5 Reasons You Should Give Pickleball A Shot

So, you might have heard of the sport that has been sweeping across the nation. Itʻs got a weird name. Tennis snobs hate it. Yup, itʻs called pickleball. 

Most people think of the game as an old person sport and Iʻm here to tell you that youʻre right. Totally right. It definitely is. When you play doubles you donʻt have to move as much, the paddle makes it really easy to hit the ball, the ball canʻt go toooo fast. It checks all the boxes. 

However, what you probably didnʻt know was just how much fun it can be. Yes, I said it. Pickleball is fun. I like it a lot. If you never tried it, I could understand why you might not think it could be all that grand, but you should give it a shot. What do you have to lose? 

Or maybe youʻre thinking…wait, what do I have to gain? Well, I have a couple reasons you should try - so here it is: why you should give pickleball a shot. By me.

Reason #1: Itʻs easy to learn

Pickleball is not like tennis. Iʻm not saying there isnʻt a learning curve because there is. Itʻs just not as steep. Most people can pick it up on their first go. If my grandma can do it, you should be able to as well. 

If you have any eye-hand coordination, picking up the game should be a piece of cake. Pickleball uses a paddle (smaller than a tennis racket, bigger than a ping pong paddle) and a wiffle ball. After a few rallies, youʻll be sure to get the hang out of it. As a volleyball player, I love the overhead hit since it resembles a hit or spike. Definitely one of my favorite parts.

There are a few rules that you have to remember, but itʻs all pretty simple. If youʻd like to get into it, here is a short and sweet video that explains the game.

Reason #2: Pickleball people are the friendliest people on earth

My friend and I just walked up to an open play at the courts on a random day and the nicest man (Stefan) took us under his wing. Within 5 minutes, we were on the court playing with two strangers we had never met. 

As a shy, introvert, there is nothing worse than that awkward feeling of not knowing what to do in social situation and having nobody to help you. Stefan was a godsend. 

But this wasnʻt just a one time thing. The pickleball community is so nice! Another guy offered my friend and I some powerades from his cooler as if we were family friends. Thatʻs as nice as it gets at 1pm in the afternoon. 

The pickleball community is tight and itʻs almost like a little get together at every open play. As a beach volleyball athlete, it is a breath of fresh air since this is not usually the case on the sand courts :/. 

I would even recommend pickleball to someone who is just trying to meet new people. Itʻs a great place to start. 

Reason #3: A good opportunity to flex your competitive muscles 

Donʻt let the friendly community fool you, pickleball still has some cut throat competition. Who doesnʻt want to win? Perhaps you are a retired athlete or you just love the spirit of competition, this is a great outlet to push yourself and compete in a new way. 

I was surprised how competitive I got when I started playing and it is especially fun to play against your friends… so you can crush them. If youʻre angry with someone, this could be a good way to hash it out :)

Reason #4: You could become Pro!

This is not to degrade professional pickleball players since becoming a pro in any sport requires time and practice, but you could (technically) do it! There is professional pickleball. And word on the street is, they can make more than beach volleyball players… such good news. I even contemplated giving it all up - itʻs that fun. But then I came back to my senses. I donʻt play beach volleyball for the money (ha ha). 

Tournaments are held all over the United States and some of the payouts look great! You can check out this website that lists most of the tournaments here. The main hubs for pickleball seem to be Arizona and Florida. The sport is definitely growing and there may be a chance for you to become a professional athlete after all.

Reason #5: itʻs addictingly fun and gets you off your a**

You rarely hear of a person who just plays pickleball once every week or so. There is no moderate player. You are either in or out. My mom found pickleball and plays 4-5x per week! And thatʻs common.

Sheʻs addicted. Like so many other Americans. There is just something about the game that keeps you coming back for more. 

And thatʻs a great thing because we need to get off our lazy butts! This is such a great way to get some physical activity in because itʻs actually fun to do. 

So, there it is! My top five reasons why you should go out and play some pickleball right now. If you live in Hawaiʻi and want to find somewhere to play, you can check out Oahu Pickleball Association. You can find their open play days and times on their Meetup page here. They have free play multiple times a week and you can just bring your paddle and show up. 

If you donʻt know where to start, I always just google “pickleball (city where I live)” and you should be able to find something. Or facebook groups, meetup, etc. Once you give it a try, I swear youʻll see what Iʻm talking about. 

Stay outta kitchen and Iʻll see ya on the courts!