The Pickleball Revolution
To date I have played Pickleball a total of five times. While that number may be surprisingly low for someone who owns a brand called Recreational Habits, the number of times that I have played Pickleball in my head is about five thousand. That’s right - I’m hooked.
Prior to my first lesson, my desire to play pickleball was equivalent to getting a strep test. ‘A necessary evil’ I thought to myself, but with a brand that is dedicated to exploring all things club sports - I knew I’d at least have to try it to see what the hype was about.
The first time I’d ever seen anyone playing Pickleball was at the Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center. We had been taking lessons throughout the summer and I was walking through the courts distracted by the smack-smack-smack of a furious volley taking place. I turned my head to discover a group of four above middle aged gentleman moving with ostrich-like speed close to the net. It was entertaining to watch, not graceful at all like the dance of a yellow tennis ball traveling far distances, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Now Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center is in its own way - incredibly chic. At 11 in the afternoon, the parking lot is filled with tinted G-Wagons and Teslas. Mommies are dropping their kids at the pool for swim lessons, while they join the flurry of surprisingly fit 70+ somethings spinning with vigor in their outdoor gym. With a waiting list exceeding 2 years, it is a classic staple of the community that has been thrown into the pop culture sphere by the Kardashians. It felt ironic that this place which avoids “trendy” things would have dedicated Pickleball courts, but none the less reinforced the ever growing relevance of the sport.
I signed up for my first lesson at Santa Monica Pickleball Center. It seemed legit on yelp, so I surprised to pull up to what looked like a pro-shop on the corner of Wilshire. No major signage, no big hedges or any of the country club feels. The courts were through the back of the store - and opened up into what seemed like someones paved private tennis sport court that had been transformed into 4 Pickleball courts. I didn’t mind the nonchalance of this, it felt friendly, welcoming even, as if Pickleball was welcoming me with open arms saying come, join us. Tennis, if you’ve ever taken a lesson as an adult, never says this (ha).
The most important thing I learned in my first private lesson was that I am actually pretty decent at the sport. Decent enough for me to feel the competitive spirit start to bubble as I wacked the wiffleball cross court to my husband. My serves, which in tennis are absolutely abysmal, actually rocked! - and I was able to return the ball fairly well. While there are nuances to the sport that I find silly and not elegant at all - there are words frequently used in all seriousness like “dink” and “kitchen” - it’s a really fun hobby to pick up and play socially. I could definitely see my group of friends playing together and grabbing cocktails afterwards.
After my lesson, subsequent lessons followed at various courts (just to check out the culture -and yes, all Pickleball coaches/players are super friendly and inviting) with a mix of family and friends invited to each lesson. Selfishly, it was important to create a network of people around me who knew how to and wanted to play so that I had someone to play with! I 10000% recommend taking 1 Pickleball lesson with a group of friends at a place nearby. There are a ton of tennis converted Pickleball coaches out there and from my understanding a plethora of courts being redesigned to fit the sport. It’s never too late or too out of your element to learn a new Recreational Habit - just let us know how it goes.
