SHIZUOKA - Japan's largest pickleball facility has opened in Higashiizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, with 20 courts available by reservation as the town seeks to establish itself as a leading destination for the fast-growing sport.
An opening ceremony was held on July 20 at Izu Resort Villa in the Inatori district of Higashiizu, featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony, demonstrations by professional players and opportunities for visitors to try the game.
"We will work to make this a sacred destination for pickleball in the future," said Yasushi Miyazaki, representative director of Izu Bio Park.
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis. It is played with solid paddles and a hollow plastic ball perforated with holes, which moves more slowly than a tennis ball and makes it easier for beginners to maintain rallies.
A regulation court measures 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, the same dimensions as a badminton doubles court and considerably smaller than a tennis court. The net is slightly lower than a tennis net, standing 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches at the center.
The sport can be played as singles or doubles, although doubles is the more common format. Players serve underhand or with a drop serve, sending the ball diagonally into the opponent's service court.
After the serve, the receiving team must allow the ball to bounce before returning it, and the serving team must also let that return bounce before striking it. Once this "two-bounce rule" has been completed, players may hit the ball either before or after it bounces.
A seven-foot area on either side of the net is known as the non-volley zone, commonly called the "kitchen." Players are not allowed to volley the ball while standing in the zone, preventing them from dominating play directly beside the net.
Traditional pickleball games are generally played to 11 points, with a team required to win by two. Under the standard side-out scoring system, only the serving side can score, although rally scoring, in which a point is awarded after every rally, has been adopted in some professional and team competitions.
The game was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island in the U.S. state of Washington. Joel Pritchard, who later served as a member of Congress and lieutenant governor of Washington, developed it with businessman Bill Bell and Barney McCallum as a backyard activity for their families.
They improvised with a badminton court, table tennis paddles and a perforated plastic ball before gradually developing rules and purpose-built equipment. The origin of the name remains disputed, with one account linking it to the term "pickle boat," referring to a crew assembled from leftover rowers, and another attributing it to a family dog named Pickles.
The first permanent pickleball court was built in 1967, and the first known tournament was held in Washington state in 1976. A formal national organization was established in the United States in 1984, the same year the first official rulebook was published.
The sport initially developed largely as a recreational activity, particularly among older players because of its smaller court, moderate pace and relatively low physical barrier to entry. It later spread to younger age groups, schools, fitness clubs and professional athletes as competition became faster and more technically demanding.
Professional players now use powerful serves, rapid exchanges at the net and carefully placed soft shots known as "dinks," which are intended to land in the opponent's kitchen. Other common tactics include lobs, drives and the "third-shot drop," a soft return designed to give the serving team time to advance toward the net.
Pickleball's growth has produced professional tours, team leagues and international tournaments. The Professional Pickleball Association Tour stages singles, doubles and mixed doubles competitions featuring many of the sport's leading players, while Major League Pickleball uses a team format with male and female players representing city-based franchises.
Major League Pickleball's 2026 season features 20 teams competing through regular-season events, a midseason tournament and playoffs. Matches include men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, followed in some cases by a singles tiebreak format known as the DreamBreaker.
International competition is also expanding. The Pickleball World Cup brings together national teams, while governing organizations are developing continental championships, ranking systems and common international rules. More than 60 international teams were expected to participate in the 2025 World Cup in Florida.
Pickleball is not part of the Olympic Games, and it is not scheduled to appear at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. International organizations are nevertheless working to unify the sport's administration and expand the number of recognized national federations as part of a longer-term effort to seek Olympic recognition.
The opening of the Higashiizu complex reflects the sport's increasing presence in Asia, where professional events, clubs and recreational facilities have been established in countries including Japan, Australia, India, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The 20 courts at Izu Resort Villa are available through advance reservations, providing space for recreational play, training camps and potentially larger tournaments as Higashiizu seeks to build a reputation as a center for pickleball in Japan.
Source: SBSnews6
