Who's up for pickleball? Zero-zero-two. Game On!

[LadyGeek]

So last November, I join Meetup. Very long story short, I found pickleball was hooked from the start. I'm very competitive and in good shape. Except for my knee which is now slightly mucked up due to arthritis and improper weight training. I'm fine, but it's currently limiting me to non-impact sports. The details are in this post.

I'm playing 2 hours every day and have worked my way up from absolute newbie to almost an advanced level. Based on the USA Pickleball Association's Definition of Player Skill Ratings, I'm somewhere between 3.5 - 4.0, so call it 3.7. This is based on my own interpretation of my skills.

Yes, I was playing through the winter with temperatures hovering near +10 deg F.

The complete rules and everything you need to know is on the official pickleball site: USA Pickleball Association

When I first started playing, it took me a few weeks to understand the scoring. Now, it makes sense.

What I find amusing is that no one can remember their score. At the beginner level, OK. At the advanced level, we still can't remember it. Perhaps the experienced members can remember it better, but we still lose track.

I still can't get over how many people playing pickleball with knee, hip, or other joint problems. Lots of players are wearing knee braces. I introduce myself and describe my knee problem. They then say "I had one (or both) knees replaced", "Got my hip replaced", or some other combination. I felt like a newbie and stopped complaining about "only" one slightly mucked up knee.

Is this a limitation? Not by any stretch of the imagination. I get beat by players in their 70s (and one guy in his 80s). Male or female, it doesn't matter.

I also see tennis players playing pickleball because their doctor said they couldn't play tennis any more. So, they play pickleball instead.

This is the only sport where you feel good when you lose. There's lots of social interaction which makes this game even more fun to play.

I see pickleball mentioned quite a bit in this forum (including me). So, what's everyone doing?

[JoeRetire]

I see pickleball mentioned quite a bit in this forum (including me). So, what's everyone doing?

I play every weekday for at least 2 hours. In good weather, we play outdoors. In bad weather we play indoors. Today we played in 20 mph winds. THat was wild.

I'll be playing in a tournament in July. That was a lot of fun last year when we played in a tournament for the first time, but this year we hope to get a medal.

It's a lot of fun, good friends, good exercise, and a nice way to get in some competition.

I'm currently using a Gearbox GX5 paddle. I like it a lot.

[Colorado Guy]

I picked it up this year, starting in January. Yes, very fun and social at the same time. One of my friends recently purchased a Lobster as well, and THAT is intense training, hitting a hundred balls in only a few minutes. It definitely can get you moving.

This winter I was playing on indoor courts several times a week, but the recreation center is slowly transitioning to outdoor courts with the weather changes. This summer I hope to be able to play twice a week, as there is hiking, bicycling, and golf to compete for available free time.

Interestingly, the rec ctr is having a "Dinkaroo" contest next week, where the entire game is dinking, and from the kitchen line. Should be fun.

[LadyGeek]

I'm currently using a Niupipo graphite paddle. Since I never played before, I just got the one that was popular on Amazon. I got the older model for $40, as the newer version of the same product was $60 at the time.

I'm also finding that everyone prefers the Franklin X-40 pickleballs (bright green). Those balls crack more easily in cold weather, but they perform well.

I've never played indoors. Yes, today was windy and we had to put sandbags on the portable nets.

I'm playing on a township-owned tennis court. The court is striped such that we can put a portable pickleball net on each side of the tennis net. The township provides locked storage bins for the nets and balls. We chip-in to buy the balls.

I'm finding that striping a tennis court net for pickleball is common everywhere. The only issue is that the tennis players don't like pickleball players taking over their court.

I should also mention that beginners do just fine playing with a tennis court net. At that level, the height difference (a few inches) doesn't matter. At the higher levels of play, it does.

[retired-early]

I’m new to Pickleball. Just started about a month ago and I’m hooked. Play 3 times a week and have seen huge improvement. Having good shoes, tennis not running, and a good paddle made a big difference. I have a Selkirk paddle, 30 day trial and lifetime warranty. It’s just right for me.

