Coach-Ella's Pickleball
for Beginners
Who thought Pickles and balls could be brought together for so much fun?!
Well, probably half of the Castro district... but now you can have fun too!
Pickleball is spreading it's nets and taking over tennis courts around the nation! This trendy new court sport is the funky baby of Tennis and Ping Pong you never knew you wanted. Played on traditional tennis courts or indoor gyms with regular tennis nets and shorter court lines, you'll use over sized paddles to hit plastic balls back and forth, trying to hit those angles and score big points! So join us as we smack some balls around for a friendly game or two of Pickleball (we're still not sure where the name came from....).
Please Note: Court reservations are only available 1 week in advance. The specific location and time is subject to vary, though we'll do our best to keep it at the time and location provided. Add yourself to the watchlist to be notified when we announce the official meetup details!
How to play!
 COURT POSITIONS: Each side of the net is generally split into three main sections: the right side, the left side, and the kitchen. (Seriously, who came up with these names?!) At the start of each team's new turn to serve, the person on the right side will serve first with teammates switching sides right to left for each new point until they lose a point. Both teammates get a chance to serve before possession switches to the other team, scoring as many consecutive points as they can before the other team gets a shot.
GAME PLAY: Serves must land on the opposite side diagonal from the server while landing past the kitchen and before the back court line. Unlike tennis, each player only gets one chance to serve per point. Players must let the ball bounce once before returning the serve - aka no overhead slams on serves! After that, (time for some real game play!), the ball can be hit anywhere in or on any line of the opposing team's side to be considered "good". A ball can only bounce once, or the point ends. You can hit a ball without any bounce, as long as you're not standing in the kitchen. (We really can't make this stuff up.)
 HOW TO SCORE: The serving team serves - if they win, they score a point. If they lose, no points are scored and the ball changes possession (either to the 2nd team server or to the other team). Both teammates get a chance to serve before possession changes to the other team, scoring as many consecutive points as they can before the other team gets a shot. Scores increase in increments of 1, and the game ends when the score reaches 11 (win by 2).
Calling the Score: There should always be 3 numbers called: the serving team's score, the opposing team's score, and the server number. For example, "11-9-1" means the serving team beat the opposing team by two points on a serve by the team's first server. Note: The very first server in the game will be server #2, meaning the other team gets the ball as soon as that team loses a point. After that, it's 2 servers per team per possession.
If you forget the score or get mixed up with all the court position switch ups, just remember: When a team’s score is even, the player who served first in that game must be on the right (even) side of the court and on the left (odd) side when the score is odd.
Check out the official USA Pickleball rules if you're serious about sports and want to learn more.
 What's Included:
- Hard-to-get outdoor court reservation in San Francisco (seriously, these reservations are as competitive as Yosemite!)
- 90 min game play
- Paddles and balls
- Snacks for in between games
- Players to play with (no one likes to play alone)
- A host to help you remember all the rules
What to Bring:
- Tennis/outdoor court shoes
- Water
- Sweat towel
- Sunglasses/hat/sunscreen
- Wear athletic clothes, and wear layers
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