Are you already playing pickles? The sport is incredibly popular in the US but is on the rise here as well

We spoke to Bernadette Snijders Block, president of Pickleball Holland.

What is a pickle?

Pickleball is America’s fastest growing sport, with five million Americans currently playing it. The game is a combination of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and is similar to paddle.

How do you play pickleball?

You play with one partner against another pair. The court you play on is much smaller than a tennis court and the net hangs a little lower. And in this it resembles Paddle, but there is a difference between the two games. During the pickle you stand in an open space, not in some kind of cage. Fraud is also different. It’s smooth, so no pedal-like texture. And pickleball is not played with a rubber ball but with a plastic ball with holes.

Introduction to the Netherlands

Bernadette tells how she brought the game to the Netherlands: “In 2013 I played pickleball for the first time with friends in Florida. I liked it so much that I took things to the Netherlands to introduce the game here too. I started giving clinics, founded Pickleball Holland and The Amsterdam Pickleball Players, and soon started organizing national and international tournaments.

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It caught on: “Slowly, more clubs and players came in, and the growth of pickleball accelerated in the last year. More and more racquetball arenas, tennis clubs and schools are offering pickleball. New clubs are opening in all sorts of places and municipal sports organizations are adding pickleball to their offerings. Each week a place you can play will be added.

Accessible

What makes the game so fun and unique? “Firstly, everyone learns quickly: after half an hour of lessons you can already play. The rules aren’t complicated, the field is relatively small, the material is nice and light and the service is understated.”

Social game

According to Bernadette, it’s a great way to make friends: “The great thing about pickleball culture is that there’s a lot of variation. A game lasts about fifteen minutes, and you play with other people. There aren’t fixed groups that you have to move between. Pickleball is a very social game. More fun. : The game is cheap! You don’t have to take expensive lessons to enjoy playing. At most clubs you borrow paddles and balls, so you don’t need more than a pair of sneakers. We often work with strip cards, so you’re not tied to expensive memberships. All of this makes pickleball an accessible sport. You can clearly see this in the mix of pickleball teams: all ages and backgrounds. In my club, the youngest is twelve and the oldest is eighty-six! And they play well together. will beat

Where did the name come from?

Where did that crazy name come from? Because Pickles No English for pickles? According to Bernadette, it has nothing to do with it: “This name is a Pickle boat. In races, the boat was with the rest of the rowers (D the rest) from the game the rest Result: a family was bored, there was a badminton court, but no rackets, but ping-pong bats and a light, hollow ball. That’s how it started.”

see Here Pickleball is being played near you.

Want to resume the game after a period of inactivity? Then start slowly, advises dietitian Wendy. You can prevent injuries and last longer by:

Source: Pickle Ball Holland