[LadyGeek]

^^^ Good point on the shoes. Proper shoes are critical, as the support is for side-to-side movement instead of running shoes which are front-to-back. You can't run in tennis shoes and vice versa.

I'm using Asics Dedicate 7 tennis court shoes.

I should also mention that I've seen several people get injured when they fell. Important: Never, ever attempt to run backwards. If you go for a ball behind you, turn around first and take a shot at it. It's not worth the point to to fall. (At least at a non-competitive level...)

I'm also limiting my running due to my knee. I won't go 100% effort to chase a ball. 95% effort, OK.

[TN_Boy]

So last November, I join Meetup. Very long story short, I found pickleball was hooked from the start. I'm very competitive and in good shape. Except for my knee which is now slightly mucked up due to arthritis and improper weight training. I'm fine, but it's currently limiting me to non-impact sports. The details are in this post.

I'm playing 2 hours every day and have worked my way up from absolute newbie to almost an advanced level. Based on the USA Pickleball Association's Definition of Player Skill Ratings, I'm somewhere between 3.5 - 4.0, so call it 3.7. This is based on my own interpretation of my skills.

Yes, I was playing through the winter with temperatures hovering near +10 deg F.

The complete rules and everything you need to know is on the official pickleball site: USA Pickleball Association

When I first started playing, it took me a few weeks to understand the scoring. Now, it makes sense.

What I find amusing is that no one can remember their score. At the beginner level, OK. At the advanced level, we still can't remember it. Perhaps the experienced members can remember it better, but we still lose track.

I still can't get over how many people playing pickleball with knee, hip, or other joint problems. Lots of players are wearing knee braces. I introduce myself and describe my knee problem. They then say "I had one (or both) knees replaced", "Got my hip replaced", or some other combination. I felt like a newbie and stopped complaining about "only" one slightly mucked up knee.

Is this a limitation? Not by any stretch of the imagination. I get beat by players in their 70s (and one guy in his 80s). Male or female, it doesn't matter.

I also see tennis players playing pickleball because their doctor said they couldn't play tennis any more. So, they play pickleball instead.

This is the only sport where you feel good when you lose. There's lots of social interaction which makes this game even more fun to play.

I see pickleball mentioned quite a bit in this forum (including me). So, what's everyone doing?

We started playing a few months ago and really like it. It's easier on you than tennis, but depending on your level and how hard you play, still a good workout. We almost always play doubles, which is pretty common. Sometimes we will play skinny singles, which is less work than regular singles and forces you to place the ball carefully.

And yes, it is amazing how hard it is to keep track of a fairly simple scoring system.....

I don't know how to self-evaluate based on the skill rating definitions. By those definitions I'd be 3.5 to 4.0, but I can't beat players at the 4.0 level. Maybe not at the 3.5 level, though that might be closer. The scoring system can't really take into account how fast you can move laterally, whether you can dig out a hard shot at your feet, etc. But it really doesn't matter. You can usually find a game with roughly similar players, or ideally, players a bit better.

I may try playing in a local 3 to 3.5 league later this year, and I would expect to be in the bottom half (but not very bottom ...) of such a league. You don't know how good you are at anything until you play it competitively. Although this game is well suited for older players, if you play someone young and fast with similar skills ... they will beat you. Just like in every other sport .

We definitely play with court shoes ... seen more than one person take a tumble wearing running shoes.

We have mid-priced paddles. I have a carbon-fiber paddle, which has a very nice feel around the net (to me), but doesn't give you quite as much speed as some other surfaces. We found a shop that let you borrow a couple of rackets for a week to see how they felt.

Having a ping-pong background, I tend to put a fair amount of spin on many shots. In fact, I use a ping-pong grip, which is not ideal, but I decided it was easier to stick with it than trying to learn differently.

Like a lot of beginner to intermediate players, I probably don't dink enough.... I want to put that shot away .... the third shot dink, or lack thereof, is a major weakness for me. But I am learning patience.

We play mostly outdoors -- in our area you can play outdoors all year round -- and sometimes indoors when rainy or very windy.

