Since the pandemic, pickleball has exploded across the country. Suddenly, left and right, influencers were posing with their paddles, smaller courts appeared in parks, and you mention pickleball and people around you are drawn to you to talk about it. It has consistently been named as the fasted-growing sport in the United States by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Over 36 million Americans played pickleball from August 2021-2022, with earlier data reporting 5 million players in 2021. 14% of Americans played pickleball at least once in that year. Over 8.5 million people played it 8x or more.

But how on earth did pickleball get so popular? With how relatively unknown it was pre-pandemic, its dramatic spike in popularity confuses many non-picklers. 

Here’s what you need to know about how pickleball started, the factors that contributed to its rise, and the potential for its future. Let’s jump on in!

What Is Pickleball?

First things first, let’s go over what this sport even is. Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, ping-pong, and badminton. It can be played by all and has simple rules. All you need to play are a paddle and a plastic ball with holes. It’s repeatedly referred to as highly contagious. 

When Did Pickleball Start?

Pickleball has only been around since 1965 when Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell sought to entertain their bored families on their badminton court. They didn’t have all the badminton equipment, so they improvised. The rules were a blend between tennis and badminton. Barney McCallum and Dick Brown are two others who suggested ideas for the rules.

People commonly believe the game was named after a family dog, Pickles. However, Pritchard’s wife, Joan, published a column stating that the game got the name pickleball when she said it reminded her of the pickle boat in crew, where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of others. The dog Pickles was named after the game, not vice versa. 

A Super Brief Overview Of The History Of Pickleball

The first known pickleball court was created in 1967. 9 years later, in 1976, a tennis magazine published an article about pickleball. In 1984, USA Pickleball Association was founded.

Pickleball continued to grow, to be played in all states, with tournaments taking off. It was recognized as the fastest-growing sport in the USA in 2015 by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and has consistently held this position.

In 2018, was being played by over 2.5 million people in the US. 

It was dubbed the official sport of Washington in 2022, the state where it was invented.

It continues to be the fastest-growing sport in the United States. 

Why Is Pickleball So Popular?

Since the pandemic prevented people from playing more traditional sports, pickleball blew up as people turned to it as a way to stay active outside while socially distancing.

Some factors that contribute to pickleball’s popularity include:

• It’s easy to learn. The rules are simple, so people can pick it up in just a few lessons. It’s slower-paced than tennis with less ground to cover, so you can play it even if you aren’t in great shape and still get a good workout in. 
• It’s inexpensive. You can play it pretty much anywhere, and all you need are the paddle and the ball. 
• It’s sociable. It allows people to make new friends of all ages. While most popular with seniors, younger people increasingly pick up this sport.

Is Pickleball Growing Too Quickly?

As a matter of fact, some are concerned that the sport is growing too quickly. Concerns include there being too many leagues, bad behavior, and widespread noise complaints. These things are slowly being worked out, attributed to normal growing pains. 

With so many new players, the US struggles to keep up with the demand for courts. Fortunately, pickleball can be played on tennis courts and multi-sport courts. People are also building their own personal pickleball courts.

Will Pickleball Be An Olympic Sport?

Currently, pickleball is not an Olympic sport. However, with how it continues to rise in popularity, not just in the United States, people anticipate it becoming one sooner than later. This is especially so because pickleball is a fusion of 3 existing Olympic sports: ping-pong, tennis, and badminton.

However, while people cross their fingers that pickleball will make its Olympic debut in the 2028 summer games in Los Angeles, California, United States of America, others think it may not become an Olympic sport until 2032 or later.

In order for a sport to be included in the Olympics, it needs to meet certain requirements by the International Olympic Committee. Some of these requirements include having competitive players in at least 75 countries across 4 continents for Men’s and 40 countries across 3 continents for Women’s.

Another requirement is that the International Pickleball Federation needs to submit a petition to the IOC outlining eligibility for pickleball to become an Olympic sport. If approved, it then can be admitted as a sport, discipline, or event. The Olympics don’t allow games or sports that are purely mental or mechanically propelled, hence why chess is not in the Olympics.

