What is pickleball?
Invented in 1965 and first played in Australia in 2017, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the U.S. with over 4 million players. Played on a much shorter and slightly narrower court compared to tennis, plastic paddles are used to hit a perforated plastic ball out of the air or after one bounce over a net slightly lower than a tennis net. The holes in the ball make it travel slower, and the small court means fast running isn't essential, making pickleball popular among all ages and abilities, from children to competitive adults and seniors.
Can I come on my own?
Yes, you can come on your own as you will be partnered with a different player of a similar standard to you every 15 minutes. Or, you can bring a friend and we will put you on court together.
Can my kids play, too?
Yes, we offer lessons for kids, or you can book a court during our social sessions for you and your family to play together on.
How do I sign up?
First, register to play here: Online Registration Form
Once we've processed your online registration form, we will sms you with instructions to book your spot to play.
What is Power Pickleball?
Established in 2019, Power Pickleball is WA's top female pickleball player Jayne de Silva's pickleball academy. We run organised social play, casual social play for groups of friends and parents and their children, private and group lessons, competitive singles and doubles leagues, and sanctioned tournaments.
Who invented pickleball?
Pickleball was invented in 1965 by Congressman Joel Pritchard and his friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. Pritchard and Bell were at Pritchard's home on Bainbridge Island in Washington, which had an old badminton court. Their families were board, so Pritchard and Bell looked for some badminton equipment but could not find a full set of raquets. They improvised and started playing with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. At first they placed the net at badminton height of 60 inches and volleyed the ball over the net. As the weekend progressed, they found that the ball bounced well on the asphalt surface and soon the net was lowered to 36 inches. The following weekend, McCallum was introduced to the game at Pritchard's home. Soon, the three men created rules, relying heavily on badminton. They kept in mind the original purpose, which was to provide a game that the whole family could play together. Accounts of how the name originated differ. Our favourite version in that it was named after the creator's dog, Pickles! Apparently Pickles would chase the ball and run off with it!
How many bounces are allowed?
You can hit the ball before it bounces, or after one bounce.
Can I volley?
You can volley (hit the ball before it bounces) anytime except for the serve and return of serve. Just remember that it needs to bounce on your side of the net once before you can volley. So if you are the receiver, you only need to wait for the serve to bounce on your side, then you can volley any shot after that. If you are the server, you need to wait for the receiver's return of serve to bounce on your side of the net, then you can volley any shot after that.
Where can I volley from?
You can volley from anywhere inside or outside of the court except the "non-volley zone", including the "non-volley zone line". You are also not allowed to step into the "non-volley zone" on the follow-through of your volley. To avoid stepping into the "non-volley zone" after a volley, you could jump to the outside of the court instead. You could also just let the ball bounce before stepping into the "non-volley zone" to hit the ball back.
How do I serve?
You hit the serve under-arm from below the hip. You must stand behind the baseline. The serve must land beyond the "non-volley zone" line in the back half of the court diagonally across from the side you served from. The ball can hit the net before landing in.
How do I score a point?
You only score a point by winning a point that you served.
How do I win a match?
Pickleball matches are usually best of three games, so you need to win two games to win the match. To win a game, you need to win 11 points, or if it gets to 10 points all, you must be in front by two points.
Is on the line in?
Yes, if the ball lands on the line, it is in. The only time it is not in, is if it is a serve and the serve lands on the "non-volley zone" line. In this case, the serve is out, usually referred to as "short", because it landed too short in the court to be in.
What do you do at the end of a match instead of a handshake?
As strange as it seems at first, we touch the end of the handles of the paddles together.
- The court is about 1/3 of the size.
- The paddle is smaller with a shorter handle.
- Serves are hit underarm.
- The opposition team serves after you have served and lost, then your partner has served and lost.
- Volleys can’t be hit until after the ball has bounced once on the receiver's side and once on the server's side. This is known as the "double-bounce rule".
- Volleys can’t be hit from or followed- through into the non-volley zone in the front section of the court.
- Scoring is different - you only score a point if you win on your serve.
- The first team to score 11 points wins (must win by 2).
- Scores have 3 numbers: server’s score - receiver’s score - server # Eg 3-4-2 = 3 points to the serving team, 4 points to the receiving team, and the 2nd person in the serving team is serving.
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