I know what you’re thinking. Another write up on pickleball? Well, yes. Why? Because pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports today. Check out a recent survey we conducted to determine the latest data on pickleball here!Everyday someone hops on the pickleball court for the first time so you could run into a situation where you’re playing with a new partner! Keep reading for tips to help you and your first-time pickleball playing partner succeed on the court together!

If you’re playing pickleball with someone who’s new to the game there are several things you can do to make their, and your, experience better. Some basics like overly communicating during the game, discussing strengths and weaknesses, and your play styles, will get both of you more comfortable together. While pickleball is easy game to pick up, it still can have its moments of frustration. So ultimately keeping a positive mindset and having fun will ensure your partners first pickleball experience was a good one!

Tip #1: Communicate, Communicate, oh and Communicate!

Communication in pickleball includes talking before a serve to go over who is cover which part of the court, calling for a ball over your partner, and rehashing after every serve to know what to do in the next play. Communicating to the point where it seems annoying and unnecessary is exactly the point where you need to be when playing with someone who hasn’t played pickleball before! This can help them understand where they are needed and can make them feel more comfortable if their partner is talking during every play. This can allow for them to feel noticed and appreciated.

Calling for balls and helping them know where to go on the court is a great first step in knowing how to help your partner understand the quick paced game of pickleball and not feel so out of the loop! We want them to play again, right?

Whether you’re playing doubles with them or a singles match against them, communication is still important to help them learn more about the game and how to succeed in their next match. Luckily, pickleball can be pretty simple to pick up, but if their partner or someone they’re playing against isn’t communicating, it can become more difficult to learn.

Tip #2: Discuss your Strengths and Weaknesses

This is a partnership and in order to succeed, you must be willing to work together. This means making sure you all know where each of you is strong and not so strong in order to play off of one another’s strengths as well as having the other’s back in their weaknesses.

For example, say one of your strengths as an experienced player is getting close to the net to make those close plays but a weakness is hitting the longer shots to the back of the court. Sharing this with your parter, even if they haven’t played before, helps them understand that they should cover the back of the court and be ready for the long shots.

This tip is mainly for those of you who are playing doubles with a new pickleball player. Although if you’re trying to teach them while just practicing one-on-one, it can still be beneficial to know the different ways in which a player can be strong and where they might need to improve. These insights into a players game techniques can really be helpful for them further down the road in their pickleball journey.

Tip #3: Play your Game No Matter What.

Don’t hold back because of your inexperienced pickleball partner! This can hinder both you and your partner if you decide to play timid. Everyone plays differently. For example, some are more aggressive than others. Still keep your aggression high during the match so that you don’t play off thereby impacting your partner in a negative way.

So, no matter what don’t let a beginner partner make you not play how you normally will! Even though this is their first time playing, you want them to experience pickleball in its true nature and the way you play. This can help them be better prepared for their next time on the court!

Tip #4: Have a Healthy and Positive Mindset

If you go into a match thinking the worst outcome will occur because you are playing with someone who hasn’t played before, or someone you don’t know, you are more likely to fail. Every sport is at least 80% mental and only 20% physical.

Having a positive mindset during a game of pickleball can look like encouraging one another after each play and serve. Another example of a positive mindset is having good self-talk, this is extremely important to practice before a match that way you continue this healthy behavior during play!

In order to play your best, you must feel your best mentally. Have confidence in your abilities as well as your partners, even if this is their first time. Check out PBU’s other blogs here about the mental side of pickleball! We want everyone to have a good and safe time playing pickleball and the mental side of the game is really important in understanding just as much, if not more, as the physical component.

Tip #5: Have Fun!

This coincides with the mental capacity of sports. If you are trying to have fun, this will more than likely be the outcome. If you take this match too seriously, it might be yours and your new pickleball playing partner’s downfall. At the end of the day, pickleball is just a game and it can really bring people together if it isn’t taken too seriously!

So if you’re playing with someone new to the game, we all want their first experience to be great so that they’ll play again, and this will have a better chance of happening if we try to just have fun! Maybe one day you’ll be partners in a tournament and all of your hard work at playing pickleball and having fun will make the stressful matches a litter easier to handle!