While there are hundreds and hundreds of racket sports vying to be the top racket sport in the world, its hard to argue against the fact that Tennis gets the most attention. But right behind tennis are two racket sports that almost everyone has at least heard of at this point – Badminton and Pickleball. While the sports are very similar in many ways, perhaps the most similar is the court that they are played on. Each has the same overall dimensions of 44 feet long by 20 feet wide. However, while the size is the same, there are a few very important differences to highlight, and here we will discuss the similarities and difference of a Pickleball court vs Badminton court.
Pickleball Court vs Badminton Court: Key Differences
Indoor vs Outdoor
The official game of badminton is played indoors. Outdoor badminton is more of a Niche sport called Air Badminton that uses a different shuttlecock, and the official game of badminton that is played worldwide is played on an indoor climate controlled court. Pickleball on the other hand is can be played on both indoor and outdoor courts, similar to a Tennis court.
Net
A badminton net is much taller than a Pickleball net. From the center of the net, Pickleball nets are 3 feet high (36 inches / .914 meters). Standard Badminton net height measures 5’1” from the center (61 inches / 1.524 meters) from the center.
Lines
Badminton courts’ lines on the other hand are a bit more complicated. Depending upon whether it is doubles or singles, the size of the court will change. Badminton in similar to tennis in this respect, where the court widens to 20 feet wide for doubles and shrinks to 17 feet wide for singles. There are also different serving areas in badminton depending upon whether it is doubles or singles, as the area gets smaller in singles. On the other hand, a Pickleball court’s area of play stays the same between singles and doubles. Players serve from behind the backline, as opposed to having an area within the court that players will serve from. Another caveat to note is that there are restrictions in Pickleball for play within the area right in front of the net, known as “the kitchen”.
Pickleball Court vs Badminton Court: Key Similarities
Event though there are key difference in pickleball courts vs badminton courts, their respective courts are more similar than different. Pickleball courts have the same dimensions as a doubles Badminton Court. Also, given that Badminton doubles court size and and Pickleball court are the same, both nets have the same length.