How To Get Started In Pickleball: A Beginner's Guide
If you came across this article, you have probably heard all of the craze about pickleball. Pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong so if you have any racquet/paddle sport experience, you already have a head start… but I also have good news for anyone who doesn’t have any racquet/paddle sport experience… pickleball is super easy to learn and play for anyone!
Here’s what you’ll need to start your pickleball journey:
Pickleball Mentor
Pickleball Paddle
Pickleball Shoes
Learn the Basic Rules of Pickleball
Place to play
1) Finding a Pickleball Mentor
There is a good chance you know someone who is addicted to pickleball and they will be your best resource as you get started. If you have a pickleball mentor, they will also be able to guide you on the other sections of this article. They will definitely know the rules and best places to play in your area and most likely, they will have a few different types of paddles you can test out before buying your own.
The most beneficial part about having a pickleball mentor is having someone to play with and introduce you to the pickleball community. It can be intimidating showing up at the local courts as a newbie with little to no experience and not knowing anyone.
Don’t worry though… if you don’t have a pickleball mentor, the pickleball community is super welcoming and you will probably meet a handful of them after your first day at the courts!
2) Pickleball Paddle
The pickleball paddle is the most important piece of equipment you will need as you can’t play without it. There are three things that are the most important features to consider.
Weight
Grip Size
Paddle Shape
Weight
Lightweight: under 7.3 oz
Mid-weight: 7.3-8.4 oz
Heavy: 8.5 oz or more
The benefits of a lighter paddle are less stress on your shoulder/elbow and increased ball control. The main downside is reduced power.
The main benefit of a heavier paddle is it takes less effort to hit the ball with more power. The downsides are a slower swing and more stress on your shoulder/elbow
Grip Size
Grip size really comes down to personal preference. There aren’t really any pros/cons other than a grip that is much too large for your hand leading to elbow strain. The best way to test out grip size is to play with a few different sizes and see how they each feel. It will be pretty easy to tell if a grip is too small or too big for your hand.
The majority of paddles come with the following size grips: 4”, 4⅛-4¼”, 4½. In my opinion, it is better to start smaller as you can always add overgrip to make the grip bigger.
Paddle Shape
There are four main paddle shapes:
Standard Paddle Shape: 15 3/4″ x 7 7/8″
Wide Body Shape: 16″ x 8″
Thin Body Shape: 16 1/2″ x 7 1/4″
Blade Shape: 17″ x 6 7/8″
Similar to grip size, paddle shape also is based on personal preference. I recommend trying out a few different styles to see what you like best.
Check out our article below to see which pickleball paddle is right for you. 6 of the Best Pickleball Paddles for Beginners.
3) Pickleball Shoes
Many beginners (like myself) overlook the importance of their shoes but I recommend looking into court shoes sooner than later. When I began playing, I had holes in my shoes and pain in my feet until I switched to proper court shoes.
There are a lot of pickleball specific shoes out there but tennis shoes will also do the trick. There are also other types of court shoes for different surfaces such as hardwood. Take into account which surface you will be playing on most before picking out the right shoes.
4) Learn the Basic Rules of Pickleball
Just like any sport, there are many rules. People who have been playing for years don’t even know all of the little detailed rules so don’t worry about knowing them all right away. If you learn these 5 rules, you will be ready to play.
The serve must be underhand, land in the opponent's court diagonal from the server, and can’t land in the not volley zone (“kitchen”)
There Needs to Be One Bounce per Side aka "The Two Bounce Rule"
The returning team must let the ball bounce before hitting the ball and then the serving team must let the ball bounce before hitting the ball. After the “two bounce rule” is complete, either team can hit the ball out of the air or off of a bounce.
Players can not volley (hit the ball out of the air) while standing in or on the no volley zone (“kitchen”) line. When volleying the ball out of the air, players must establish balance outside of the kitchen before entering… a player can not volley the ball and have their momentum take them into the kitchen. A player can enter the kitchen or have their momentum take them into the kitchen when the ball bounces on their side.
Check out this article for a more in depth breakdown of the rules of pickleball: What are the 5 rules of pickleball?
5) Place to Play Pickleball
Last but not least… a place to play. As mentioned earlier, if you have a pickleball mentor, they will know of all the hot spots and hidden gems in your area.
There are also tons of resources online for finding places to play. The first spot I would recommend is facebook. Almost every area has a facebook group that you can join and find out all of the court options, open play times, leagues, etc. Another option, (how I started), is to just show up at the local courts and ask people where the best places to play are for beginners. Some of them may welcome you into their games or offer guidance on when/where are the best places for beginners to hop in.
