What is Pickleball?
Why is this growing paddle sport that combines tennis, badminton and table tennis gaining popularity in Singapore?
Text: Juliana Jauw
Despite the name, the pickleball game is not played with a cucumber. So, what is pickleball? Is there a pickleball centre in Singapore?
Pickleball Sport (Credit: Cameron Venti)
This unique paddleball sport combines three games – tennis, badminton and table tennis. The sport is played in pairs or a group of fours, with paddles made of wood or composite material to hit a perforated polymer ball over a net. Whilst not listed as an Olympic sport or event, The International Federation of Pickleball has 67 national member organisations, including the Singapore Pickleball Association, founded in 1993.
Pickleball Played in Singapore in the 1990s (Credit: Singapore Pickleball Association)
Pickleball: The Game You Never Knew You Wanted To Play
If you're familiar with the sport of tennis, you may find a lot of similarities between the two. However, Pickleball courts are almost half the size of those used for tennis, so the area to run and the amount of energy you use to move about the court are decreased. This makes pickleball ideal for virtually any age group, which means anyone can get in on the fun.
What's important is to focus on your serve – serve the ball with an underarm stroke. The ball's contact point and paddle should be made below the waist level. A player will serve from behind the baseline, diagonally towards the opponent’s service court.
Pickleball Net (Credit: Frankie Lopez)
Once the serve is mastered, most pickleball games revolve around these terms.
Dink – a soft shot made with an open face paddle, so the ball clears the net and falls into the non-volley zone
Lob – hitting the ball in a high arc to the back of the opponent’s court, usually while the opponent is near the net
Volley – to hit the ball before it bounces on the ground
The first team scoring eleven points, leading by at least two points, wins the game.
How to Get Started with Pickleball in Singapore
Pickleball can be played in a badminton court or the local Sepak Takraw (kick volleyball) court. The outdoor venues can be easily found in the housing neighbourhoods of Singapore and are generally free for use; the indoor venues can be booked on the Singapore sports website, ActiveSG.
Pickleball Paddle (Credit: Joan Azeka)
Pickleball equipment includes the pickleball net, paddles, and perforated polymer balls. These can be purchased on several platforms, including PlayPickle.sg, Amazon, Lazada and Shopee.
The fastest way to get up to speed on the game's rules is to engage a Pickleball coach. Several organisations provide coaching services, including the Pickleball Association, Pickleball.sg, and SAFRA Singapore.
With its wild swings in popularity emerging in Asia – especially due to the Covid pandemic – pickleball has a lot going for it as a potential activity and sport of the future. If you want to feel like you are back in high school again, but without the acne or awkwardness, then pickleball is probably worth trying out. Of course, it works best if you have a partner who can keep up with your wild side, but it shouldn't be much of an issue to find someone with similar passions.
