Pickleball
Paddle sport on a small court, easy to learn, played by whole families across generations
Invented on Bainbridge Island in 1965 with a Wiffle ball, ping-pong paddles and a badminton court, and now the fastest-growing sport in the United States. The court is a quarter the size of a tennis court, the ball moves slowly, and the basics take minutes to pick up, so children, parents and grandparents can play the same game. Doubles is the usual format, with a no-volley zone near the net called the kitchen and a soft drop shot called the dink at the center of the tactics. Games are short, paddles are cheap, and public courts have multiplied.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Bill GatesDoes it
Microsoft co-founder · Gates Notes reading lists
A Pickler for more than 50 years, since his father built a court at the family home in the late 1960s. He plays with friends and family at least weekly, more in summer, and says it and tennis have improved each other.
Source: Gates Notes: Fifty years ago, I started playing this little-known sport with a funny name
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