Let’s get started with Pickleball

Welcome to the beginner Pickleball class. You will have a lot of fun learning and playing Pickleball — the fastest growing sport in America, and most parts of the world.

Pickleball Rules

Pickleball has its own set of rules that, while similar to other racket sports like tennis, squash and table tennis, it also has some quirks. This page defines a simplified set of rules just to get you started in the first few weeks. I will go over these in class but if you can, read them ahead of time.

Eye Protection: Goggles

Please wear goggles! If you play Pickleball regularly, you will get hit by a ball.

Pickleball Shoes

It is important to wear protective shoes when playing Pickleball. This game requires a lot of forwards/backwards, and side to side (lateral) movement. Twisting or rolling one’s ankle can happen. I recommend wearing court shoes like Tennis shoes, Pickleball shoes, or Volleyball shoes. Since Pickleball is so popular, many brands throw the word “Pickleball” onto their Tennis shoes and charge you a lot of money for them. Shop around!

 

Pickleball Paddles

While the LexRec class provides wooden paddles, having your own “plastic/polymer” paddle makes quite a difference when starting out. Click here for a list of beginner paddles that I recommend.

And do not forget to put your name on your paddle!