I recently took a lesson from a high-level pickleball coach and then played several hours of doubles to see what all the fuss is about.
Was it enough to convince me to switch from tennis?
Before I answer that, I want to share some observations that I think are really important for tennis players and the tennis community to understand.
Pickleball has some significant advantages that we in tennis should honestly pay attention to.
Getting Started is Incredibly Easy
I know a lot of tennis players like to make fun of pickleball because it looks too simple. But that ease of entry is actually a massive strength, not a weakness.
There are four main reasons pickleball is so much easier to pick up than tennis.
First, there’s no overhand serve. In tennis, the serve is by far the most complicated and difficult shot to master. Pickleball completely eliminates that problem by forcing underhand serves only. Anyone can get the ball in play immediately.
Second, a doubles pickleball court is more than three times smaller than a tennis court. That’s a huge amount of real estate you don’t have to worry about covering. Less space means less intimidation for beginners.
Third, the kitchen in pickleball actually encourages slow, controlled play instead of everything being about power. The rules literally force you to develop touch and finesse rather than just bash the ball.
Fourth, there’s no death by lobs. Tennis players on average hate getting lobbed, and while pickleball does have lobs and overheads, the game is much more about dinking, driving, and volleying. That removes a big friction point that frustrates a lot of tennis players.
The Action Never Stops
The second big advantage pickleball has is the pace of play. There’s simply more activity and engagement happening per minute in pickleball than in tennis.
This happens for several reasons.
There’s only one serve in pickleball. It’s way easier to put it in play, and if you miss it, you just switch sides. No screwing around with two balls, no second serve anxiety, no do-overs.
Everything keeps moving.
Once the point ends, it only takes a second or two to get set up for the next one. In tennis, you’ve got three times more walking to do just to get into position. And don’t even get me started on retrieving balls. Because tennis courts are so much bigger and you need two balls for serves, you’re constantly walking to corners to collect balls. That time adds up fast.
On top of all that, points in pickleball tend to last a little longer on average because of the back-and-forth dinking and setup rallies.
All of this creates a much more dense, concentrated experience. I honestly found that really enjoyable. The constant action kept me engaged the entire time.
The Community Feels Different
The third advantage caught me off guard: the sense of community and inclusivity in pickleball is genuinely impressive.
Jordan, the coach I worked with, cold-called a couple of 4.5 level players and said, “Hey, I’m in town, want to play some doubles?” Twenty minutes later, two high-level players showed up at random courts ready to play with complete strangers. They were genuinely happy to see us and excited to just get some action.
In my experience being around tennis for over 30 years, tennis can sometimes be a little clicky. It can be exclusionary. Please understand I’m not saying tennis is always like this, but I’ve seen it happen.
I haven’t gotten that sense from pickleball at all. It feels much more open and welcoming. To be totally honest, I think tennis players could learn something from that type of community spirit.
A Different Competitive Culture
The fourth thing that stood out was another cultural difference I noticed during our doubles matches.
I was clearly the weakest player on the court. Yet when the opposing team had the advantage and could have pounded me into oblivion, they often hit to Jordan instead, who’s way better than me.
I asked him about it later. He explained that in pickleball, there’s an understood courtesy to spread the action around so everyone gets valuable court time, even when there’s a skill gap.
That’s a pretty cool approach to competition.
So Am I Switching?
With all those great things going for pickleball, was it enough to get me to invest time away from tennis?
In short, no.
Here’s why.
First, I love the bigger physical challenge of tennis. I spent three or four hours on the court that day and was completely wiped out, but I still crave that extra space, the additional athleticism required, and the maximum physical output tennis demands. I’m at a place physically where I can still give my best as an athlete, and tennis is the best way for me to do that.
Second, I love the mental challenge of singles. Pickleball heavily emphasizes doubles, which is the opposite of tennis where everyone obsesses over singles. If I played pickleball, it would have to be singles for both the physical and mental challenge. Tennis already gives me everything I want in that department rolled into one package.
Third, I’ve been in tennis for 30 years. The longer I’m in it and the deeper I go and the more I understand about the game, the more I love it. And the more I love it, the more I want to learn. And the more I learn, the more I love it.
It’s a fantastic cycle.
I just can’t see myself leaving that relationship. Tennis has brought me so much joy and happiness. It’s taught me so much about myself and about life. It’s given me incredible relationships with students, players, and other people in the tennis community.
I’m not thinking at all about doing something different.
But here’s what I am thinking about: tennis could benefit from adopting some of what makes pickleball so appealing. The welcoming community, the constant action, the lower barrier to entry for beginners.
We don’t need to change the game itself. We just need to think about how we welcome people into it and how we treat each other once they’re here.
That’s something worth reflecting on.
Your Coach,
-Ian