It's a lot of fun. And so, surprisingly *easy* on my knees. And pretty cheap to play! You buy a simple bag for paddle and balls, the paddle costs $50 to $150, some court shoes for less than $100 and you are set -- we have multiple free outdoor courts to play on in my area, spread across various municipal parks.

[highercall]

Love pickleball for all the reasons already given. Exercise, social and fun. Transitioned from tennis about 5 years ago. I co-teach at our local y, beginners and intermediate classes. Also give some private clinic lessons and looking into getting a certified coaching instructor certificate. Playing my first tournament in July at 4.0+ class. Paddle of choice is an Engage Elite Pro Maverick. Outdoor ball Franklin 40 X, Indoor ball Gamma. Trying to get local township to build 4-6 additional courts. We have 6 dedicated new pickleball courts that every morning attract approx. 30-40 players. I try to play 3-4 times a week although recently pulled a rib muscle that will keep me out for several weeks. Great sport.

[GoldenFinch]

I am addicted to Pickleball. I play indoors in the morning four days a week and outdoors at night whenever people are available. It is fun and the best part is the people. The weirdest thing is that some days I play really well and other days it’s like I don’t know how to hit the ball and I feel like an idiot.

[LadyGeek]

I don't know how to self-evaluate based on the skill rating definitions. By those definitions I'd be 3.5 to 4.0, but I can't beat players at the 4.0 level. Maybe not at the 3.5 level, though that might be closer. The scoring system can't really take into account how fast you can move laterally, whether you can dig out a hard shot at your feet, etc. But it really doesn't matter. You can usually find a game with roughly similar players, or ideally, players a bit better.

...Having a ping-pong background, I tend to put a fair amount of spin on many shots. In fact, I use a ping-pong grip, which is not ideal, but I decided it was easier to stick with it than trying to learn differently.

Like a lot of beginner to intermediate players, I probably don't dink enough.... I want to put that shot away .... the third shot dink, or lack thereof, is a major weakness for me. But I am learning patience.

Same here. I think we're at the same skill level. I have a strong ping-pong background and it's fairly obvious. It's quite easy to tell by the person's style of play whether they're coming from ping-pong or tennis. There are a few with squash and racquet ball backgrounds, but it's not common.

Consistently hitting the 3rd-shot dink is indeed the dividing line between the intermediate and advanced levels. I'll occasionally do that, but it's luck - not skill. The frustration just drives me to play more. Oh, and I've stopped counting how many times I set up for an easy shot and just plain miss.

[LadyGeek]

I have added this thread to the forum sticky Compendium of general consumer issues threads.

[carolc]

I’ve been playing for about 6 years now. It’s fun and social. We have 8 dedicated courts here. They are almost always busy. I did fall a couple of years ago (nothing serious) so I too don’t go 100% all the time anymore.

carolc

[sleepysurf]

I started playing table tennis and (indoor) pickleball at a local rec center a few months before the pandemic. However, the table tennis (spin focused) adversely affected my pickleball game, so I stopped playing the latter. Thus far, the rec center has not resumed table tennis, so I'll likely start pickleball again.

Perhaps the Bogleheads Conference next year should include a pickleball tournament. Rick Ferri has mentioned he's an avid player.

[tennisplyr]

I agree 100% with everything you’ve said. Been playing tennis for 40+ years and pickleball a few years. While I still prefer tennis, pb is more fun, relaxed, social, and easier on the body. Some of my serious tennis friends look down on pb players, too bad on them. EVERYONE has trouble remembering the score, I heard someone explain it as different parts of the brain process the score depending on if you serving, which side, receiving, etc. I could see playing pickleball more, just don’t have the time. PADDLE UP!

BTW, this is a neat site.

https://pickleballminute.com/

[Parkinglotracer]

Just started playing at our YMCA. Great fun. Hope to Continue playing more.

[TomatoTomahto]

I was just thinking about this last night, looking at our beautiful clay tennis court which is largely unused . . .

I think I’ll reach out to the guy who opens/closes the court to see how much effort it would be to replace it with pickleball. My wife and I started trying to learn tennis when we bought the house a few years ago, but frankly, learning tennis at age 70 is a tough road. The clay is good on our knees, but arthritis/health for both of us makes tennis tough (eg, an old frozen shoulder makes serving something I don’t even try).

