Locals show how simple and fun pickleball is
WENDYWOOD – President of Pickleball South Africa Darren Zidel urges members of the community to try the new sport in their free time.
The sport on the verge of taking the world by storm has finally made its way to South Africa – with the help of an individual who instantly fell in love with it.
Darren Zidel, president of Pickleball South Africa, started his journey with pickleball while scrolling through Instagram reels.
“A year ago, I was on the phone and saw a video of people playing pickleball. I thought to myself, this looks like loads of fun. I got in touch with the International Federation of Pickleball and I asked where I could play the sport. They responded that nobody was playing it in South Africa and that’s when I decided to bring it here.
Zidel got in touch with Megan Charity, a professional pickleball player who resides in America. Charity immediately assisted Zidel to create a presence in the sport. The final product of their planning led to the birth of Pickleball South Africa which started its operations in October last year at Wendwood Sports Club.
To play, an individual needs the proper attire: running shoes, shorts and a shirt. After ticking those requirements off, they will then need a pickleball paddle and pickleball balls (a small plastic ball with drilled holes).
The sport is played on a miniature tennis court with two main zones – the service area (outer box) and the kitchen (inner box). The server has to stand by the baseline of the court when serving to the opposition. In order for the game to be considered ‘playable’, the ball has to land on the opposition’s outer box.
From there, players have to hit the ball until one of them hits it over the boundaries of the court, volleys in the ‘kitchen’ or when the ball bounces twice on the block. Each game ends when an individual or team reaches 11 points. One can only obtain a point during their time of serving.
The association invites members of the community to join in on the fun. Contact info@pickleballsa.com for more information.
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