Pickleball is a game for everyone.

Using a paddle and a whiffle ball, a court of 44 feet in length and 20 feet in width, the net 34 inches in the middle and 36 inches on the side, you can learn the game in a matter of minutes and leave feeling great about what you’ve accomplished.

Pickleball has a special way of bringing everyone together in a social setting and creating a fun experience for all levels involved.

Must know rules of pickleball to get started:

The ball has to land inside the boundary (including on the line).
One bounce is the max you can have before hitting your shot.
Serve from behind the baseline must go diagonally cross-court and land beyond the non-volley zone line. Ball must be struck from below the belly-button and hit in a low to high swing path. Serve has to be hit underhand.
Games typically are played up to 11 or 15 and win by two. If people are waiting it is good etiquette to play win by one.
Only the serving team scores points.
Points are most commonly lost in one of three ways: if the ball is hit in the net or out-of-bounds, the ball bounces twice on a side before being hit, or a kitchen violation.
Non-volley zone (NVZ) is the 7-foot area from the net to the NVZ line. This area is often referred to as the 'kitchen' and is where a ball can only be hit after a bounce. You must keep your feet behind this line if hitting a volley (any shot out of the air, without a bounce)
The 'two-bounce rule' means the ball must bounce once per side after the serve.
The partner on the right serves first.
Score consists of three numbers, in this order- 1st) your score, 2nd) your opponent's score, 3rd) representing the server (either 1st or 2nd server). The player on the right is the 1st server, and each round starts fresh.

Athletic wear is ideal to play in. Recommended lightweight, dri-fit material that breathes well and keeps you cool while playing.
Court shoes with a supportive bottom sole are crucial to playing. We've seen many injuries due to running shoes, or other non-court shoes with not much lateral movement support.
Ladies wear any athletic wear- yoga pants, skirts, dresses, or shorts with shirts are all good options.
Men wear athletic shorts and shirts.
Wear a hat or visor in the sun to help have optimum sight.
Protective eyewear is highly recommended. (diNGK protective sunglasses available upon request)

TIP #1

3 things beginners should know when playing:

Be in ready position with wide stance and paddle forward whenever your opponent is hitting their shot
Server stays back to wait for bounce, returner runs in immediately after hitting the return of serve
Steady your wrist to maximize control

The most common injuries are calf or achilles tendon tears and are related to poor movement or misjudging the ball.

We must stretch and warm-up before play (at least 3-5 minutes)
Dynamic warm-up
Jogging forward and back-pedaling
Side-shuffle and carioca
Hamstring stretch
Quad stretch
Calf stretch
Achilles stretch
Arm circles
Trunk rotation right to left

Things you'll want to know to play safely:

Keep good athletic posture with weight on balls of your feet, your feet spread in a wide base, tight core, and shoulders rolled back.
Be sure to not run and hit. Stop, plant your feet, and be balanced while swinging.
When going back for an overhead, turn sideways and sidestep laterally, or with a cross-over step. We have seen many injuries come from players moving backwards to retrieve lobs.
The ball bounces very lightly, so anticipate that and be moving forward when a ball is hit short.

Strategy need to knows:

Serve and stay (S & S)
Return and Run (R & R)

At kitchen line:

Side-step to be sure you stay behind line when volleying
Keep your opponent deep as often as possible by targeting their feet as the landing area of your shots
Let the ball bounce if its low and short, waiting for it to come up to higher point before striking it
Reach across line to volley if the ball is one you can get net high or above
Step inside on short, low bounce to dink it and then get out immediately ( this move is best done with a one-step lounge in and out of kitchen)
You can step inside kitchen before the bounce as long as you strike it after bounce

When back at baseline:

Always prioritize making your opponent hit the shot, no matter what shot you choose to hit
3 options to hit (drive, drop, lob)
Drive the ball hard on a soft, or mid-court return ball that's sitting higher up
Drop or reset on low, deeper balls
Lob if off balance and pushed onto back foot

When in transition zone:

drop and/or reset softly toward your opponents feet ideally
drops with soft feel and steady wrist to get the low near kitchen line
it's smart to aim lower (1-2 feet net clearance) and deeper (making opponent hit volley) on resets
stay low and wide like a baseball player fielding a ground ball
paddle forward to contact ball out in front

There will be more to come on technique and about our team.