My wife was thinking of turning the tennis court into a chicken coop, but I think pickleball would be better. How easy is it to play singles? We have some neighbors who might be available to play doubles.

[rockAction]

Something to consider for retirees or semi-retirees looking for some extra income: become a certified pickleball instructor! I got my certification through PPR (Professional Pickleball Registry), and it cost around $450. Given the rise of the game there is a heavy demand for certified instructors. I only started giving lessons a few months ago and already have about 15 clients. I usually give lessons in groups of 2 or 3, but give individual instruction as well. I'm also teaching classes and doing lessons for local park districts. It's a ton of fun, extremely rewarding, and the extra cash is really nice, too.

[MarkerFM]

I was just thinking about this last night, looking at our beautiful clay tennis court which is largely unused . . .

I think I’ll reach out to the guy who opens/closes the court to see how much effort it would be to replace it with pickleball. My wife and I started trying to learn tennis when we bought the house a few years ago, but frankly, learning tennis at age 70 is a tough road. The clay is good on our knees, but arthritis/health for both of us makes tennis tough (eg, an old frozen shoulder makes serving something I don’t even try).

My wife was thinking of turning the tennis court into a chicken coop, but I think pickleball would be better. How easy is it to play singles? We have some neighbors who might be available to play doubles.

My wife and I play skinny pickle when we don't have another couple. You serve cross court, then play the half of the court the ball is served to. Lots of fun. We have a court where we spend most of the year, and would love to put one in where we spend the rest of the time, but worry how the surface would fare with leaves sitting for a long time.

Would highly recommend anyone trying pickleball for the first time to wear court shoes. Running shoes don't have the support you need.

[jabberwockOG]

During the worst of Covid19 pandemic a friend and I started playing a lot of singles pickleball at our local outdoor courts.
Once C19 vaccines came and with Covid somewhat subsiding, we started playing with others - mostly doubles outside as well as some doubles inside. Doubles is a different game with significantly more strategy and positioning so that was a fun learning curve. Currently average 12-14 hours doubles play a week and loving it. I'd play a lot more but I get too sore - sporting OEM high mileage knees, feet, elbows, and shoulders.

The social aspect of the game is very nice. PB seems to draw a very nice crowd of people, wanting to compete and have fun, stay fit, but not too competitive.

As others have posted - take it easy and don't hurt yourself. Stretch and warm up before playing. Wear good quality tennis shoes and invest in a decent paddle. I have seen people tear muscles, damage knees, even break a bone falling down. Have fun but play within your limits, mobility, and age. Back off with beginners - make sure everyone has a good time. Above all don't take it too seriously - it's not about winning, it's supposed to be fun more than anything.

[RJC]

I am hooked on PB! Just recently bought a portable half net setup (Franklin) just to play in the neighborhood. It's picking up steam as more folks come out to see what it is all about.

I think I am about a 3.5-4. Can't wait to get better and play on a real court!

[LadyGeek]

...sporting OEM high mileage knees, feet, elbows, and shoulders.

Great way to phrase it.

OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer. Normally used for car parts, etc. but it works well here.

[OhBoyUhoh]

I love PB too, playing outdoors for about a year now. I thought I was 3.5, but a tournament last weekend made me reset to 3.0. Lost all 4 of my mathes, singles and doubles, not even that competitive. But it's all good and I have something to work towards, registered for another tournament after Labor Day. Have fun!

[MarkerFM]

I love PB too, playing outdoors for about a year now. I thought I was 3.5, but a tournament last weekend made me reset to 3.0. Lost all 4 of my mathes, singles and doubles, not even that competitive. But it's all good and I have something to work towards, registered for another tournament after Labor Day. Have fun!

You have to recognize that a lot of tournament players play down in levels to improve chances of winning.

[tm3]

Thread is apropos, as just learned of a "nice" pickleball facility less than 2 miles from where I live so I'm interested.

