The emerging sport of pickleball incorporates elements from tennis, badminton and table tennis and is becoming increasingly popular around the world.
The sport is typically played using a mini-sized racket and hollow plastic balls.
It’s history can be traced in Seattle, Washington in 1965 and the sport was initially created as a way to engage children in a fun physical activity, despite the limited equipment available at the time.
This growing sport appeals to all ages and is often considered as an easier sport to learn and play than tennis or badminton due to simpler rules and smaller pitch.
The basics of the pickleball game which must be known is its smaller court size compared to a tennis court which is 20-feet wide and 44-feet long with a net that is 36 inches high on both sides and 34 inches in the middle.
Meanwhile, the equipment used to play is a small racket that is smaller than a tennis racket and is usually made of light materials such as wood, composite or carbon.
This is used to hit a plastic ball with holes- between 26 and 40- designed to move slower than a tennis ball and makes a distinctive sound when contact is made.
In terms of the rules, pickleball can be played in a single, team or double format.
In a team game, each team must field two players.
The game starts with a serve from behind and the serve must be done with the underhand and the ball must cross the correct service line on the opponent’s side.
Each serve, each side must let the ball bounce in the opponent’s court before they make an aerial shot.
On the court, there is also an area known as the non-volley zone located near the net and the players are not allowed to hit the ball in the air in this area to avoid being too aggressive.
For scoring of points, each team must win a specified number of points usually 11, 15 and 21 and the player or team must win by an advantage of two points.
Only the serving team can score points. If a team fails to make a valid serve or the ball goes out, service will turn to the opponent.
The simplicity of playing the game makes this sport more popular especially in Brunei Darussalam.
The sport is suitable to all ages including children and the risk of injury is also low as the game is played at a far lower intensity than other racket sports.
The development of pickleball in the country is very positive and several friendly matches have been organised between teams from Miri and Sibu.
As of present, a total of 12 teams are currently registered with Pickleball Brunei Darussalam.
In terms of milestones, Brunei Darussalam participated once in the Pickleball England English Open 2024, participated by 45 other countries.
Another achievement that can be highlighted is that Pickleball Brunei Darussalam has been recognised as a member of the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) on June 21, 2024.
DUPR is a global rating system for pickleball players of all levels. It measures the player’s skill level based on their match results. – Fadhil Yunus