The pickleball craze is catching, are you up to speed?

We won't blame you if you are unaware of Pickleball.

But we would advise you to get updated soonest, for this weirdly named but super cool game is getting wildly popular all over the country.

Before we get into its antecedents, here's a bit of what Pickleball is. It's a hybrid of three sports - ping pong, tennis and badminton, is played on a court that resembles a badminton court and is played with paddles and a perforated ball. It's easy on the knees and is termed a great cardiac exercise. It's also a great way to bond with friends and family on lazy weekends.

Got you interested? Here's more.

Pickleball was invented by a group of bored fathers in 1965 in Saint Barington, near Seattle, Washington. The game travelled to India only in 2007, when a lawn tennis enthusiast Sunil Walavalkar, brought the sport to these shores.

What started with just 10 enthusiasts in Mumbai, is now a popular game played by over 800. India has twice won the gold medal in international events for this sport and has three national level champions.

A pickleball court? Right here in Goregaon

Pickleball fans in the Mangal Krupa Society in Goregaon have set up their own pickleball court. The IAPA has now initiated a drive to increase pickleball awareness in schools and colleges in the city by organising pickleball demos.

For more, there's always http://www.aipa.co.in/

Ten years ago, the game was being played only in Mumbai. Today, it is being played in over 20 states. Pickleball is very easy to play, as it combines the best of lawn tennis, table tennis and badminton. There is no age bar. The game is played with paddles that resemble those used in table tennis and a perforated plastic ball. The court resembles a badminton court, but the game rules follow those of lawn tennis.

So, what are you waiting for?