How would you all assess the level of workout? Clearly not the same as singles tennis, but comparable to ...... racquetball? Table tennis? Croquet? (kidding)

[tainted-meat]

I was just thinking about this last night, looking at our beautiful clay tennis court which is largely unused . . .

I think I’ll reach out to the guy who opens/closes the court to see how much effort it would be to replace it with pickleball. My wife and I started trying to learn tennis when we bought the house a few years ago, but frankly, learning tennis at age 70 is a tough road. The clay is good on our knees, but arthritis/health for both of us makes tennis tough (eg, an old frozen shoulder makes serving something I don’t even try).

My wife was thinking of turning the tennis court into a chicken coop, but I think pickleball would be better. How easy is it to play singles? We have some neighbors who might be available to play doubles.

Dang I'd love to have a clay court in my yard.

One thing to note in tennis is you don't have to play actual matches. You can rally to a defined number and feed the ball in instead of serving and hit cross court or play on one half of the court. Just a thought before you tear out that nice clay court !

[bondsr4me]

I am very curious about pickleball and will eventually try it at our local Y.
There are quite a few players there.
Some of them are like me; a previous (50 yrs) racquetball die hard.
I have osteoarthritis in knees and need to find a competitive sport.
On Monday, I had GreenLight procedure done on prostate; healing up now.
Once the doc gives me the okie-doke to return to full activity, it’s game on.

[TomatoTomahto]

I was just thinking about this last night, looking at our beautiful clay tennis court which is largely unused . . .

I think I’ll reach out to the guy who opens/closes the court to see how much effort it would be to replace it with pickleball. My wife and I started trying to learn tennis when we bought the house a few years ago, but frankly, learning tennis at age 70 is a tough road. The clay is good on our knees, but arthritis/health for both of us makes tennis tough (eg, an old frozen shoulder makes serving something I don’t even try).

My wife was thinking of turning the tennis court into a chicken coop, but I think pickleball would be better. How easy is it to play singles? We have some neighbors who might be available to play doubles.

Dang I'd love to have a clay court in my yard.

One thing to note in tennis is you don't have to play actual matches. You can rally to a defined number and feed the ball in instead of serving and hit cross court or play on one half of the court. Just a thought before you tear out that nice clay court !

It looks to be pretty easy to adjust the net lower and there are lines available for easy marking, so I think we will be converting to PB. My wife and I enjoy the rallies more than we enjoy “winning,” so we will be fine without my serving.

I’m excited!

[BatBuckeye]

Really enjoying playing PB with grandsons 7 and 12.
I don't understand the rules yet.
I don't know if I'm allowed in the kitchen or not. Or only sometimes. ?
One local park added PB stripes to the tennis courts.
Another park built dedicated PB courts. So, no tennis there.

[maulermark]

My wife and I have been playing for a few months with a group who meets on weekends. We were lucky to find a dedicated court that is reserved for our group (someone in the group worked out a deal with the city) but we have to drive 15 miles to get it. We're addicted. My wife is obsessed to the point that she says she thinks about it constantly. You nailed it with the topic of losing track of the score - it happens to us all of the time. We need a dedicated third-party score keeper.

Finding another public PB court to play on is difficult in our area. We've driven all over the city looking for availability. I have no doubt that if you opened an indoor air conditioned "Pickball Palace" with a dozen courts that it would be packed with players! Who's ready to invest with me???

We'd love to play in a tournament but haven't found much demand in Northern California yet. It seems like most of the tournaments are on the East coast or SoCal in the West.

[TSR]

My wife and I play occasionally at a court near us. It's a ton of fun, and we're always pretty wiped afterward. Together we have an average age of about 40 (I'm a little older, she's a little younger), and we're in decent shape. She has a significantly older male (natch) colleague who negs her for playing pickleball because it's "a sport for old ladies" and we ought to be playing tennis. (In answer to your question, yes, he has more serious workplace issues than just those sexist comments.) But when we play pickleball, it completely wears us out and we run all over the court. I think the big difference is just the barrier to entry that tennis presents -- you can't just rally if you're not well trained without the tennis ball flying everywhere, whereas with pickleball it's not a problem to hit the ball back and forth and even play a little strategy without any real "skill." We play a lot of singles and it totally kicks our butts. Needless to say, we do not listen to her colleague. We're happy to have a court within walking distance.

