OT: Pickleball Fever: anyone here catch it?

[72gmc]

So … semi on topic … is pickleball a sport for those who like skill? Can a clever player alter the flight of that ball with those paddles? Is it going to cultivate trick shot Jedis like table tennis with the soft paddles, or is it a sport for lumbering unskilled beasts like me?

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by 72gmc

So … semi on topic … is pickleball a sport for those who like skill? Can a clever player alter the flight of that ball with those paddles? Is it going to cultivate trick shot Jedis like table tennis with the soft paddles, or is it a sport for lumbering unskilled beasts like me?

I never played Pickleball (or tennis) but I was an avid ping-pong player for years. Given your self-description, I’m guessing you’d find Pickleball a far better match than tennis. Ping-pong relied on hand-eye coordination and alacrity rather than pure speed. I’m guessing Pickleball (with its shorter court and “kitchen”) is much the same.

[illumin8em]

Originally Posted by 72gmc

So … semi on topic … is pickleball a sport for those who like skill? Can a clever player alter the flight of that ball with those paddles? Is it going to cultivate trick shot Jedis like table tennis with the soft paddles, or is it a sport for lumbering unskilled beasts like me?

Sure, skills to manipulate the ball with the paddle are possible if yer clever.... The 2nd or 3rd time a friend, my nephew and myself gathered to play (before we even knew the rules), a fella from another court who's game had just ended saw that we lacked a 4th person to play doubles and offered to play. I said no thanks, my friend said sure! So he played, and proceeded to not pull back a single shot or serve even though it was obvious to anyone we had no idea what we were doing. It wasn't much fun him whacking the ball at my face every time I got close to the net, but we did learn the rules. Most of my friends who play are lumbering and do just fine. Singles would be a bit more difficult because you have to cover the entire court yourself, and even though it's smaller than a traditionally tennis court it's still a workout once the game get's hot. Doubles on the other hand is much less running around and more volleying.

[Mr. Pink]

Big article in WAPO about the current state of this exploding sport. Sorry if you cant see behind the paywall.

Pickleball is exploding, and it’s getting messy

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...growth-tennis/

[Blue Jays]

Without knowing pickleball rules I have just volleyed back-and-forth with a friend.
We determined it would be a complete hoot once you get the hang of things.

[72gmc]

Badminton is also fun.

[Likes2ridefar]

.

[jlwdm]

Originally Posted by Blue Jays

Without knowing pickleball rules I have just volleyed back-and-forth with a friend.
We determined it would be a complete hoot once you get the hang of things.

The trickiest part is that you can't volley (hit the ball in the air) unless your feet are behind the kitchen (front part of the court).

I played for the first time on Monday and as a championship racquetball player many years ago I was initially thrown off by how dead the bounce is. I was swinging too high for the first shots.

Jeff

[jlwdm]

Kevin Durant and his manager buying an expansion team in Major League Pickleball. Other franchise investors or league investors include:

Lebron James
Draymond Green
Tom Brady
Kim Clijsters
Drew Brees
James Blake


Jeff

[tomato coupe]

OT: Pickleball Fever: anyone here catch it?

My tennis club offers pickleball vaccinations on Wednesdays. But, they hedge their bets and set up pickleball on one of the tennis courts on Sundays.

[soulspinner]

Originally Posted by RobbieTunes

I play. It’s what old people do.

Ya old tennis tourney players too.

[rounder]

Here is an article about a 15 year old pickle ball pro that was also in the Washington Post. She has sponsors for clothes and jewelry, and also has an agent.

Her mother is her doubles partner.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...ers-pickeball/

[fiamme red]

Pickleball Is Expanding. Tennis Is Mad. (New York Times)

[weisan]

Originally Posted by steelbikerider

As long as we keep moving, all is good.

Yup.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

Pickleball Is Expanding. Tennis Is Mad. (New York Times)

“Many of the sport’s most influential boosters are seasoned investors. Connor Pardoe, who created the Professional Pickleball Association tour, is a scion of Utah real-estate developers. Tom Dundon, who now owns the P.P.A., is a Texas billionaire who made his fortune in subprime auto loans. The self-promoting marketing executive Gary Vaynerchuk is the latest to jump on the bandwagon. He bought a professional pickleball team and has claimed that the game will “save people’s lives.” The sport got another shot of publicity when LeBron James and Tom Brady recently invested in pro teams.”

Clearly, there’s money to be made. And plenty of hype.

OTH, when some of the most vocal opponents are from
“Club Leftist Tennis” the whole article starts to seem like it’s straight out of “The Onion.”