You Don't Need a Racket Sport Background to Play Pickleball, Here's Why

It's always amazing to think about how many pickleball players have transitioned from another racket sport like tennis, racquetball, badminton, or ping pong. So, those of you without this type of sports background may feel you are at a disadvantage when it comes to pickleball. This actually is far from the truth according to two professionals I talked to recently on the Pickleball Fire podcast.

Scott Golden came to pickleball after playing baseball, football, and BMX racing. So, while it took him longer to reach the professional ranks than someone with a Division I tennis career, he still made it to the 5.0 level. When asked about teaching students without a racket sports background, Scott believes the advantage lies in that person starting off with a blank slate. In other words, they don't have any bad habits. This is in comparison to someone who has played tennis for many years and when they start playing pickleball, they put too much top spin or slice on the ball so it goes in the bottom of the net. The tennis player may then take a couple of months to make the adjustment to pickleball while someone without a racket sports background can learn the right way from the beginning.