Fun for the Whole Family in 'Pickleball'

Group (L-R): Jo Kraft, Margaret Muschialli, Wayne Muschialli, Collette May, Robyn Hayes, Russell Shaw and Allan Kraft.

Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two players (singles) or four players (doubles) hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball with paddles over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States.

While it resembles tennis and table tennis, pickleball has separate rules, paddles and court dimensions which makes pickleball a different sport. The court is 44 feet (13.4m) long and 20 feet (6.1m) wide, and the paddle is larger than the one used in table tennis. The hard plastic ball used in pickleball produces less bounce than tennis balls. On each side of the net is a 7-foot area (2.1 m) known as the non-volley zone (or the kitchen), where the ball must bounce before it is hit. The rules specify side-out scoring, where only the server can score a point. The minimal amount of bounce, the non-volley zones, and the underhanded stroke with which all serves are made, give the game a dynamic pace.

Wayne (Roo) Muschialli from Barmah is obsessed with the sport and is now an accredited pickleball coach, promoting the sport across the region with Pickleball at Rich River GC Monday evenings 6pm, Pickleball for seniors at the Echuca Basketball stadium Mondays at 1.30pm and at the Picola Rec reserve netball courts every Thursday afternoon from 4pm -6pm

Pickleball is a fun game for the whole family

Wayne would love to develop the sport further in Nathalia and district, and to be played both outdoors and indoors, anyone interested in trying it out can contact Wayne on 0439 436 578 or go to Wayne’s “Pickleball Power” page on Facebook.

Wayne Muschialli in action.

(L-R) Russell Shaw and Allan Kraft in action.