterest/PickleballGuide.net

Scoring

Only the serving team in pickleball can score points. Points are scored when the defensive team commits a fault, such as hitting the ball out of bounds. In good pickleball form, the server announces the score before hitting the ball.