It is structurally most similar to tennis (there is a racket, a ball and a net and you score by making the other team/person miss the ball) – but there are a few unusual differences:

1. No Overhead serves
   Unlike tennis where serves are hit overhead (in a smashing motion) and they can be extremely fast (the fastest serving men’s players on the ATP tour can hit 160mph (250km/h) first serves) – in Pickleball the serves must be underhand with an upward motion.
   The maximum speed is approximately 60mph (100km/h) so precision is often more important than speed.
2. No Second serves
   There is only serve per person (in doubles this means your team gets two serves)
3. TWO bounce rule
   You cannot volley the ball ANYWHERE on the court until the ball has bounced on the ground twice.
   This is why instead of tennis’ serve+volley game – Pickleball can sometimes be return+volley.
   
   
4. Kitchen-rule (No-Volley-Zone)
   Even if the ball has bounced twice (see above rule) you can NEVER volley the ball while any part of your body is in the kitchen (the area very close to the net).
   This rule applies even AFTER you hit the ball and momentum carries your body forwards.
   
   
5. You can only score on your serve
   If you win a point on your serve – then you get a point.
   But if you lose a point on your serve – you lose your serve.
   You keep serving until you lose a point.

6. Games are short
   You play until 11 – win by 2 points.
   (there are very special case when you play until 15 in tournaments – but almost all normal play is until 11)
   

For a detailed list of rules see this link

All three of these sports are racket sports played with a ball and a net. However padel and pickleball are mostly doubles (with some singles) whereas tennis is mostly singles (with some doubles)

A padel court is smaller than a tennis court (about half the size) and a pickleball court is even smaller.

Padel uses small hard rackets with holes and the same balls as tennis but slightly lower pressure.

Pickleball uses smaller composite paddles (no holes) and hard plastic balls.

In Pickleball – the ball moves slightly more slowly when you hit it very hard but requires extremely fast reflexes at high levels of gameplay.

If you have experience in tennis or padel – you will find the transition to pickleball very easy.
If you do not have ANY experience in racket sports – Pickleball is the easiest to learn and the most accessible.

Pickleball is also unique because due to the mix of fast and slow play – players of different levels can still enjoy themselves when playing recreationally.

This is the fastest learning curve you have ever experienced in ANY sport.

It is easy to start with enduring intrigue as you advance through the levels. It is very rare to find a sport that is as fun for beginners as it is for experts.

You can start playing a basic game within 30 minutes of instruction.

Of course you will not be able to perform expert moves – but you will have FUN immediately.

Everyone.

This is one of the most inclusive and accessible things about Pickleball.

It can be played (and enjoyed) by people from age 6 to 96.

Of course if you are a capable athlete you might be able to progress faster to advanced gameplay/tactics/techniques – but even at beginner and intermediate level the game is very enjoyable.

While it is possible to play singles Pickleball (with 1 player vs. 1 player) the most common way to play Pickleball is doubles, specifically mixed doubles.

In doubles – 4 people play simultaneously (2 vs 2) but the games are very quick (they are played until 11 points)

Because the games are quick – when played recreationally so-called OPEN PLAY is a common method of mixing up teams – you  just place your paddle near the net of any court where a game is in progress – and you are now NEXT in line to play.

You can do this as a single individual and you will be assigned a partner when the game is finished.

This is very important – because a single tennis court over a period of (for example) 2 hours – can usually accomodate 2-4 people maximum.

That same amount of space can make 4 pickleball courts – with a total of 16 people playing at any one time – but due to the quick games 30-40 people can happily participate and enjoy themselves.