Pickleball vs Badminton, Both Use Racquets, What's the Difference?

YOGYAKARTA - At first glance, pickleball and badminton look similar. Both are played on a court separated by a net, can be played in singles or doubles, and rely on the player's agility in returning the ball to the opponent's area. However, if you look more closely, these two sports have many differences, ranging from equipment, game rules, techniques, to the level of intensity. This article will compare pickleball vs badminton in general.

Understanding pickleball and badminton will help you choose the sport that suits you. Here are the differences between pickleball and badminton.

The easiest difference to recognize is the tool used. In pickleball, players use a paddle with a solid surface without a string. The ball is made of hard plastic that has many small holes so that the ball speed is more stable but not too fast.

Meanwhile, badminton uses a lighter racquet and a feather or synthetic shuttlecock. The shuttlecock has aerodynamic characteristics that allow for very high hitting speed. Because the ball characteristics are different, the hitting technique in both sports is also not the same.

Badminton is known as one of the sports with the fastest hitting speed in the world. The shuttlecock can fly very fast when hit with a smash technique so that the player must have good reflexes to return it.

In contrast, pickleball balls move slower due to the air resistance generated by the holes on the ball. This gives players more time to read the direction of the ball and strategize.

Although the size of the two fields is almost similar, there is an important difference in the layout. The pickleball field has a special area near the net called the non-volley zone or kitchen. In this area players are not allowed to make a volley shot so that the strategy of the game becomes more diverse.

Badminton does not have such a zone. Players are free to hit near the net as long as it is in accordance with the rules of the game.

The service in pickleball is done with a shot from below the waist (underhand serve). After the service is done, the ball must bounce first on both sides of the court before the player is allowed to make a volley shot.

The rule is known as the double bounce rule and is one of the hallmarks of pickleball. Meanwhile, the service in badminton is played directly using the shuttlecock without having to bounce first.

That's the information related to pickleball vs badminton. Visit VOI.id for other interesting information.