A while back my college roommate called to say she’d be in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a pickleball tournament. She wanted to say hi, but between the various games, she didn’t think she’d be able to visit long. At the time I was mildly curious. What is this sport that seemed to have taken over her life, I wondered? But other than that, I didn’t think much about it. Now, 10 years later, it’s all anyone talks about. So what is it about pickleball that makes it so intriguing? I decided to find out. And admittedly, now I get it.
Learning the game
I decided my first step would be to sign up for a drop-in pickleball class through the REC of Grapevine. When I showed up at Dove Park, it was a gorgeous 75-degree day, which we relish here in North Texas. My class consisted of six players, most of whom had been playing a few weeks longer than I. Our instructor, Nick Van Den Handel, started the class by saying, “Let’s do some warmups to start — a long shot, a shot from the kitchen and a dink.” Hmmm. Kitchen? Dink? I was already lost.
Van Den Handel then proceeded to patiently explain that the kitchen was the area at the front of the court, nearest the net. A “dink” is a shot in which you punch the ball down just inside the opposing team’s net, making it hard to return. He also went over the rules, which at first were not easy for this newbie to grasp. But as we started to play matches, they began to make more sense.
We played doubles, which is what most pickleball enthusiasts prefer. Van Den Handel showed us how to serve, starting from the baseline and always beginning the serve from below the hip. When serving, the ball has to go diagonally across the net to the opposing side, and it must bounce once before a player can return the serve. The first server of a match begins on the right side and alternates from left to right each time a point is scored. Once he/she fails to score, it’s the partner’s turn to serve. When/if the partner fails to score, the opposing team takes over.
The scoring, unlike tennis, has three numbers. Van Den Handel suggested we call out the score before each serve. The first number is the serving team’s points, the second number is the returning team’s points and the third number is the server (first server or second server). I was lost until one of my fellow players, Margot Bradburry, helped me visualize it by pointing to each side as she called out the score. I finally had my first “aha!” moment.
Van Den Handel explained that as we improve, we’ll learn strategy — moving up or back depending on the ball’s trajectory. A match ends when one team reaches 11 points, or whenever the group decides to call it quits.
I don’t know if it was the glorious spring weather, the ease of learning or the social aspect — but I was starting to understand the allure of this mysterious game.
The players
“When the kids left home, we became empty nesters and wanted to find something to do together,” says Rodrick Byers. “We decided to try pickleball lessons.” He and his wife, Rhonda, both 52, signed up for the four-week REC session and the rest is history. They now play two to three times a week in courts throughout the area — Grapevine, Colleyville, Euless, Tarrant County College and Chicken N Pickle.
Byers had just completed 11 matches in 2 1/2 hours the night before when we spoke. “It’s easy to learn,” he says, “and addictive. You are basically hitting a wiffle ball over a net — not difficult. But learning where to be on the court is harder.” He and his wife have taught many of their couple friends to play, including their church friends. Byers also has taught his office colleagues. “Not too many of them haven’t enjoyed it,” he says.
Byers appreciates the health benefits to the game, saying that in a recent 2 1/2-hour session, he got in more than 10,000 steps. Playing pickleball also helps with hand-eye coordination, while keeping score and determining shots keep your brain active.
He says even though the sport started as a popular one for seniors, he is seeing a younger contingent. “We’ve played with our kids, [who are] ages 18, 22 and 24,” he says. As an added bonus, pickleball evens the playing field as a co-ed sport. Men and women seem to be equally adept at playing. Byers says his wife and another mom friend recently beat their 20-something Division I football-player sons in a game. “Pickleball is not difficult to play,” he says, “but it is difficult to master.”
Margot Bradburry, a 49-year-old mother of three, has been playing for about three weeks. “I am not athletically inclined,” she says, adding she took a semester of tennis in college and often missed the class. But pickleball sounded fun to her, and she was looking for a way to be more active. Plus, the socialization aspect was appealing.
Initially, Bradburry’s 17- and 18-year-old kids played with their friends and invited her to join them. She then signed up for Grapevine’s beginner’s class. Now, she’s part of a group of women who are enjoying learning the game together. “I feel like it is an easy sport to understand but difficult to implement,” she says.
