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Welcome to PickleBall LifeGroup!

Thanks for joining our PickleBall LifeGroup!
- Chuck & Lori Konkol

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PickleBall LifeGroup

What is Pickleball?

Fun, social and friendly. The rules are simple and the game is easy for beginners to learn, but can develop into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players.

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Brief History

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. Three dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities — are credited for creating game. 

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The Basics

- A fun sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.
- Played both indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court and a slightly modified tennis net.
- Played with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes.
- Played as doubles or singles.
- Can be enjoyed by all ages and skill levels

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Pickleball 101 Video Playlist

PICKLEBALL 101 PLAYLIST

Great Resource!

This is a great video **playlist of 32 videos showing you all aspects of how to play Pickleball! 

About Pickleball

    THE COURT

  • The Court Pickleball is played on a rectangular 44’ by 20’ court. The court is divided into two sides by a low net.
  • There are two sidelines (orange lines), two baselines (orange lines), a centerline on each side (blue lines), as well as two non-volley lines (white lines), which creates an area affectionately called the “Kitchen” in Pickleball.
  • The center line divides each side into two service courts, the left service court and the right service court. This allows players to know where to serve the ball and where to stand when serving.

    MATCHES

  • Matches are played best two games out of three. Each game is played to eleven points, win by two. 
  • Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles, with doubles being the most popular. Singles and doubles are played following the same rules with slightly different scoring methods.

HOW TO PLAY!

    THE SERVE

  • The start of a game begins with a serve. The player standing in the right service court is always the first server, whether at the the beginning of a game or on a side-out.
  • Before serving the server must call the score. For more information on scoring check out our Pickleball Scoring video.There are two sidelines (orange lines), two baselines (orange lines), a centerline on each side (blue lines), as well as two non-volley lines (white lines), which creates an area affectionately called the “Kitchen” in Pickleball..

    THE DOUBLE Bounce

  • A Pickleball serve must be hit underhanded from behind the baseline cross court into the opposing team’s service court.
  • The serve must clear the net and not land in the kitchen. Sometimes the ball will hit the net but still land in the correct serving court. This is called a let and the server must redo his serve until he either serves correctly, hits the ball into the net, or hits the ball out of bounds.
  • If the ball hits the net and lands in the kitchen, it is a fault.

    KITCHEN

  • A unique but important aspect of Pickleball is the non-volley zone, also known as the Kitchen. Players may not hit the ball while standing in the kitchen unless the ball has already bounced on their side.
  • Players may not step into the kitchen to volley the Pickleball. Players may not enter the kitchen on a volley even if their momentum carries them into the zone.

    FAULTS

  • In Pickleball mistakes are called faults. There are several major faults that can be made in the middle of a rally.
  • Double-Bounce Rule: Hitting a volley before the ball has bounced at least once on a side at the beginning of a rally.
  • The ball can bounce one time on a side before being hit. If the ball bounces more than once, it is a fault.
  • Hitting the ball out of bounds is a fault. Where the center of the ball touches the ground determines whether a ball is in or out on a line.
  • If the ball is hit into the net, it is a fault.
  • Any plays involving stepping into the kitchen to hit a volley is a fault.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pickleball is a relatively new racket sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and ping pong.

Pickleball was invented in 1965. Learn more about the History of Pickleball.

Pickleball was invented by three friends and neighbors: Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell.

Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Bainbridge is close to Seattle and is a summer vacation destination for many.

There are two competing stories. Pickleball was either named after the investor’s dog Pickles or it was named after a pickleboat. A pickleboat is the last boat to finish in a rowing race. The pickleball boat is usually made up of left over crewmen from other team–sort of how pickleball is made up from the leftovers of other sports.

Pickleball is growing quickly because it is easy to learn and difficult to master. The court is smaller than tennis and the paddle is lighter. This makes the sport easier to play and more accessible to a wide audience. Many of the skills from tennis, racquetball, and ping pong are transferable to pickleball.

We have seen a huge number of tennis players switch to pickleball recently. Many tennis enthusiasts are skeptical of this new sport with a funny name, but after giving the game a try they end up loving it.

Contacts

Need someone to play Pickleball with? Use the below group contacts! 
Please text or call Chuck or Lori to be added to below list! Thanks!

Phone Numbers

(815) 713-6321 (Chuck Konkol)
(417) 294-5719 (Lori Konkol)
...more to come

Emails

ckonkol@gmail.com (Chuck Konkol)
lkonkol@wolves.k12.mo.us (Lori Konkol)
...more to come

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