1,000 paddles from fiberglass/honeycomb core and

PICKLEBALL graphite/honeycomb core materials until he sold the company to

HISTORY OF THE GAME Frank Candelario.

1965 1990
After playing golf one Saturday during the summer, Joel Pickleball was being played in all 50 states.
Pritchard, congressman from Washington State and Bill Bell,
successful businessman, returned to Pritchard's home on
1992
Bainbridge Island, WA (near Seattle) to find their families sitting
Pickle-Ball, Inc. manufactured pickleballs in-house with
around with nothing to do. The property had an old badminton
a custom drilling machine.
court so Pritchard and Bell looked for some badminton equipment
and could not find a full set of rackets. They improvised and
started playing with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic 1997
ball. At first they placed the net at badminton height of 60 inches Joel Pritchard passed away at age 22. Though he was
and volleyed the ball over the net. As the weekend progressed, the Washington State's Lieutenant governor from 1988 to 1996, he is
players found that the ball bounced well on the asphalt surface and probably better known for his connection to the birth of pickleball.
soon the net was lowered to 36 inches. The following weekend,
Barney McCallum was introduced to the game at Pritchard's 1999
home. Soon, the three men created rules, relying heavily on The first pickleball internet website, Pickleball Stuff,
badminton. They kept in mind the original purpose, which was to launched and provided players with information, equipment, and
provide a game that the whole family could play together. products.

1967 2001
First permanent pickleball court was constructed in the The game of pickleball was introduced for the first time
backyard of Joel Pritchard's friend and neighbor, Bob O'Brian in the Arizona Senior Olympics through the efforts of Earl Hill.
The tournament was played at Happy Trails RV Resort in
1972 Surprise, AZ and drew 100 players. It was the largest event ever
A corporation was formed to protect the creation of this played to that point. Over the next few years the event grew to
new sport nearly 300 players.

1975 THE GAME

The National Observer published an article about Pickleball is a paddle sport played using a special
pickleball followed by a 1976 article in Tennis magazine about perforated ball on a 20-foot-by- 44-foot court with a tennis-type
"America's newest racquet sport." net. The court is divided into right/even and left/odd service courts
and non-volley zones.
1976 The ball is served diagonally across the net to the
During the spring of 1976, the first known pickleball opponent's receiving court using an approved motion. The ball is
tournament in the world was held at South Center Athletic Club in struck back and forth across the net until a player fails to return
Tukwila, Washington. David Lester won Men's Singles and Steve the ball in accordance with the rules. Points are scored only by the
Paranto placed second. Many of the participants were college serving side when the server or the server's team wins the rally, or
tennis players who knew very little about pickleball. In fact, they the opposing side commits a fault. The server continues to serve,
practiced with large wood paddles and a softball sized plastic ball. alternating service courts, until the serving side loses the rally or
commits a fault. Typically, the first side scoring 11 points and
1978 leading by at least a 2-point margin wins. Pickleball can be played
The book, The Other Raquet Sports, was published and as singles or double
included information about pickleball.

1982 THE PLAYERS

Pickleball pioneer, Sid Williams began playing and Pickleball is a game that requires cooperation and
organizing tournaments in Washington state. courtesy. A sense of fair play from giving the opponent the benefit
of any doubt is essential in maintainling the game's underlying
1984 principles of fun and competition. To that end:
The United States Amateur Pickleball Association ➤ All points played are treated the same regardless of
(U.S.A.P.A.) was organized to perpetuate the growth and their importance; the first point of the match is as important as
advancement of pickleball on a national level. The first rulebook match point.
was published in March 1984. ➤ Either partner in doubles can make calls, especially
The first Executive Director and President of U.S.A.P.A. line calls; there is no place in the game for one partner telling
was Sid Williams who served from 1984 to 1998. He was another, "that was my call, not yours". 2 USA PICKLEBALL
followed by Frank Candelario who kept things going until 2004. Official Rulebook (2023)
The first composite paddle was made by Arlen Paranto, a ➤ Prompt calls eliminate the 'two chance option'. For
Boeing Industrial Engineer. He used the fiberglass/nomex example, a player cannot claim a hinder from a ball rolling on the
honeycomb panels that commercial airlines use for their floors court after they hit a ball 'out'; they gave up their ability to call the
and part of the airplane's structural system. Arlen made about hinder by choosing instead to hit the ball.
 Players strive to cooperate when confronted with a Net Specifications.
situation not covered by the Rulebook. Possible outcomes can be a The net may be made of any mesh fabric material that
replay, allowing the rally to stand, or in extreme cases, asking for will not allow a ball to pass through it.
a referee to resolve a dispute.
➤ Where possible, rules accommodate players with Posts.
various adaptive needs Net posts should be 22 feet +/- 0.0 Inches (6.71 m) from
➤ Players avoid wearing clothing that closely matches the inside of one post to the inside of the other post. The
the ball color maximum diameter of the net post should be 3 inches (7.62 cm)
➤ Players should not question or comment on an Size.
opponent's call, although any player may appeal a rally-ending The net length should be at least 21 feet 9 inches (6.63
line call to the referee before the next serve occurs m) extending from one post to the other. The net height from the
bottom edge of the net to the top should be at least 30 inches.
COURT AND EQUIPMENT
Net Height:
Court Specifications Sideline: 36 in
The dimensions and measurements for the standard Center: 34 in
pickleball court are The court shall be a rectangle measuring 20
feet (6.10 m) wide and 44 feet (13.41 m) long for both singles and
doubles matches.
Court measurements shall be made to the outside of the
perimeter and non-volley zone lines. All lines should be 2 inches
(5.08 cm) wide and the same color, clearly contrasting with the
color of the playing surface.

Lines and Areas

Baselines
The lines parallel to the net at each end of the court.

Sidelines
The lines perpendicular to the net on each side of the
court.

Non-Volley Zone (NVZ).

The area of the court, specific to each team, on either
side of the net bounded by a line between the two sidelines
(nonvolley zone line) parallel to and 7 feet (2.13 m) from the net.
All NVZ lines are part of the NVZ.

Service Court.
The area beyond the NVZ on either side of the centerline,
including the centerline, sideline, and baseline.

Centerline.
The line down the center of the court on either side of the
net extending from the NVZ to the baseline separating the odd and
even service courts.

Right/Even Court.
The service area on the right side of the court when
facing the net.

Left/Odd Court.
The service area on the left side of the court when facing
the net.