Introduction to Pickleball

Introduction to Pickleball

My husband and I started with a Learn to Play at our local recreation centre. I highly recommend anyone thinking about playing pickleball to take a Learn to Play.

We bought a basic paddle set. Click here to learn about the paddles we used.

It might seem overwhelming at first, especially the scoring. I still get it messed up sometimes and that is after two years. Understanding the basic rules, where to stand, where, how and who to serve to are similar to tennis, but the scoring is definitely not. Some programs offer more in depth Learn to Play but we only took the two hour version then jumped right in.

Having some tennis background really helped with the paddle (not racket) and ball coordination as well as serving underhand. We started out with one game a week. There was such a huge learning curve for us. The wealth of information available on the internet was mind boggling, however Youtube videos for beginners are plentiful. I found some favourites that my husband and I watched over and over until we figured out the scoring.

PLAY, PLAY, PLAY. At the beginning we only played indoors – in fact we didn’t play outside until we had been playing over 8 months. The programs at the local rec centre gave us just enough opportunity to get a basic handle on the scoring and game play. Our competitive nature proved an asset as far as improving our abilities at the game.

We a;so set up some practice equipment at home that helped us develop our ball placement, feel for the ball and improved our dinking timing. Click here for more information on practice equipment.

Once I started playing the desire to have outfits that matched the sport was born. Skorts were the first item of every outfit and the beginning of a love affair with pickleball attire.

My pickleball outfits have evolved into a complete system with every piece having it’s purpose and each outfit color coordinated. Click here to check out my outfits.