[sleepysurf]

I'm surprised no PB manufacturer offers a paddle with built in scorekeeper. However, Etsy offers lots of PB scorekeeping bracelets, such as this... https://www.etsy.com/shop/PickleballSco ... 1220145903

[LadyGeek]

I have a pickleball app on my Garmin Forerunner 245 watch.
Pickleball Score Keeper

Download and install it through the Garmin Connect™ app (Google playstore).

Does it work? Yes.

Do I use it? Not a chance.

Why? No way am I going to stop and mess with my watch in the middle of a game. I might take a quick glance in-between play to check the time, that's about it. Besides, it's more fun to negotiate the score when no one remembers what it was. Whatever, let's play.

[vtalyan]

A tip to remember the score - make note of the first server on each team. Then, if that person is in the deuce court, that team's score will be even. Otherwise, it will be odd. Applies to both teams.

Pickleball is fun - Dink and drop all day

[LadyGeek]

^^^ We've tried that. Another trick is to note the position of the person on the receiving side (moving forward or back) - which helps remember which side the person on the serving side was standing. Yes, it gets that bad.

[GoldenFinch]

It’s pretty funny when all four players are unable to remember who served the last play or the score. It’s easy to get caught up in the action and become a bit lost about the stats. I’m just glad it isn’t just me. Also, sometimes the other side only hits to my partner for a while, I start to get comfortable, and then I get slammed! Don’t be like me!

[TomatoTomahto]

I have not begun to play yet, but I have to say that I admire a game with such passionate players who are unable to remember the score. Speaks well of the sport.

[reddison]

I could use some advice from the regular pickle ball players. I have been running marathons the last 15 years and have only worn running shoes. What pickle ball specific shoes do you wear and where do you buy them? I will probably want to go into a brick and mortar store to try them on for fit and comfort initially. I have played a lot of racquetball and tennis over the years so I hope it’s an easy transition. I had meniscus surgery last year and I’m hoping I can play this without further knee damage. Thx for any suggestions.

[jabberwockOG]

Please don't be that person that can't remember the score but wants to argue about it anyway. A better response is to say - I can't remember the score, someone pick a score and let's get back to paying. In casual daily play you are going to play a million games it really does not matter what the score is for a specific game or who wins or loses that game.

[InTheMidwest]

I could use some advice from the regular pickle ball players. I have been running marathons the last 15 years and have only worn running shoes. What pickle ball specific shoes do you wear and where do you buy them? I will probably want to go into a brick and mortar store to try them on for fit and comfort initially. I have played a lot of racquetball and tennis over the years so I hope it’s an easy transition. I had meniscus surgery last year and I’m hoping I can play this without further knee damage. Thx for any suggestions.

I have KSwiss purchased from PickleBall Central site which is where I also purchased my paddles. They have a good return policy with a discount for our club but you can also purchase on Amazon.

[LadyGeek]

I could use some advice from the regular pickle ball players. I have been running marathons the last 15 years and have only worn running shoes. What pickle ball specific shoes do you wear and where do you buy them? I will probably want to go into a brick and mortar store to try them on for fit and comfort initially. I have played a lot of racquetball and tennis over the years so I hope it’s an easy transition. I had meniscus surgery last year and I’m hoping I can play this without further knee damage. Thx for any suggestions.

Buy a good tennis court shoe. I have Asics Dedicate 7, which got good reviews. Yes, you need to try them on in person.

The main difference is that you have side-to-side support. It's a very different feel than a running shoe.

You'll also notice that you can't go running in tennis shoes. That's the intent.

[nyone]

Started playing pickle ball as a teen with my dad in late 1970s with wooden (heavy!) rackets that I still have—but also bought modern ones. Stopped for several decades and picked it back up just before COVID (so had to stop again with community play). We bought our own net and mapped out some temporary lines in front of our house but would like to get back to community play again sometime. Unfortunately I sometimes have to stop between points until my heart rate decreases (otherwise my heart rebels).

