Why is pickleball exploding in popularity?

It’s no surprise that pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in America. Any age group can pick up a paddle and start playing since learning the game is easy. You don’t need to be in shape or a great athlete to have fun on the court. This post will go over why pickleball is exploding in popularity.

Easy to learn

Pickleball is easy to learn. The hand-eye coordination is easier than tennis because the pace of place is much slower. While the professionals are certainly banging the ball around, your average player isn’t hitting a ball you can’t get to. There is plenty of time to move your feet and at least get your paddle on the ball.

Serving doesn’t require hours of private lessons just to hit the ball over the net. Anyone can learn the serve after a little bit of practice. The hard part is getting used to how light the ball is and how hard you need to hit it to get it over the net.

Players don’t need to learn different grips to hit a certain shot. The “continental grip”, or the shake-hand grip, can be used to hit every shot if a player chooses to do so. In tennis, there are different grips when hitting certain shots. Switching grips from the forehand to the backhand in tennis requires practice and repitition. In pickleball, you don’t need to worry about changing grips when the ball is coming over the net.

While pickleball is easy to pick up, there is definitely a learning curve when it comes to keeping track of the score. 5-7-2… what does that even mean? The first number refers to the serving team’s score, the second number is the returning teams score, and the thrid number keeps track of which team member is serving. Check out this article for an in depth look on how to keep track of the score in pickleball.

Pickleball has less injuries

Compared to tennis, you’re less likely to get injured playing pickleball, and there may even be health benefits to go along with it. A lot of recreational tennis players have experienced tennis elbow. Tennis elbow typically comes from paying too much and squeezing the racquet to tight. Pickleball paddles are much lighter and you rarely hit the ball as hard as you can.

Shoulder injuries are common for tennis players and baseball players because of all of the throwing and serving. Pickleball also doesn’t require as many overhead movements. Everyone loves hitting a hard overhead smash at the net, but pickleball players try very hard to keep the ball low and below shoulder height.

Rolling your ankle isn’t a high risk injury in pickleball because the court is so much smaller. You don’t have to go on a full sprint to get to a ball and side to side movement is less strenuous. You can still have a bad sprain playing pickleball, but the game is more about patience than athleticism.

Pickleball is fun for all ages

While the average age of pickleball players continues to decrease, it has had the reputation of being a game for seniors. If you’re in Florida or Arizona in the winter months, many of the pickleball players are retirement age. This has a lot to do with the percentage of retired people who live in both Arizona and Florida, but they really do enjoy the game! Pickleball is a low impact outdoor activity that is easy to learn and a great way to make friends.

Kids are also starting to get interested in pickleball. This has a lot to do with their parents or grandparents who have recently started to play. Pickleball can be a great family activity that includes children, parents and even grandparents. School pickleball teams aren’t really a thing just yet, but some colleges and universities do have intramural games.

Pickleball is addicting

Pickleball might be one of the most addicting games ever invented. Many people you run into on the courts wtill tell you that pickleball is the most exercise they’ve gotten in years or even decades. Its also not uncommon to hear about someone who got hooked playing pickleball one weekend and now its their favorite activity. You may have even heard of someone who loves the game so much they ended up building a court in their backyard.

Playing quick games to 11 also keeps things interesting, but mounting a comeback is extremely exciting. All it takes is getting back on serve and holding for a few points to turn the game around. An obviously weaker team can still be competitive since the rules lead to longer points, where the more patient and strategic team can end up victorious.

Many communities are adding pickleball lines and free standing nets to the tennis courts, and some are even converting one or all of the tennis courts to multiple pickleball courts. Tennis players aren’t thrilled about this, but many courts unfortunately sit vacant since competitive players go to tennis specific facilities.

Easy to improve

Pickleball might be the easiest sport to get started as a beginner, but you can also improve quickly. Going from a beginner to an intermediate can take months instead of years, especially if you spend enough time on the court. Your technique isn’t necessarily limited by your athletic ability. While being more athletic than average doesn’t hurt, more practice can overcome athletic ability.

Being a smarter player than your opponent can also help you improve quickly. If you have the patience to keep the ball in play and keep your unforced errors to a minimum you can win more matches. You can apply those same lessons to pickleball strategy. Hitting high percentage shots, playing balls down the middle, and having a strong consistent serve can make you great player.

Mastering a few key shots like the return and the “dink” can also help you level up quickly. Being able to nuetralize an offensive shot with a well placed dink can bring a team back in the point and change the momentum of the game. Improving the serve is also a great way to be more competitive. Serving underhand levels the playing field and prevents stronger players from hitting aces and difficult to return serves. That’s not to say you can’t learn how to hit a serve with more power or different speeds, but its not like trying to return a serve from Roger Federer.

Conclusion

Pickleball is taking recreational sports by storm, especially in terms of growth. This is one of the first sports where an older demographic is really leading the charge, bringing in younger players each year. Millions of people have played pickleball at some level, which is no small feat. It’s popularity is sure to continue as the grass roots game has grown from pure love of the game.