Do You Want Your Own Pickleball Court?

As you can see, with players around the world and talk of becoming an Olympic sport, pickleball is an incredibly popular, fun sport. If you’re a dedicated pickler, you may enjoy having a court of your own so that you can practice whenever you like. 

Utah Court Surfacing provides pickleball court installation services, including custom colors and graphics. We can also resurface and repair your court as needed. Contact us today to learn more about our court surfacing services.

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. People of all ages enjoy this cross between tennis, ping-pong, and badminton. It’s easy to learn, gets your body moving, and works as a great social activity too. As the weather warms up, people are uncovering their pickleball courts and getting ready to play again. 

Whether you’re a pickleball newbie or you have your eye on competing in a pickleball tournament this summer, it’s important that you take the proper steps to prepare your body for the sport. Although pickleball is low-impact and can be played either in a relaxed manner or one that’s more fast-paced, injuries can still occur.

Here are some helpful tips you can use to prepare your body for pickleball and keep yourself in the game all summer long.

#1. Stay Hydrated

You may be tempted to cling to your morning cup of coffee or take your favorite soda or energy drink with you to the courts. However, your body needs to stay hydrated. While caffeine may give you that jolt of energy you crave, it also dehydrates you by increasing fluid loss. 

Drink water beforehand, and bring a water bottle with you. Depending on how you play, you may get sweaty, in which case, you’d need to drink more water. Not drinking enough water can lead to cramps, which really affects your game. 

#2. Eat Healthier

You know how your body can feel sluggish and gross after having too much fast food or too many chips or candies? That’s the last thing that you want when you’re planning on being active! You can better prepare your body for pickleball by supplying it with good-for-you foods, like fruits, vegetables, proteins, and grains. 

These not only help you to feel better, but they can also increase your energy. Plus, eating healthy can help your muscles perform better while you play and recover with more ease after you’re done. 

#3. Practice With Your Feet

Even if you’re the most relaxed and casual pickleball player out there, you still rely on your feet to get you around the court. If you’re someone who likes to get their heart rate up or you have a competitive streak, you’re likely doing a lot of moving around the court, from side to side and front to back. 

You can prepare your body for pickleball by doing exercises that target your feet and ankles. This reduces the risk of an injury like a rolled ankle. It can increase your stability and balance, which can also reduce the risk of falling. 

#4. Try Resistance Training

When you think pickleball, you probably think more about cardio than muscle strength. However, it’s a great way to prepare your body for pickleball, due to how much your body can move around during the game. It can help you to play better, as your body is stronger and more resilient. It also helps to prevent injuries from wear and tear or falls. 

#5. Use Dynamic Exercises

Dynamic exercises are exercises done in an active manner. They can build up power. In pickleball, some great dynamic exercises that prepare your body for the movements you do in the game include:

• Squats
• Side-squats
• Lunges
• Side-lunges
• High knees
• Arm circles
• And more!

If you ever want to know what exercises would be best for you, you’ll want to talk to your doctor. Personal trainers can also give specific insight into what exercises would help your body. Everyone is different and everyone’s body has different needs, so talk to a medical professional if you ever have questions about what you should be doing. 

#6. Warm Up Before You Play

One of the best ways to prepare your body for pickleball is to warm up before you hit the courts. This doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Even just a few minutes to get your muscles warmed up with the proper exercises and stretches can reduce your risk of injury and help you to play better. 

#7. Don’t Push Through The Pain!

So, we’ve talked about how to prepare your body for pickleball, and this is something important in all the preparations, and especially the game itself. Many people have a mindset that they need to push through the pain. They worry that if they try to tell their partner that they need to stop the game because they’re in pain, people will think they’re weak. 

This isn’t true! Stopping when you feel pain is an important part of preventing serious injuries. If you try to push through it, you could very likely end up hurting yourself even more. 

