Can You Play Pickleball Without a Net?

It is your choice.

Yes!

You heard me right. It totally depends on you whether you want to play with or without a net. But I don’t suggest pickleball without a net (to learn more about pickleball nets, read here). Let us go ahead and find out why you only go for a pickleball match with a net.

Can You Play Pickleball Without a Net?

I would like to answer you clearly. But first, you should go through some basic things you need to play pickleball.

If you are an advanced pickleball player, you should know the importance of the essential things required to kickstart pickleball. However, you must have a good idea even if you are a beginner.

Among these essential items, a paddle, net, and ball are the most crucial things you must need to start playing pickleball.

From their essentiality, you should know that if you have a paddle, a ball, and a net, you don’t have to look for other things to play pickleball.

Below I have mentioned these 3 essential things in detail.

1. Ball

First of all, the crucial thing you need to start pickleball is the ball. It is pretty obvious to understand its importance, even if you are a newbie to pickleball.

You do not need a hard fast ball or something very complicated. All you need is a plastic ball with a large number of holes.

Also, it does not weigh too much because it is somewhat 0.9-1 ounce. It is nothing to handle for a longer duration, even regularly.

So, I hope now you have clearly understood that you can’t play pickleball without the utmost crucial thing.

2. Paddle

Now let us discuss the second crucial thing required to start playing pickleball.

Accordingly, the pickleball paddle holds the second position in the list of the basic things for pickleball. So, besides a ball, you need a racket-type tool to start playing.

This racket may be composed of graphite, polymer, or any other construction material. But the most common are the 2 materials I mentioned earlier.

Hence irrespective of the material, the pickleball paddle weighs approximately 7-8.5 ounces.

As per my experience, it is manageable to carry for long. But overall, it depends on your carrying capacities as well. If you don’t have the standard pickleball paddle, you can go for any of its substitutes, like a notebook or any hard thing. But it should be something solid to hit the ball accurately.

In short, besides a ball without a proper paddle, you can’t play pickleball.

3. Net

Hey! Hold on because here comes the detailed answer to the central question of this article.

I hope you know pickleball is played on a 22×44 inches court and a 22×36 inches net.

If yes, you should also know the importance of the net in pickleball. It is something fundamental you need to place in between the court for starting the play.

In short, from the above 3 crucial things, you should know that you can’t play pickleball without a net.

Other Player’s Points of View

Meanwhile, you got to hear different viewpoints from your senior players, companions, or coaches. It is pretty natural! Because nobody has the same mindset.

That is why most of them may tell you that pickleball is possible without a net besides other essential items.

Honestly, I have seen some players playing pickleball without a net. Although it is crucial, they still played exceptionally well with just a paddle and ball.

So, you can also go for it. But I don’t recommend it for competitive play.

That is why when it comes to my suggestion, I would say you can’t play pickleball without a net.

Yes!

Everybody has their thoughts and experiences. Therefore, you can accept my recommendation because I have been in pickleball for over 5 years. And in this duration, I several times felt like playing without a net.

But all in vain because how I could decide 2 equal sides of an accurate distance?

Also, it is only possible to dictate the directions throughout the play with a net. That is why I don’t recommend playing pickleball without a net. But it is your choice. If you want to give it a try, you can go and try your luck.

Final Thoughts

The short answer to can you play pickleball without a net is no. Besides a ball and paddle, you need a net to play pickleball properly.