Have you ever wanted to try a new way of getting exercise?  

Perhaps you’ve thought of trying a racquet sport, like badminton or squash. 

How about a racquet sport that is not only sociable but also engages the mind and the body, and gives you an infectious smile in the process. 

And no, I’m not talking about tennis - I'm talking about pickleball. 

Pickleball, invented in 1965 as a garden game, has taken the world by storm in recent years, being welcomed into tennis clubs and leisure centres across the country and stealing the nation’s hearts.  

This charming game is described by Nick, who is a member of Herne Bay Tennis club, as "a small version of tennis, with table tennis-like racquets".  

The aim of the game is to keep the ball off the floor on your side of the pitch using smooth, rectangular paddles while trying not to commit a rule infraction (and, of course, trying to win points over your opponent).

Interestingly, the ball used in pickleball has holes in it to decrease the speed of the play and increase the amount of control the player can have over the ball and its direction.  

It can be played inside or outside on small, badminton sized courts.  

Herne Bay Tennis club, who opened their pickleball courts in 2022, is one of these outdoor clubs that braves the elements. 

 The club is home to four outdoor pickleball courts and runs five regular turn-up-and-play mix-in sessions. 

"It's quite nice playing outdoors in some ways because it's less noisy and more airy. You're all mucking in together, on a day like today when it’s windy - you’re kind of all in it together," says Nick.  

Inclusivity is part of what makes pickleball such a wonderful sport, especially as it can also be played by people of all ages, generations, and levels of mobility, including wheelchair users.

Nick explains that "because it’s a small court, there isn’t a huge amount of ground to cover so it lends itself to be accessible to most people...In some of those courts there’ll be people in their 20s and 30s playing with people in their 60s and 70s".  

"That’s the nice thing - it brings people together".  

Over the last couple of years, pickleball has drastically increased in popularity, with over 600 places to play pickleball in England alone (see www.pickleballengland.org/).

Nick believes the incredible growth of this sport is because "it’s a quick sport to learn, it's a fun sport, if you have an interest in trying it, you generally like it. It’s a fun sport to play and people like it, it has this quick learning curve’". 

Pickleball has many great health benefits including building good hand-eye co-ordination as well as getting a good amount of aerobic exercise.  

As well as physical exercise, pickleball also provides good mental exercise because of the tactics involved, building your ability to think ahead and respond to other players' shots quickly and precisely.  

The game not only provides great exercise but is also very sociable, and players often stay to have a chat after they play.

Herne Bay Pickleball Club has a building to have tea and coffee in after matches, which highlights the friendliness of the sport.  

"I think it’s a really sociable, friendly game and I think a lot of people come to it almost because of the social aspect" explains Nick. 

"Someone described it once to me as it’s more a game than a sport ... and I think that’s a good way of putting it."

You can find out more about pickleball and your nearest local club at www.pickleballengland.org/pickleball-club-locator-england/