It’s pretty simple: When you play pickleball, you use a pickleball. These specially designed balls are made with the game’s style of play and the other equipment used on the court in mind. Pickleballs evolved from whiffleballs, which are similar but distinct in a few key ways. For example, the perforations on a wiffle ball are limited to one side of the ball, affecting how it moves when hit. The limited placement of those holes is great for simulating curveballs, but aren’t as desirable for a racket sport like pickleball.