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.
Last updated: Aug 2026
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!
Learning from YouTube
There are some good content, and a lot of junk content on YouTube. The Pickleball game is evolving quickly and many older videos are simply out of date. There are also lots of bad information and advice out there. There is nothing like learning in person.
However, I find Kyle Koszuta to be a very good teacher and this video below covers much of the basics, especially the point scoring system.