One of the fastest growing sports in recent times is pickleball. Pickleball is a racket sport very similar to that of tennis and badminton. Pickleball consists of hitting a pickle ball with a paddle across a court that is 20 x 40 ft.. Now why has pickleball become so popular all of a sudden? For starters, pickleball is very easy to learn; the rules are quite simple, and the only thing complicated is getting used to score keeping. In addition, the game is not as straining as tennis, requiring a lot less movement due to the smaller court and less force needed to hit the ball. 

From my own experience I have seen plenty of middle aged and even seniors playing pickleball. At higher levels, pickleball can become very strategic, but it’s jolly good fun whether you choose to play casual or more experienced.

The game is fairly accessible as it’s pretty cheap to get into, with paddles costing around $50 and pickle balls costing around $10. Courts are also pretty easy to find as many new ones are being made, and many tennis courts put up pickleball lines. 

The game’s accessibility is a major reason why the game is so popular. But why did it start to become popular in recent years? Pickleballs popularity started to grow during the pandemic and skyrocketed afterwards. As said by Rakshan Ossen from FreePressOnline, “In the United States, pickleball exploded in popularity during the pandemic as many saw it as a way to be active over the country’s social distancing restrictions.” With the boredom that was created by the pandemic, pickleball became a good way to get active.

As the years went by, people kept on playing pickleball and it kept on getting more and more popular, eventually ending up where it is today with over 13.6 million players in the U.S.. Pickleball has a very open community and it’s a great exercise to keep you moving, so give it a try yourself.