How to start playing pickleball: a first-month guide
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Pickleball has been growing at a good pace for a few years, especially among people who already played padel or tennis. If you've heard about it and want to try it, this is what you need to know for the first month.
Where to play
There aren't dedicated courts in every neighborhood yet, so the reality is this:
- Padel and tennis clubs that have painted pickleball lines on existing courts or reserve time slots. It's the most common route.
- Public sports centers and parks, especially on covered basketball or handball courts, where several pickleball courts fit.
- Local groups and communities. This is the real key: look for the group in your city on social media. Pickleball is organized a lot through messaging groups, and people are notably welcoming to anyone starting out. In the US, USA Pickleball's Places2Play finder lists courts by area.
The official pickleball bodies vary by country, and more and more clubs in mid-sized towns have courts or time slots. If you can't find anything, ask directly at your padel or tennis club: more and more of them are setting it up.
How much it really costs to start
Less than people think, and quite a bit less than padel.
| Item | Reality |
|---|---|
| Paddle | Decent beginner paddles cost a fraction of the premium ones. Don't buy the top-of-the-range one in the first month. |
| Balls | Very cheap. A pack of 6 costs very little. |
| Shoes | If you already play padel or tennis, the ones you have will do. |
| Court | Depends on the club. It's usually cheaper than padel because more courts fit in the same space. |
Most groups lend you a paddle the first few times. Take advantage of that before buying.
The minimum rules for day one
You don't need the whole rulebook. With this you're more than fine:
The serve
It goes underhand, with contact below the waist, diagonal, and it has to land beyond the kitchen. No overhead serves.
The two-bounce rule
The most important one and the one most often missed at the start. After the serve, the return has to bounce. And so does the response to that return. Only from the third shot on can you volley.
It exists so the serve isn't a weapon and points last.
The kitchen
It's the 7-foot (2.13 m) zone next to the net. You can't volley with a foot inside it, or step into it from momentum right after the shot. You can go in if the ball has bounced.
Scoring
Games go to 11 points, win by two, and in the traditional format only the serving pair scores. The score is called with three numbers: your score, the opponent's, and whether you are the first or second server.
The three numbers throw you off at first. In two matches you'll have it.
The five mistakes of the first month
- Staying at the baseline. It's the instinct of someone coming from tennis, and in pickleball it means losing. The game is won at the kitchen line. Move forward as soon as you can.
- Hitting everything hard. The ball is plastic and the court is short. Power ends up out. Points are won with drop shots and patience.
- Forgetting the two-bounce rule. You're going to volley the return of serve by instinct. Everyone does.
- Playing too much the first month. It's the one that generates the most aches. It's very addictive, tires you little in the moment, and suddenly you've played five days in a row.
- Not looking at the gear you already have. Especially your shoes and what's inside them.
How to pace the first month
This is what's least talked about and what avoids the most problems.
Pickleball doesn't leave you out of breath, so it's easy to overdo it. But the volume of repeated movements —knee bends at the kitchen, lateral plants, paddle impacts— does add up.
A sensible progression for someone starting without coming from another racket sport:
- Weeks 1 and 2: two sessions a week, one hour each, with a rest day in between.
- Weeks 3 and 4: three sessions if your body is doing well.
- From the second month: go up if you like, but look at how you feel the next day, not how you feel when you finish.
The alarm signal isn't tiredness. It's a localized ache that always shows up in the same place.
What gear to buy and in what order
My order, if you start from zero:
- Beginner paddle. Keep it simple.
- Nothing more for three weeks. Play with what you have and see if the sport hooks you.
- Then, look at your shoes. If they're padel or tennis shoes, they work; change the insole, which is the weak link. If they're running shoes, then it's time to buy. We go into it in what shoes you need for pickleball.
- Protection, only if you need it. Don't buy an ankle support "just in case." Buy when you notice something specific, and buy what matches that ache.
- Something to carry it all, once you play every week. With two paddles, balls and water, a backpack with a place for each thing avoids carrying it loose. You have the complete list in what to bring to a pickleball match.
And one recommendation that sells nothing
Play with people better than you from the start. In pickleball a difference in level is handled fairly well because points are long and the pace is controllable, and you learn in three matches what you wouldn't learn alone in a month.
The pickleball community is still small in many places and for that very reason very open. Take advantage of it.
Keep reading
Related guides
- Pickleball kit for beginners
- What the dink is and how to practice it
- How to choose a pickleball paddle
About paddles and sets
To get started with just the essentials, in our shop you'll find the ACE paddle and the STRIDE insoles.
