The Greatest And Most Social Sport In The World: Pickleball

What is Pickleball?

Pickleball is a fun sport that incorporates various elements from other racquet sports like tennis, badminton and ping-ping (aka table tennis). Pickleball is played both indoors and outdoors on a badminton-sized court and a slightly adapted tennis net. Just like ping-pong, pickleball is played with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes; the balls are bigger than ping-pong balls. Ping-pong balls do not have holes but are made from plastic. Pickleball can accommodate one or more players, just like in other sports like soccer, basketball and bowling.

A Brief History of Pickleball

Pickleball has been around since 1965, and was invented on Bainbridge Island, which is just a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. Three fathers named Joel Pritchard (who was known for the birth of pickleball after his fate in 1997), Bill Bell and Barney McCallum noticed that their children were bored with there typical summer activities, so they created the game as a means to keep their children occupied and physically active. The property had an old badminton court so both Pritchard and Bell conducted a search for some badminton equipment and could not find a full set of rackets. They became creative and began playing with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. The first permanent badminton court was built and installed in the backyard of Joel Pritchard’s friend and neighbour, Bob O’Brien.

From 1972-1975, some work had to be done to start up the newly invented sport. A corporation was developed to protect the invention of pickleball. The National Observer published an article about pickleball followed by a 1976 article in Tennis magazine that discussed “America’s newest racquet sport”.

In the spring of 1976, the first known pickleball tournament in the world was held at South Center Athletic Club which was located in Tukwila, Washington. David Lester won Men’s Singles and Steve Paranto placed second. The majority of the participants were college tennis players who were not very familiar with pickleball. As a matter of fact, they practiced with big wood paddles and a softball sized whiffle ball.

Since the 1980’s, Pickleball slowly gained popularity among Americans. The United States Amateur Pickleball Association (U.S.A.P.A) was established to preserve the formation and advancement of pickleball on a national level. The first pickleball rulebook was published in March 1984. The first composite paddle was produced by Arlen Paranto, a Boeing Industrial Engineer. He utilized the fiberglass/nomex honeycomb panels that commercial airlines utilize for their floors and part of the airplanes structural system. Arlen created approximately 1,000 paddles from fiberglass/honeycomb core and graphite/honeycomb core materials until he sold the company to Frank Candelario.

Since the year of 1990, pickleball has been loved, enjoyed and played in all 50 states. In 1992, Pickle-Ball, Inc. manufactured pickleballs in-house with a custom drilling machine. In 1999, the first internet website, Pickleball Stuff was inaugurated and provided players with necessary information, equipment and products. Since the 2000’s, pickleball has continued to be a thing among people around the world, including citizens of North America.

The Health Advantages of Playing Pickleball

According to the U.S.A Pickleball Association, there are currently 3.1 million players across the nation. That is equivalent to a 12 percent increase from the previous year. As more people begin to pursue pickleball as a competitive or leisure sport, these 3.1 million players have also been able to improve their overall health and social lives with every game.

With respect to the mental health and social advantages of playing pickleball, it is a natural mood stabilizer that can easily ween off depression. As participants get moving with this form of moderate physical activity, it can also improve blood pressure levels as well. Physical activity can help release the feel-good endorphins and distract ourselves. Participating in a group sport can promote socialization with other humans beings, which is another essential component to healthy living. Other health benefits such as improving self-confidence and body-image are also associated with the participation in sports like pickleball. Players are constantly interacting with each other during the game, so it will also give them the chance to network and mingle with others, which can lead to healthy friendships. Whether you play a single or doubles game of pickleball, learning how to play can put you on the court with other likeminded and passionate individuals.

Since pickleball is a physical sport, it also contains a number of physical health benefits. While there’s no heavy-duty running, playing pickleball does provide some basic aerobic exercise. As an awesome alternative to more challenging physical activities, pickleball is perfect for older age groups that still want to consolidate physical activity into their daily routines. Players have the opportunity to move around and get on their feet, so they can also burn calories. Players can also work on their balance, agility and reduce their chances of getting specific diseases that could jeopardize their health. Regular activity, like the level of aerobic movement pickleball requires can improve our balance, even as we age. Pickleball moves much slower than other sports like tennis, so it is a lot gentler on older bodies. Players have the opportunity to tone their muscles, as well as to improve their stamina, footwork, control and agility as well. According to NPR (National Public Radio), pickleball is also an amazing sport for participants who have or are currently living with previous injuries or disabling conditions. In lieu of risking your health, you can burn 40 percent more calories than walking without causing yourself more physical anguish.

Bottom Line

Pickleball is a phenomenal sport that can accommodate players of all ages, genders, skill levels and abilities, because it is a gentler sport than hardcore sports like gymnastics, weightlifting, bodybuilding and boxing. It is a fusion of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, and can be played both indoors and outdoors that are public and private. Just like most sports, the game can accommodate one or more players.

Since 1965, pickleball has been played by people across the globe, especially in North American countries and the States.

Pickleball is beneficial for the mental, physical and social wellbeing of humans, and is a perfect form of moderate level physical activity.