The three widely played games in racket sports are Pickleball, Paddle tennis, and Padel. The three of them are equally famous among people of all groups. Racket sports gain massive popularity all over the world, especially in the US and Europe during the last 5 or 6 decades.
Though all three paddle sports look quite similar to each other; however, they are quite different in some aspects. In this article, we will talk about those aspects and you will get to know which one is the best fit for you to play and enjoy the game.
What is Pickleball?
Initially, Pickleball was invented in 1965 as a children’s backyard game by a small group of friends in the Islands of Washington. This game has now become an official sport in the USA and is declared the fastest-growing game to an extent that The Sports and Fitness Industry Association USA, recorded over 4.8 million players between 2021 to 2022.
Although, in the beginning, it was played in an easy way and with some simple rules. However, in a short period, pickleball becomes a popular and organized sport in America and Europe.
How to play?
If you are keen to start playing pickleball then let’s have a look at the rules of this game.
A player has two options in playing pickleball, in a single game they can start playing with two players while in a double with four players.
Each player has to follow five rules which are
- The ball shouldn’t go outside the court.
- There should be one bounce per side.
- Serving should be at the baseline.
- The serve should not land in the no-volley zone.
- This game should end at 11 or 15 points.
Types of equipment:
Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors as well. To start playing pickleball, the players need three main pieces of equipment which are
- Paddle
- Pickleball
- Net
Paddle:
The paddle used in playing pickleball is made of aluminum and graphite material. It is normally smaller than other tennis rackets used in playing racket sports.
Pickleball :
The ball used in pickleball is unalike and unique compared to other balls. It is a hollow, perforated, polymer ball of 0.91 m in size.
Pickleballs are also heavier as compared to other balls and have a dot on them. These balls are made of plastic material. It is also called a Wiffle ball and the difference between this ball is it moves more in the air than other balls.
Net:
Pickleball is played both indoors and outdoors. The Pickleball net is slightly different from the net used for the other paddle games. The size of the net used in pickleball is 22” wide and 36” high from both sidelines while from the center the height of the net is 34 Inches.
Pickleball Court:
The court is smaller in size compared to the tennis court. However, all the lines are almost the same as in any other format like tennis, Paddle tennis, or padel. The court also has a non-volley zone which is also called the kitchen area.
The size of the pickleball court is similar to the court size of the double badminton court which has 20 feet in width and 44 feet measured length.
Scoring in Pickleball:
Let’s get to know how to score in pickleball. Pickleball is usually played to score 11 points which means the player who scores 11 points first will win the game. Only the team which has the serving will get the point. The winning player must win with a margin of 2 points.
What is Paddle Tennis?
Invented in 1915 Paddle tennis, also known as pop tennis is another popular racquet game. It is quite similar to tennis and squash so we can say that it’s a mixture of tennis and squash. Playing paddle tennis or pop tennis is a fun and great entertainment activity. It is equally popular in all age groups and classes.
Paddle tennis is played between 2 players in a single game and 4 players in a double game. The first official paddle championship was held in 1992 in Spain.
How to Play?
Paddle tennis is a simple game just like tennis. The player has to make sure that the ball crosses the net and hit the land in the opponent’s area. The players normally played their shots after the ball bounced or even before it bounced.
Number of players
Playing paddle tennis is exciting and like other racquet games paddle tennis either two players can play in singles and 4 players are allowed to play in doubles. So you can play with your favorite playing partner against your favorite opponent.
Types of equipment:
Same as Pickleball Paddle and Tennis are also played both indoors and outdoors as well. The paddle tennis players need some basic but necessary equipment to play paddle tennis, like all other racquet games in pedal tennis the players need three main pieces of equipment.
Players required
- Paddle racquet
- Paddle Ball
- Net
Racquet:
To play paddle tennis the players used stringless rackets made of elastic surfaces with holes in them. Both light and heavy rackets can be used to play paddle however the racquet used in paddle tennis or pop tennis is normally shorter in size compare to tennis rackets.
Ball:
The ball used in paddle tennis is dissimilar to other balls. The difference from other balls used in racket sports is that paddle tennis balls are smaller in size than tennis balls.
The size of a tennis ball is normally between 6.54cm to 6.88cm in diameter dimension while the paddle ball size is slightly different and smaller compared to a tennis ball.