For those who play with others, would this be too much of an irritation (non-competitive)? I’m sure DH would like better competition but probably wouldn’t play without me.

[tennisplyr]

I was just thinking about this last night, looking at our beautiful clay tennis court which is largely unused . . .

I think I’ll reach out to the guy who opens/closes the court to see how much effort it would be to replace it with pickleball. My wife and I started trying to learn tennis when we bought the house a few years ago, but frankly, learning tennis at age 70 is a tough road. The clay is good on our knees, but arthritis/health for both of us makes tennis tough (eg, an old frozen shoulder makes serving something I don’t even try).

My wife was thinking of turning the tennis court into a chicken coop, but I think pickleball would be better. How easy is it to play singles? We have some neighbors who might be available to play doubles.

My wife and I play skinny pickle when we don't have another couple. You serve cross court, then play the half of the court the ball is served to. Lots of fun. We have a court where we spend most of the year, and would love to put one in where we spend the rest of the time, but worry how the surface would fare with leaves sitting for a long time.

Would highly recommend anyone trying pickleball for the first time to wear court shoes. Running shoes don't have the support you need.

Yes buy pickleball or tennis shoes…I’ve seen people take some nasty falls because their shoes caused them to trip and fall. I use Kswiss…New Balance and Adidas make a good shoe.

[OhBoyUhoh]

Really enjoying playing PB with grandsons 7 and 12.
I don't understand the rules yet.
I don't know if I'm allowed in the kitchen or not. Or only sometimes. ?
One local park added PB stripes to the tennis courts.
Another park built dedicated PB courts. So, no tennis there.

Here is a simple way to understand it. There are two terms to understand. A 'volley' is any ball that is struck after it crosses the net but before it hits the ground. (Think volleyball). A 'groundstroke' is a ball that is struck after it has hit the ground regardless if it is at the baseline, middle of the court or in the kitchen.. So the kitchen is called the non VOLLEY zone. You cannot touch the kitchen line when hitting a volley nor can your momentum carry you into the kitchen (or onto the line) after hitting a volley.

The kitchen is not called the non groundstroke zone. If the ball has bounced or is going to bounce you can hit it and go into kitchen or you can be in the kitchen and hit.

You can hang out in the kitchen if you like but if I see you doing that I'm coming for YOU. If you are in the kitchen and you are hit directly by opponents shot you have essentially hit a volley in the zone and it's point or side out. Make sense?

[Cruise]

I've been playing PB for about a year, learning the basics at a local university's senior enrichment program. After completing this basic course, I organized our Newbies into a regular group, and we have been playing once a week ever since.It is an interesting mix of women and men, some very good, others who can barely move around the court. The nice thing is that we all accept each other and have fun.

After this short-course, I enrolled in an beginners course (one step above Newbie) given by our city's local PB association. This course really helped me understand positioning on the court and service strategy.

A former business client came to the courts with his regular group, noticed me, and ended up inviting to me to join them. I've been playing with them once or twice a week as well. They are much more advanced players, and I've received a lot of tips from several of the members related to grip position, backhand strokes, and strategy. I've found that playing with more advanced players really has helped my pickleball play, just like golfing with better golfers helps one advance in that sport.

While I've not been OCD about it, I have enjoyed perusing Youtube instructional videos, as well as those on the Selkirk app. Watching the pros on TV has been informative. Reading these have been helpful:

https://usapickleball.org/
https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickl ... -position/

Like some above, I started with a Niupipio paddle set on Amazon. I recently got a Selkirk to see if it improves my game. I think it has. My first PB shoe was a Wilson, which fit my foot much better than any of the other brands I tried. I eventually placed a gel insert into the shoe, which helped with shock absorption.

Pickleball has checked a lot of the boxes for me: Exercise, Socialization, Competition. In fact, I would much rather play PB twice a week than golf twice a week, which is a surprising change for me. My wife can't physically golf right now, but she can play PB, and joins in the easier group that I started.

