In the winter, 2021, I was honored by being hired as the pickleball pro for John Knox Village in Pompano Beach, FL. The community had just built two pickleball courts, and I was asked to conduct clinics for the residents and staff. The residents, who were mostly in their 70’s and 80’s, were generally speaking not athletic and in truth had a hard time learning how to play the game.
After several days of lessons, during which time we worked on ground strokes and serving as well as where to stand and where to move on the court during a game, I advised them to look at a few videos to get a better understanding of the game. See below for a list of the videos I recommended watching:
Pickleball is not an easy game to teach. It is confusing for beginners. First of all, you have the kitchen or non-volley-zone, which in and of itself is a difficult concept to grasp. Where to stand, where and when to move, how to keep score – these too are complex. When to come up, when to stay back, how to interact with your partner – nothing is easy when it comes to the cerebral part of the game. And don’t get me started on the double bounce rule…
But in the end, with time and patience and a few games under your belt, the game of pickleball can become a fun sport. Think first you’re out there playing for fun and the social aspect of the sport. Second, you’re getting good exercise, and third you’re learning a sport that you can play with people you know and with people you don’t know. Pickleball is for the young at heart no matter what your age is. Go out and enjoy the game!
Here is a video that teaches how to play pickleball…just the rules.
Here is a Pickleball Tutorial with Scott Moore and Daniel Moore that is a bit more advanced, but it contains good information for beginners.
In Pickleball For Beginners, the folks at Tennis Express review the rules and scoring in pickleball. It also offers “tips and tricks” for those who are just getting started playing the game.
Here Ninh explains The Rules of Pickleball. He explains how pickleball is similar to tennis, badminton, squash and table tennis yet is much easier to learn and play because pickleball is less stressful on the body.
In this final video Steve Dawson of Pickleball Master Course breaks down the four basic rules that all pickleball beginners need to know.
I hope you found this blog post to be helpful in your quest to learn how to play pickleball.
Bob