The origins
Pickleball’s origins date back to 1965, when congressman Joel Pritchard of Washington state and a businessman friend, Bill Bell, were trying to entertain their families at Pritchard’s Bainbridge Island home. There was an old badminton court but no rackets. So, they started playing with ping-pong paddles using a perforated plastic ball. The original purpose of the sport was to provide a game the whole family could play together.
A corporation for the new sport was formed in 1972, and in 1976, the first known pickleball tournament was held in Tukwila, Washington. In 1984, the United States Amateur Pickleball Association was formed, complete with the first rulebook. By 1990, pickleball was being played in all 50 states.
The name “pickleball” is said to have been coined by Pritchard’s wife, Joan. She said at the time the game reminded her of the pickle boat in crew, where the oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.
The benefits
Chris Smith is the director of Grapevine Parks & Recreation. “We’ve been offering pickleball classes since 2016. Before we renovated our facility, we used to put down temporary lines in our basketball gyms. In 2020, we added the courts at Dove Park.”
While the sport was originally geared toward seniors, it’s now spreading across all age groups. “[It’s] growing fast and furious. We are seeing young kids play as well. And at area schools, they are putting up temporary nets in a gym or using the school’s tennis courts.” He says the sport’s popularity is due to how easy it is to pick up and the fact that it’s such a social game.
Smith, who has a kinesiology degree, says the health benefits are multifaceted. Pickleball helps with hand-eye coordination, mental acuity, reaction time, physical movement and socialization. “On a tennis court, players are more spread out. In pickleball, players tend to come in groups, often bringing eight people at a time who rotate in and out of a game,” he says. “The social benefit and large muscle movement are both beneficial. And playing outside in nature is also an added benefit.”
Businesses such as Chicken N Pickle have smartly added food and drink to the sport, which increases its appeal — you can play pickleball and at the same time have a place to eat, drink and talk.
The sport is also easier to learn than tennis. “Basically,” Smith says, “you pick up a paddle and ball, and hit it back and forth. But it gets more difficult the more you play. The strategy piece keeps people engaged.”
The safety aspect
Pickleball is an easy-to-learn, low-impact exercise that can be enjoyed by most people, according to a recent report from the National Institutes of Health. The report also notes that if a person has significant cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions that limit their ability to exert themselves, participating in pickleball or other exercise activities should be discussed with their physician.
Houston Methodist Hospital provides five tips for minimizing pickleball injuries:
- Recognize physical limitations.
- Take the time to warm up.
- Use the right equipment.
- Don’t ignore your form — take lessons to learn proper technique.
- Remember to cool down.
My official verdict
Next week I have plans to join three longtime pals to play at the local Chicken N Pickle. Two have been taking lessons, one has never played and then there’s me — the newbie. It may have taken me a beat to get here, but it’s official: I’m a pickleball convert. And I’ll zealously try to convert any remaining holdouts if and when I encounter them.
Getting started
Cost
The cost to start learning pickleball is relatively cheap. In my case, it was $25 for a drop-in session or $85 for a four-week lesson series. Chris Smith with Grapevine Parks & Recreation recommends, as with any sport, to start with the cheapest equipment. For pickleball, all that’s needed are a paddle and ball. You can get two paddles, a ball and a net at Academy Sports + Outdoors for $40-$60, or a pair of paddles and a ball at Walmart or Amazon for $30. Once you begin to know the difference between the low-end and higher-end rackets, the sky’s the limit on what you can spend. Some paddles can cost up to $225. You can also pick up pickleball sneakers, which range in price from $70 to $150 and are advertised as providing stability and offering protection against injury on the court.
Where to play
Most towns in and around D-FW offer pickleball. Check with your local parks and recreation centers for the one closest to you. In addition, there are commercial spots such as Chicken N Pickle (chickennpickle.com) in Grand Prairie and Grapevine. A location in Allen is expected to open next year.
Put it on your calendar
The 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships will be Nov. 6-12 at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch. The nine-day tournament expects to draw 3,500 amateur and professional players as well as 25,000 spectators. Players will compete for more than $150,000 in prize money.
