Racket sports and the age old recess game of 4 square have been having a secret love affair in the recent years. Pickleball is no exception. In the midst of the USA’s pickleball fever, 4 square pickleball has emerged as a unique niche racket sport that is just as fun (if not more) than traditional pickleball when you have 4+ friends to play with.
What is 4 Square Pickleball?
Four-square pickleball is the combination of the increasingly popular sport of Pickleball and Four square. Pickleball is a game similar to tennis that is played on a considerably smaller court with paddles and a wiffleball. It has grown exponentially in popularity in the last 5-10 years here in the USA and continues to grow due to its accessible nature.
Alternatively, four-square is a recess game played mostly by elementary school children. 4-square takes after its name quite literally, as the game is played on a hard surface where the court is 4 equal squares stacked 2×2 to make a large square. You can play with 4 or more players. In 4-square, 1 player stands in each square and bounces that ball into each other’s squares by hitting the ball once with your hand. After a player hits the ball, the ball has to bounce in one of your opponents squares. If the ball bounces more than once, the player is out, and players advance to a higher rated square. The goal of the game is to eliminate each player so that you are the last person “alive” in the top rated square.
Mainly, what 4-square Pickleball does is replace the hit the ball with their hand with a Paddle and a Pickleball. Instead of a smaller square court with lines drawn on the surface, there is a square Pickleball court with a net that looks like an addition symbol. Rules for 4 square Pickleball can be found here.
What you will need to play 4 Square Pickleball
To play 4 square Pickleball, you will need a 4 Square Pickleball set. The best one we know of can be purchased from Triumph Sports (non-affiliate link) for about $120. Once you get this set, you will need 3 other players including yourself, and enough space to play. A 4-square Pickleball court measures 20 feet by 20 feet, so if you find a space on a hard playing surface at an empty basketball court, tennis court or city park that measures about 25 by 25 feet you will be good to go.
Conclusion
4 square Pickleball is simply the combination of 4-square and Pickleball. You can play with 4 or more players and the game actually has a small following. You can buy a 4 square pickleball set and play tomorrow just like you can regular Pickleball.