#8. Cool Down And Stretch After 

One way to prepare your body for pickleball next time is to ensure that you cool down properly this time. After a workout is the best time to stretch, since your muscles are warm and less likely to be pulled or torn in a stretch. Stretching has many benefits, from mental clarity to increased flexibility. Taking the time to cool yourself off and stretch after each game helps you stay healthier and happier.

Ensure That Your Pickleball Court Is Safe To Play On

All of the above points are important parts of preparing yourself to play pickleball. However, even if you take great care of your body, if your pickleball court is in disrepair, this increases the risk of injury and can make playing very frustrating. 

Fortunately, Utah Court Surfacing is here to help! We provide pickleball court installation, repairs, and resurfacing services. When your pickleball court is in good condition, it both looks better and is much safer to play on. Contact us today to learn more about our court surfacing services.

Pickleball is an increasingly popular sport here in the United States. It combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong for an age-inclusive sport that is played with a racket. With its increasing popularity, you may be wondering if you can convert a tennis court into a pickleball court, and the answer to that query would be: yes, you can indeed convert a tennis court into a pickleball court. 

Whether you own a business and would like to welcome pickleball players to your property by converting one of your existing tennis courts into a pickleball court or you have a tennis court at home that you want to be able to play pickleball on, it can be done. Here is what you need to know about the variety of ways in which you can convert a tennis court into a pickleball court so that you can enjoy this fun, rising sport on your property.

Use Chalk And Lower The Net

If you want to convert a tennis court into a pickleball court but in a temporary way, without transforming your existing tennis court, you can use chalk to draw out the boundaries of a pickleball court and lower the net in the middle. If you are playing on a business’s property, you will want to check in and ensure that it’s okay to draw on their tennis court and lower the net prior to doing so. Alternatively, if you have a tennis court and you want to be able to play pickleball from time to time without having to do anything to your tennis court, this is something that you can do too.

Single one tennis court consists of the space needed for four pickleball courts, if you do this, you’ll want to stick to the middle. Using a strap can bring the middle of the net down to where you need it for pickleball.

Consider A Multi-Sport Court

If you anticipate that you’ll be playing pickleball fairly frequently, but you still love your tennis court, you can consider converting it into a multi-sport court. A multi-sport court allows you to enjoy both sports on the same court. The primary sport will have its lines drawn out in a more prominent color while the secondary court would use a more faded color. That way, you’ll be able to enjoy both sports on the same court without needing to bust out any chalk.

You can also get an easily adjustable net, to make switching from one sport to another even easier. With a multi-sport court, you can convert a tennis court into a pickleball court simply by playing within the pickleball boundaries and adjusting the net. Easy-peasy! If you want to enjoy both tennis and pickleball on the same court, a multi-sport court is the way to to.

Resurface Your Court

If you want to convert your tennis court into a pickleball court without being able to play tennis on it, this can easily be done with resurfacing. One tennis court takes up the space needed for four pickleball courts, making this an easy way to add multiple pickleball courts to your business or home. However, just because you can convert one tennis court into four pickleball courts doesn’t mean that you need to. You can use the space for two, or even just one, and then have the rest of the court space altered however you desire.

When you convert a tennis court into a pickleball court, you’ll want to rely on a professional resurfacing company to ensure that the job’s done right. With Utah Court Surfacing, you can rest assured that your new pickleball court will look just the way you want it to. We provide many different ways that you can customize your pickleball court, from custom color schemes to graphics and more. 

We take pride in the quality of our work. Our court surfaces are made to last, and you can count on them to last the expected 5-7 years before needing to be refreshed with a resurfacing job. We also provide multi-court surfacing, so if you want to convert a tennis court into a pickleball court, without getting rid of the tennis part, we can resurface it into a multi-sport court that allows you to play both sports whenever you like.
Alternatively, we can build you a tennis court or a pickleball court, whichever you desire. To learn more about how we can convert a tennis court into a pickleball court, contact Utah Court Surfacing today!