Pickleball is now all the rage as an active, exhilarating new sport.
It is ping pong supersized to a ground level court, smaller than a tennis court at 20 feet wide by 44 feet long, further reduced by a seven-foot non-volley-zone (NVZ) on each side of the net, where you are not permitted to tread and “spike” the ball from the air—a rule added with the help of the American Orthopedic Association.
The non-volley-zone is called the kitchen. No one knows why. It can only be told if you give the secret Masonic handshake. If you enter into the kitchen to hit a volley, you lose a point. Even if your cap or shoe accidentally slips off into the kitchen, you lose a point. You may even suspend your shoe from play for the remainder.
You can enter the kitchen only to strike a ball that lands in the kitchen. And then you must quickly exit the kitchen during play with or without your shoe.
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.