Like some have noted, it is really interesting how four senior players can loose track of the score, and even sometimes whose turn it is to serve. It is laughable, and this sign of aging is a constant companion on the PB courts. Not sure whether the junior players have the same issue.

I'll end with two pieces of advice my initial instructor gave us:

1. Wear court shoes. They are made for movements that one finds in PB. Running shoes may increase your odds of injury.
2. If someone hits a lob over your head, never run backwards to get it. Rater, turn sideways, run back, and hit it if you can. (One of our Newbies forgot about this one, tripped and ended up fracturing his wrist).

And one piece of advice I've developed: Don't think you have to return every shot. It is not worth injuring yourself to extend too far or try to chase every ball down.

Have fun!

[JoeRetire]

I'm using Asics Dedicate 7 tennis court shoes.

I use the same. I also use inserts to avoid achilles tendon pain. For me, they make a huge difference.

[JoeRetire]

Thread is apropos, as just learned of a "nice" pickleball facility less than 2 miles from where I live so I'm interested.

How would you all assess the level of workout? Clearly not the same as singles tennis, but comparable to ...... racquetball? Table tennis? Croquet? (kidding)

It depends on how you play, and who plays with you.

Singles can be very intense.

Doubles can be played in any level intensity you all agree on. There are some 80 year olds in my town that hardly move. The group I play with plays very hard. Some days can be very tiring in the hot sun. We play for 2 hours with no sitting between games. Fun!

[JoeRetire]

I could use some advice from the regular pickle ball players. I have been running marathons the last 15 years and have only worn running shoes. What pickle ball specific shoes do you wear and where do you buy them? I will probably want to go into a brick and mortar store to try them on for fit and comfort initially. I have played a lot of racquetball and tennis over the years so I hope it’s an easy transition. I had meniscus surgery last year and I’m hoping I can play this without further knee damage. Thx for any suggestions.

Tennis shoes work just fine for pickleball.

[TN_Boy]

Thread is apropos, as just learned of a "nice" pickleball facility less than 2 miles from where I live so I'm interested.

How would you all assess the level of workout? Clearly not the same as singles tennis, but comparable to ...... racquetball? Table tennis? Croquet? (kidding)

Just depends. A moderately to very serious, competitive doubles pickleball match is probably about the same as more serious table tennis. Some pickleball games between, well, older seniors can be pretty leisurely. I think people exercise up to their abilities.

The caveat there is that many people think of table tennis as "ping pong" where two people sort of tap it across the table ... table tennis is a good workout once you move into more serious play.

[TN_Boy]

I love PB too, playing outdoors for about a year now. I thought I was 3.5, but a tournament last weekend made me reset to 3.0. Lost all 4 of my mathes, singles and doubles, not even that competitive. But it's all good and I have something to work towards, registered for another tournament after Labor Day. Have fun!

You have to recognize that a lot of tournament players play down in levels to improve chances of winning.

That could be, though I suspect it was simply that OhBoyUhoh had mostly played friends, random people at local parks, etc. Anything I've ever done, I've found that "competitive" tournament players eat "casual" players alive. Chess, pickleball, table tennis, you name it, tournaments and leagues are where you find out how good you actually are.

People in tournaments are more serious about the game, often actually practice (drills, etc) versus "just play" and so forth.

[tm3]

Thread is apropos, as just learned of a "nice" pickleball facility less than 2 miles from where I live so I'm interested.

How would you all assess the level of workout? Clearly not the same as singles tennis, but comparable to ...... racquetball? Table tennis? Croquet? (kidding)

It depends on how you play, and who plays with you.

Singles can be very intense.

Doubles can be played in any level intensity you all agree on. There are some 80 year olds in my town that hardly move. The group I play with plays very hard. Some days can be very tiring in the hot sun. We play for 2 hours with no sitting between games. Fun!

Thanks! I decided to pull up some info on YouTube. The first shot I saw was of two elderly ladies each about 100 lbs overweight batting the ball underhanded back and forth to each other while standing stationary and I thought, nope. But I looked at a few more and was surprised at the intensity; maybe not as high as tennis but certainly a good workout.