Pickleball is a racquet sport which combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. The game is played with a hard paddle about twice the size of those used for ping-pong and a wiffle ball, making the technique required for pickleball different than other sports.

The sport is played on a court with the same dimensions as a doubles badminton court. The net is lower than most other racquet sports allowing for faster play. The actual size of the court is 20×44 feet for both doubles and singles. The net is hung at 36 inches on the ends, and 34 inches in the middle and is very popular as a high school gym game.

The scoring is based on volleyball rules, where the person who is serving can either score a point or lose their serve.

On the serve, which must be underhand, the ball must bounce on either side of the court before the opponents can begin to rally. The innermost section of the court is a "no-volley zone," which deters players from smashing the ball into their opponent's side at the net.