By Justin Ma, 7x US Junior National Badminton Champion.
Last updated August 17, 2024
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5 min read
Badminton vs pickleball: What is really better?
If you struggle to compare the two sports or determine which is the right sport for you, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, you’ll discover:
If you’re new here, I’m Justin Ma, a 7x US Junior National Badminton Champion, and 8-year professional badminton player.
As a quick overview:
| Aspect | Badminton | Pickleball |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Lightweight racquet and shuttlecock. | Played with a paddle and a plastic ball. |
| Physical Difficulty | More physically demanding. Faster pace, higher net, and requires more stamina, strength, and agility. | Slower pace, lower net. Requires less stamina and strength. |
| Learning Curve | More difficult to learn due to greater technical skill and agility requirements. | Easier to learn. Slower pace and simpler rules make it more accessible for beginners. |
| Competition | Badminton has been an Olympic sport since 1992 with a well-established competitive circuit (BWF). | Pickleball has competitive circuits and tournaments but is not an Olympic sport. Less established than badminton. |
Let’s dive right in:
Badminton and pickleball are both considered racquet sports. Similar to tennis, squash, table tennis – racquet sports are played with a racquet – and a fast-moving object.
That’s why badminton and pickleball are actually more similar than different:
In short: Both badminton and pickleball are great overall sport choices. But… how are they different?
The first thing that is immediately obvious is that the racquet and the fast-moving object (e.g. the ‘ball’) are different.
While this might look like a trivial difference, the equipment used in each sport significantly impacts the gameplay and strategy:
As a fun fact, the shuttlecock is the fastest-recorded object in sports.
It moves, on average, 1.9x faster than a tennis ball. And, on average, 5.2x faster than the ball in pickleball.
The fastest recorded smash in badminton was 493km/h. The fastest pickleball hit (male) is 60 mph (95.56 km/h).
The badminton court and the pickleball court have the same size!
That’s why it’s possible to play pickleball on a badminton court. But just remember that the layout might need to be adjusted.
As you can see in the illustration above, the badminton court layout is not the same as the pickleball court layout.
Also, the pickleball net is generally lower:
As a result, the badminton net is almost 1.8x higher than the pickleball net!
As a fun fact: In Europe, badminton courts are frequently converted to pickleball courts during off-hours so that fans of both sports can maximize their game time.
As a cheatsheet for both pickleball and badminton court dimensions and net sizes:
| Dimension | Badminton Court | Pickleball Court |
|---|---|---|
| Court Length | 44 feet (13.4 meters) | 44 feet (13.4 meters) |
| Court Width | 20 feet (6.1 meters) for doubles, 17 feet (5.18 meters) for singles | 20 feet (6.1 meters) |
| Net Height | 5 feet (1.55 meters) at the center, 5 feet 1 inch (1.55 meters) at the posts | 34 inches (0.86 meters) at the center, 36 inches (0.91 meters) at the posts |
| Service Area | Divided into four equal sections, each 10 feet (3.05 meters) long by 10 feet wide | Divided into two equal sections, each 15 feet (4.57 meters) long by 10 feet wide |
| Non-Volley Zone | None | 7 feet (2.13 meters) from the net on both sides (commonly known as the “kitchen”) |
Badminton is definitely more difficult than pickleball.
Pickleball is much slower than badminton. This requires both less stamina, strength and burns less calories.
If you’re looking for a sport that keeps you fit, both pickleball and badminton are great choices. If you’re looking for a sport that challenges you mentally and physically, and makes you fit – then badminton is the right choice for you.
Pickleball is easier to learn than badminton. This is due to its slower pace of playing again.
Badminton on the other hand, requires greater technical skill and agility. This can be a barrier for the players that are completely new to the sport, or players that are significantly out of shape.
Badminton has been a fixed stable in the Olympics since 1992. Pickleball is not in the Olympics.
Badminton has a more established competitive circuit, with the BWF (Badminton World Federation) as the international competition authority.
While pickleball has competitive circuits and tournaments at various levels as well, ranging from local to international events, badminton is the more competitive sport.
In short: If you want to make it far in a sport – and you yourself love that healthy competition (like me) – then badminton is the right fit for you.
But if you just love playing a sport in your free time, then this shouldn’t impact your consideration.
Badminton and pickleball are two popular racquet sports with distinct rules and gameplay.
Understanding the differences between the two sports can help players choose the right sport for their skill level and playing style.
Both sports offer numerous health and fitness benefits, as well as opportunities for socialization and competition.
I’ve tried to make this article, comparing badminton and pickleball, as comprehensive as possible. However, there might still be many more pressing questions you have top of mind to make a good decision – whether or not to go for badminton or pickleball.
Here are the most commonly asked ones:
Experienced badminton players have a leg up on the competition when starting pickleball. However, the transition from badminton to pickleball requires adjustments to the slower pace and different equipment.
Having said that, badminton players can leverage their existing skills, such as wrist motion and shot selection, to excel in pickleball quickly.
Yes, pickleball is generally considered to be one of the easiest sports to learn. It’s a slow-paced sport, with the plastic ball moving almost 5x slower than the shuttlecock in badminton.
As such, it’s a great sport to start with as a beginner. However, it’s not the best sport to stay with longer term as you want physical activities to challenge you mentally and physically.
Pickleball belongs to the family of racket sports.
As such, it’s similar to:
So if you love playing pickleball, the next best sport to try out, is one of the above. In my opinion, your best choice is badminton.