The paddle ball has a dimension of 6.35cm to 6.77 in diameter. It carries a weight of 56 to 59.4 grams. The ball is depressurized in nature and has a look of spherical shape in shape. It is made of a rubber material.
The tennis ball can be also used to play paddle tennis however, it is not a desirable option.
Net:
To start playing Paddle tennis you need a net as usual like tennis and pickleball. As it can be played both indoors and outdoors the portable net can be also used. The height of the Paddle tennis net is 31 inches.
Court:
The paddle tennis court is made of the same material which is used for the construction of a tennis court. It can be also placed on beach sand as well.
With a service box area of 10×22 feet similar to a tennis court, the size of paddle tennis is almost the same as the tennis court size.
The paddle tennis court has a measurement of 50×20 feet ( 50 in length and 20 feet in width).
Scoring in Paddle tennis:
Paddle tennis has similar scoring rules as tennis.
The scoring is like 15/0, 30/0, 40/0, deuce, advantage, etc. which is exactly like in tennis. The player needs to win six games to win the set. The player or team who wins two sets will be the winner of the match.
In case the players reached a 6-6 level score in the game, then they have to play a tie-break to get 7 points and to be declared the winner.
What is Padel:
The best social and fun game Padel or Padel tennis is suitable sports activity for people of every age group. Padel is more of a strategic game. The player who will adopt a better strategy has more chance of winning the game.
Padel tennis originally started on the beaches of Mexico in 1969, initially got popular in Mexico, and in a very short period, it gain popularity all over the World. The padel or padel tennis play on the indoor court made of glass and mesh
How to Play?
Let’s get to know how to play padel and what equipment is required. Like all other padel tennis games, two or four players can play.
Types of equipment:
Padel is played indoor court which is enclosed with glass fiber. To start playing padel tennis, the players need three main pieces of equipment. Players required
- Racquet
- Ball
- The indoor glass fiber court
Racquet for padel:
There number of rackets available for different racquet sports. The material used in the Padel racquet along with the foam core is made of glass fiber or carbon fiber material. Padel rackets give stylish look with the availability of multiple shapes.
Ball:
The ball used in playing paddle tennis is different from both the ball which is used in pickleball and paddle tennis. The difference from other balls used in racket sports is that the padel tennis balls are official with green dots because it has a 75% internal pressure as compared to other tennis balls. While there is a different ball for beginners and children which has orange dots with 50% internal pressure.
Padel Net:
To play a padel you need a simple standard 3mm diameter mesh net used to play padel or padel tennis which is made of polyethylene material. The height of this net is 88cm and the length is around 10 m. The metal cable is protected by plastic and can be attached to the fence.
Padel Court:
The padel courts are made on a smooth surface. With the service lines on both sides, just three meters from the back wall the padel tennis courts are rectangular and enclosed with fiberglass. The court is further divided into half with the line in the middle of the court which divides the area between two players or a team
Padel Court Size
The size of the padel court is 32.8×65.7 feet (32 feet 8 inches in width while 65 feet 7 inches in length). The padel tennis courts are bigger compart to pickleball courts or paddle tennis courts. The court is further divided into half with the line in the middle of the court which divides the area between two players or a team
Scoring in Padel:
The scoring system in Padel is the same as in tennis i.e 15/0, 30/0, 40/0, deuce, and advantage. Generally, 6 games are required to win a set and the team who wins 2 sets wins the game.
Though all three games have a few things different from each other, we cannot deny the fact that each of them is amusing and enjoyable, and what matters the most is to have fun playing them.
FAQs
What makes paddles different from pickleball?
In paddle, there are walls around the court while in pickleball there is fencing. In pickleball, the ball must stay inside the court while in paddle players can hit the ball against the wall just like in squash.
Is pickleball the same as paddle tennis?
No, pickleball is not similar to that paddle tennis. Paddle tennis involves small paddles and a spongy ball and was invented in the 1920s. On the other hand, pickleball was invented in 1965 and involves comparatively hard, elongated paddles with hollow balls having holes in them
Is there any difference between paddle tennis and padel?
Paddle tennis is more of a winter and summer sport and is typically played in Canada and USA within the courts that are heated from below to eradicate water and snow. While padel is the world’s fastest-growing, more socializing, and fun sport that use the whole court walls.
