Francisco Javier Ronda the 50 and has no qualms about recognizing that the first time he played Pickleballafter a friend insisted, it seemed “a children’s game.” Simple. Affordable. Without more. Over time, however, that racket sport that seems to combine tennis ingredients, paddle and bádminton liked it so much that now, Recognize to The countryhe is preparing to exercise as a judge.
It is not a unique case. The Pickleball has been gaining adherents in the United States (often colonizing spaces until not so much reserved to tennis) and now it is starring in an international expansion that has taken it To China… and Spain.
What is Pickleball? At this point it is quite likely that you have already heard of him, that a relative/friend/co -worker told you how well the last time he threw a game or may even have participated in one. If not, nothing happens. He Pickleball It is summarized easily. Basically it is the new fashion sport, a discipline that It seems to mix Tennis elements, Ádel, Bádminton and table tennis so effectively that in the US It is colonizing Thousands and thousands of tennis courts.
And how do you play? The Pickleball is a racket sport, but a little after a game is seen, it is proven that it is very different from tennis or paddle. To begin with, it is played with a rigid smooth surface shovel that must be adjusted to certain measures and a perforated plastic ball. The track is relatively small, of 13,41×6.10 metersalthough it is something different from those used in Bádminton: the line that delimits the “non -volley” area is 2.13 m from the network, which reaches some 86 cm high in the center. The matches are played individual or in pairs.
How are the rules? Relatively simple. Players must get the ball to pass over the network and fall inside the track respecting the “Do not volley” area when they hit the blows. Another important guideline is that the serves should be made without lifting the arm from the bottom line and falling out of the non -volley zone. If it is the first blow of a team, the ball has to bounce once on the track before the opponent returns it.
Two other keys that you should keep in mind if you are going to set a game is that if the ball bounces twice on the same track the game ends and that only the team you take can score points. To complete a successful game you need 11 points and have two advantage over opponents. The huge (and growing) popularity of the Pickleball led in 2024 to the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) to dedicate A section on your website, in which the rules can be read in detail. Sports brands like Nike too They have launched to explain its dynamics.
So successful? Yes. Pickleball is not new. Its origins can go back to The 1960salthough its popular boom is much more recent. Ethan Singer recently published A wide report in The New York Times in which it shows how in the US there are courts and more tennis courts that are being reconvirting on pickleball tracks taking advantage of two great advantages: its smallest size and that this last sport awakens more and more enthusiasm.
According to Singer’s calculations, the result of the analysis of tens of thousands of aerial photographs, only in the last seven years more than 26,000 outdoor pickleball courts have been prepared in the country, many based on old spaces dedicated to tennis. Use Pickleball raises the total number of tracks to more than 68,000.
Are there figures? As for the number of people who practice pickletball in the US, the data can vary depending on the source that is consulted but reflects a base of notable followers … and growing. Some talk about millions of fans and a bag of practitioners that have been growing for years double digit. “It is said that next year it will be the most practiced sport there, surpassing basketball, and in Spain a fairly significant growth is expected, although I do not know if as in the US because it is difficult,” assures to The country Miguel Díaz, president of the Reft.
Is it something exclusive to the USA? Not at all. Pickleball is entering strong In China, Australia And of course Spain, to cite only a handful of examples. In 2023 the Higher Sports Council He recognized her (together with the touchnnis) as a new sports specialty, last year the Reft reserved an own section on its website and not long ago the Federation and Dupr reached A pact To create a national ranking. This institutional recognition is only the reflection of the growing interest that awakens among racket sports fans.
In recent years we have seen how they practiced it world stars of tennis, he sneaked into the programming of celebrations such as Almeria Fair And they opened new spaces To practice it. Does A few months In fact, the Lafuente Pickleball Hub opened in the district of Villaverde, which It is claimed as “the largest Indoor Pickleball Center in Europe.” “In the US already played almost 50 million people and it is estimated that in Spain the number in 2023 was 20,000,” assures The RFET.
Why this success? For the federation it is more than clear: the picklet has managed to find the key. “His success lies in being an easy -to -learn sport and very entertaining, which adapts to the level of each player and that is why he can be played by people of different ages and conditions,” The organization reflects: “It is very entertaining and motivating, since during the game there are long and fast balls in which the level of the judges marks the intensity and rhythm.”
“At first it seemed like a children’s game, until you get on and realize that there is much more technique behind,” coincides in The country Francisco Javier Garrido, 50, who discovered the sport thanks to a friend who met him in the US and has ended up so hooked that he is now preparing to act as a referee. To this is added the intergenerational character of the game, which by not requiring strength adapts very well for their game between men and women and especially their profitability for the owners of the court. By requiring much less space, on a tennis track they can prepare up to four spaces For Pickleball.
Images | John Matthews (UNSPLASH) and SARASOTA GUIDE (UNSPLASH)
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