Pictured above: Jeff Napier (500Ways editor) playing pickleball. Your editor has created another website entirely dedicated to pickleball: OddPickleball.com

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

One of the founders of pickleball was Joel Pritchard, a US congressman at the time. He wanted to play badminton with some neighbors, but they couldn’t find a shuttlecock, so he cut some paddles on his bandsaw, lowered the net, and they used a wiffle ball.

The original pickleball court in still exists, and is revered as a sort of shrine.

The first serve of a game on many American courts is performed by the person in the northwest corner. That’s because it’s closest to Bainbridge Island.

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States.

Pickleball has been played in wheelchairs, on roller skates and on ice.

Around 2018, a CBS News report stated that there were currently 2 million pickleball players in America, and that number was expected to grow to over 8 million within two years.

According to some accounts, the game is named after the inventor’s dog, Pickles. According to others, the dog Pickles, came later, and was named after the sport. In rowing, there is a boat called the ‘pickleboat’ which has the least powerful rowers on the team. Some say the game was named after the pickleboat.

One of the primary moves in pickleball is called ‘dinking.’ This is a carefully controlled low-energy shot that barely clears the net. This is designed to give the opponents no advantage. Unless a mistake is made, the best response to a dink is another dink. Sometimes, dinking rallies can last for many cycles until finally someone hits the net, hits the ball out of bounds, or high enough that an opponent can smash it back.

Pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong.

There are two styles of serving in pickleball. One can drop the ball on the ground and hit it after it bounces. This kind of serve can be done in a variety of ways, such as topspin, backspin, long or short, high or low. The other serve is to drop the ball from one hand, and hit it before it falls to the ground. This must be done with an underhand stroke. With this serve, the ball must be hit below the wrist and below the waist. The bounce serve was illegal until 2021.

The court for pickleball is about one-third the size of a tennis court with nearly the same dimensions as a badminton court. Many former, older tennis players appreciate the smaller size because they have difficulty running around a full-size tennis court.

Shoes specially designed for pickleball can be purchased starting from $60.

The net for pickleball is two inches lower than a tennis net.

Although people of all ages play, pickleball is especially popular among seniors and retirees.

Pickleball has been played in all 50 states in the US and in many countries around the world.

The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) was founded in 2005.

The USAPA currently has over 40,000 members.

There are over 5,000 pickleball courts in the United States.

Pickleball is played with a variety of different paddles, including wooden, composite, and graphite paddles.

It is not legal to modify a pickleball paddle to change the surface friction.

One cannot legally use a homemade paddle.

If one puts ink or paint on a paddle to identify ownership, it must not be on the playing surface.

The weight of a pickleball paddle can range from 6 to 14 ounces (170 to 396 grams).

Pickleball balls are made of a durable plastic material and have 26-40 circular holes.

One can purchase two-tone pickleballs so the spin can be more easily seen.

Indoor pickleballs have larger holes than outdoor pickleballs.

Whereas in tennis one of the most common causes of injury is after a game when the winner tries to jump over the net to congratulate the loser, the most common serious injury in pickleball is from running backward. If an opponent lobs the ball high toward the back of the court, the recipient should turn around facing the back of the court, run past the place where the lob will land, turn back toward the front, then return the ball. That’s actually faster than running backward. In order to regain control, a good response to a lob is to lob it back. Humans are not designed to run backward. They are likely to fall. They may have difficulty throwing their arms backward to cushion the fall, and so may hit their head hard on the ground.

Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles.

The scoring system for pickleball is similar to that of ping pong.

Pickleball has its own set of unique rules, including the non-volley zone, which prohibits players from hitting the ball while standing inside the area near the net unless the ball has bounced first. Furthermore, one cannot step into the non-volley zone after hitting the ball in the air until after the rally is over.

The non-volley zone, ending seven feet (2.13 meters) from the net is often called the ‘kitchen.’

A move called the ‘Erne shot’ can be performed while standing outside the court next to the net.

Ellen DeGeneres says she’s ‘addicted’ to pickleball.

The first official pickleball tournament was held in 1976.

Pickleball has been added to the program of the National Senior Games and the USA Pickleball National Championships.

Pickleball is played in the Special Olympics.

In 2019, the first professional pickleball league, the Premier Pickleball League (PPL), was launched.

Pickleball is not an Olympic sport (yet!).

Pickleball can be a great form of exercise, with players burning up to 600 calories per hour.

Pickleball has been shown to improve hand-eye coordination, balance, and agility.

There is a growing trend of combining pickleball with travel, with many resorts and hotels offering pickleball programs and facilities.

At one RV resort in Florida, pickleball is played in the nude. If you were there, would you play?

Pickleball has inspired its own fashion trend, with many players sporting pickleball-themed clothing and accessories.

Although seemingly simple in construction, pickleball paddles can sell for upward of $250.00.

Pickleball has a strong sense of community, with players often forming close friendships and socializing off the court.