Pickleball in Maplewood, NJ

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. It combines elements of badminton, tennis and ping pong and is played with solid paddles and a perforated ball similar to a wiffle ball on a short solid court with a low net. 

With a shorter court and lightweight paddles, pickleball is a game that can be enjoyed by all ages and can be played as singles or doubles. Doubles is the more common form of play. 

Pickleball is a game played to 11 points and players can only score points when they, or their team, has the serve. Matches must be won by two points - meaning if one team as 11 points and another has 10, play continues until the higher-scoring team is 2 points ahead. 

Much like tennis or other racket sports, there are rules about serving and receiving a serve, places on the court that are out of play, etc.

• The first serve of each side-out is made from the right/even court.
• The server is expected to announce the score before each serve.
• After the ball is served to the opponent, it must bounce once on their side and then bounce once on the server’s side before the ball can be taken out of the air. This is known as the 2 or double bounce rule. Then the rally can begin, and the ball can be hit without a bounce.
• There is a 7 ft. area on each side of the net called the non-volley zone or kitchen.
• No volleying may happen in this zone. Volleying is prohibited within the non-volley zone (kitchen). This rule prevents players from executing smashes from a position within the zone, It is a fault if, when volleying a ball, the player steps on the non-volley zone (kitchen), including the line and/or when the player’s momentum causes them to touch the non-volley zone (kitchen) including the associated lines. It is a fault if, after volleying, a player is carried by momentum into or touches the non-volley zone (kitchen), even if the volleyed ball is declared dead before this happens. A player may legally be in the non-volley zone (kitchen) at any time other than when volleying a ball. Serving Faults are as follows: ball bounces on the same side two times, out of bounds, ball lands outside the marked service boundary, or the ball does not clear the net.
• Players will call the lines only on their side of the net. If partners disagree on a line call, they will give the point/or advantage to the opponents. Do not argue line calls or try to influence calls by your opponents unless asked by them.
• Do not chase your ball on an adjacent court while they are playing a point. Ask them to return your ball after the point is complete, or retrieve it yourself between their points.
• If a ball strays onto your court, call “ball” to stop your point (to avoid injury). Retrieve the stray ball and return it to a player on the court from which it came. Replay the interrupted point.

Visit USAPA and read a comprehensive list of rules.

BEGINNERS/NOVICE

• No testing required

INTERMEDIATE

• A. Drop shot from transition area (Middle of the court)
• Hitting Forehand from TRANSITION AREA, be able to drop 7 of 10 tries in the kitchen area of the court
• Backhand 7/10

ADVANCED

• A. Drop shot from baseline (Baseline of the court)
• Hitting Forehand from BASELINE, be able to drop 7 of 10 tries in the kitchen area of the court
• Backhand 7/10

Videos can help you learn and give you hints to practice. Check out these and look for others online! Drop Shot.