5 Beginner Tips To Get You Into Pickleball

If you’re getting into pickleball, you may quickly see why it is the number one growing sport in the US. It is relatively easy to learn compared to other sports, one that you can do together as a family or with a group of friends, and even a way to make more friends. To get you started, here are some top pickleball beginner tips to make learning the sport and growing fun and easy.

5 Pickleball Beginner Tips

Enroll In A Beginner Clinic

If you’re in an area with a pickleball instructor or rec center that offers beginners’ clinics, that is the best way to get started. A beginner clinic will teach you the rules and how to count scores. They can also teach you how to hold the paddle correctly and adjust your form.

An instructor can teach you the different types of shots used in pickleball and what they’re called. You will learn how to serve, make basic groundstrokes, drop, and dink. They can also give you other small tips that you may not have thought of otherwise but can make a big difference.

Beginner clinics are normally priced reasonably since they’re usually done in a group. Starting out with other beginners can also help with your confidence without any pressure.

Many beginner clinics also have different demo paddles that you can test out. It can be hard to choose the best pickleball paddle for you when everything is online. Being able to try out and use different paddles can give you an idea of the type, weight, and brand of paddles that you may like.

Join Pickleball Groups In Your Local Parks

If your local pickleball parks have pickup games, chances are they will have a Groupme or a Facebook group. Talk to other players to be added. You will know what times other players will be there. Some groups also have different nights when certain levels of players will show up.

If you’re just starting out, you may not want to show up on a day when it will be the most advanced players that show up. It will not be fun for you or fun for the other players that have been playing pickleball for a long time.

Joining a group can let you know how open play works in your area along with other available parks where there are pickleball courts. You may even find a pickleball instructor to do a clinic or workshop with.

Play With Other Beginners

To have fun and not be discouraged, you want to stick with other players that are at your level. If you’re just learning how to play pickleball, you don’t want to play with intermediate or advanced players. Many players at those levels are looking for a challenge. You don’t want to feel pressured to make a good shot or feel like they’re judging you.

Playing with other beginners will allow everyone to get better at the level you’re comfortable at. It will also keep the game fun because everyone is still learning. Once you know how to make all the shots, you can get into more intermediate games.

Practice, Play, Repeat

Learning anything new requires time and repetition. While you can always play games, practicing will help you learn the game faster. Take a caddy full of balls to practice your serves on your own or hit groundstrokes against a wall.

You can also grab a friend and dink to improve your touch and feel of the ball. Muscle memory through repetition will help you feel more comfortable making those shots. You can then use them during a game and you may be surprised at how much you’ve improved.

Have Reasonable Expectations

One of the most important pickleball beginner tips is to have reasonable expectations for yourself when it comes to your learning curve. Some players with tennis, ping-pong, or other racket sports may be able to learn pickleball a lot quicker than someone without any of those sports backgrounds.

Those with some sort of sports background may be faster and have better footwork, and hand-eye coordination than others that never played sports in their life. You don’t want to compare yourself to others with a different background than you.

It may take some a week to learn how to play pickleball while it may take you a few weeks to months. Not being hard on yourself and managing your expectations is extremely important. Don’t be hard on yourself if it takes you longer to learn than others. Set your goals to have fun, get some exercise, and build relationships.