If you’re looking to start playing pickleball or just want to find out more information about this rapidly growing sport – here’s a handy guide with everything you need to know on how to play pickleball.

Join our Pickleball Community and meet other like minded people looking to get active and back into sport - meet the group below.

What is pickleball?

Fast becoming one of the most popular racket sports in the world, pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. Players can play as both singles and doubles, using paddles to hit a plastic ball between them.

Who can play pickleball?

Pickleball is a sport for all ages, backgrounds and abilities. It’s easy to pick up for beginners and is a great way to exercise, keep active with friends and meet new people.

Best of all, it’s a low-impact sport, that’s easy on the joints and it can help you build your fitness while playing a fun and challenging game.

Where can I play pickleball?

We have a Pickleball session run by the lovely volunteer Jackie, amongst others every Thursday 12-2pm, weather depending. 

What equipment do I need to play pickleball?

We supply pickleball paddle rackets and balls at all our sessions so there's no need to buy your own just yet!

The pickleball paddle – like a tennis racket – has a handle and a large flat surface area that is used to hit the ball. Paddles can be made from different core materials, have different thicknesses and different grip sizes to suit every player’s wants and needs.

The ball is plastic and hollow, with holes all across its surface. A pickleball is slightly larger than a tennis ball and are slightly different weights depending on whether you’re playing indoors or outdoors. Heavier balls are used outdoors so they aren’t as affected by the wind.

What are the Pickleball shots?

Pickleball shots are very similar to tennis or padel – you have the volley (shots without bouncing), drop shots (light shots falling just on your opponent’s side of the net) and smashes (an overhead volley).

In pickleball you also have a shot called a ‘dink’, which can only be used near the net, or in the kitchen area of the court. A dink is a very soft shot that just about reaches over the net, making difficult to return – much like a drop shot in tennis.

The ‘third shot drop’ are effective because a lot of rallies are often lost on the third point of a rally. A third shot drop is a soft, arcing shot that drops into the kitchen – often forcing your opponent to hit a dink return.