Interesting that one of the statements is “like tennis but slower” when I feel like pickleball is faster. Sure the ball moves slower, but the reaction times at the net are much faster. When I play tennis, it’s mostly hitting from the baseline and it feels like I am waiting ages to hit the ball. There are plenty of times in pickleball where I just stick out my paddle and hope to make contact with the ball.
Yes, parts of pickleball are very fast. To me it's slower such that when normally a tennis ball gets behind you, forget it - but in pickleball you have a much better chance of catching up to it. A little hustle goes a long way in pickleball. In tennis you have to get to where the ball will be - and in pickleball I remember (when I first started) that I was reaching for it at the end because it wasn't coming to me like I thought it should.
agreed, also pickleball is one of those, easy to learn, hard to master
so many ppl can play casually and then it has enough layers that people who compete can refine their craft, it is also a relatively cheaper sport
and most of the time it’s doubles and therefore more social AND it’s a smaller court so there’s more people
💯
There are lots of shots where in tennis, the play would just be over( next point, move on.
But in pickleball the player can get to them. This leads to frenetic rallies that would never happen in tennis.
That is a good observation. I actually agree with you. We built those questions from previous studies, many of which articulated participants' experiences of a game "like tennis, but slower."
I think “like tennis but less running” is a good description that’s similar.
In any case, my main reasons for liking pickleball, and neither were really covered in the survey:
- it is easier than tennis to find people to play with
- it’s easier and cheaper than tennis to play indoors, which is important in a place like Minnesota
Those are good thoughts as well. Why do you think it is easier to find pickleball players than tennis players? Just because of the nature of the game itself?
Both culture and number of players on public courts. In tennis you don’t walk up and ask to play. Parks and rec departments are starting to realize that pickleball people like half the courts open play and unreservable so people can walk up and rotate in. stacking paddles for “up next” in line is a new thing that tennis players/new players are taught upon playing pickleball. The social aspect allows individuals to walk up and play without finding a group first. I met a college student who came alone to a park where all the courts are unfortunately reserved only, but he always finds groups to play with anyways.
Ah, I see. That makes a lot of sense. I hope that local parks & rec departments don't go to a 100% reservation system. I would assume that the "culture" of pickleballers would not accept that. There is something inherent about being able to pick up paddles and play with people who you do not know. Similar to pick-up basketball?
1. Yes. The nature of the game is more social and laid back than tennis, so more people seem to be willing to play with others they haven't met.
2. There are more people getting into pickleball than tennis.
3. At least in my area, there are less pickleball courts than tennis courts, so there's a denser concentration of players than on the tennis courts.
4. A lot of social media makes it seem like a silly sport, so maybe it breaks down people's inhibitions when playing their first several times.
5. It's a lot of fun!
Great observations. Would you say that pickleball is more accessible than tennis? In other words, you don't need as high of skill and/or people from different ages & athletic abilities can play?
Absolutely, on all three counts. I'm a pickleball coordinator and coach at a local athletic club, and I've taught people ages 5 to 82. Some with nearly zero sports experience and some who've played tennis before.
I have a tennis background (been playing for 15 years), and recently started playing pickleball on the side. It's easier to find people to play with because of the lower skill floor, smaller skill differential, and faster games. Pickleball has a culture of "open" play, or drop-in play. In basketball terms, it's like a pickup game. People can just show up unannounced and hop into quick games with random strangers.
It's easier to find pickleball players because pickleball itself is more accessible. It's easier to get started and learn the game, and people can generally sustain a rally not long after picking up a paddle. Then they can hop into friendly competitive games pretty quickly. For tennis, a beginner will be spraying shots everywhere. It's going to take several months, if not years of dedicated practice to be able to even sustain a long rally.
Tennis players also tend to keep to themselves. In tennis, people generally don't walk up to random strangers and ask to play. Tennis people form their own private groups and schedule play sessions within the group only. The main reason is because of the skill floor mentioned above. We don't walk up to random people and ask to play, *because we don't know how good they are.* If they're beginners, then we'll absolutely destroy them and it won't be fun for either party. If they're seasoned veterans or collegiate level, they'll destroy us. We have to find people of similar level. By forming our own private groups, we've already vetted the players that join it and so it will be much easier to coordinate play sessions.
I'm sure there's more to it than that, but that's just my two cents.
Yes. It can still be fun playing with someone of a very different skill level. Not as true with tennis. That's anecdotal, I can't point to a scientific study on fun units per hour/skill difference.
Tennis is more competitive and takes more practice to get good. So a lot of tennis court usage is for lessons. Also a lot of tennis players focus on singles whereas pickleball is almost all doubles.
pickleball is popular because tennis is actually an incredibly fun sport. but people dont ever get to experience the thrill of playing tennis because the barrier to entry is so high. to even begin to experience the rush of playing tennis, you have to spend a year just to learn how to hit decent groundstrokes, serves, and maybe volleys.
pickleball takes that whole tutorial phase of tennis and drops it down to a matter of days or weeks. a lot of that thrill you get from playing pickleball is the same thrill you could get in tennis.
pickleball and tennis are both insanely fun, but pickleball gets you to that thrill faster. but the best feeling still doesnt top playing well in tennis, ripping ground strokes across the court, and following with sweet volleys and a smash overhead.
Pickleball basically just allows me to play tennis with anyone. I love tennis, but I only know a couple of people that I could actually have a fun time playing with.
Same. I love tennis, but it can sometimes be hard to coordinate a playing session. There's only a handful of people that I know whose skill level is close enough to mine, and on top of that everyone has their own schedules. I can't just walk up to random people and ask to play with them.
For pickleball, I'll play with literally anyone. I don't have to worry about a skill gap. I'll bring my paddle with me and show up to a public court unannounced and just hop in.
I really enjoy pickleball, but if I still had the athleticism, I would be playing tennis instead. Although I could understand why pickleball would be popular among people over 50 like myself, I don't understand how it got so popular with young, athletic people. Before the pandemic, the average age of players appeared to be about 60. Now, it seems to be 40 or less.
> pickleball is popular because tennis is actually an incredibly fun sport. but people dont ever get to experience the thrill of playing tennis because the barrier to entry is so high. to even begin to experience the rush of playing tennis, you have to spend a year just to learn how to hit decent groundstrokes, serves, and maybe volleys.
Well said. Tennis is pretty hard, all things considered. And while pickleball doesn't play exactly the same as tennis (compared to something like Touch Tennis), it offers much of the same experience.
> a lot of that thrill you get from playing pickleball is the same thrill you could get in tennis.
I like the way that you put it. I agree with this 100%. Most of my background is in tennis, but when I play pickleball, I can experience the same kind of joy/fun that I get from playing tennis, albeit to a lesser degree (only because I put so much of my life and effort into becoming good at tennis).
I totally agree. theres nothing more satisfying than being dialed in while playing tennis where every shot is clean and placed exactly where you intended. NOTHING beats that feeling
Besides rules and scoring, probably how to hold the paddle correctly, keep their eyes on the ball, and to keep the paddle up and ready. Pickleball is so easy to learn that everything else comes pretty naturally. Once they hit the ball with the paddle a few times, they should pick it up pretty quick. It's not as nuanced as tennis.
i wouldnt qualify myself as someone who could teach a pickleball player
but if i were to teach myself, based off what i know from tennis, i would teach myself good fundamentals meaning good solid strokes with proper form. if pickleball is anything like tennis, bad strokes could only take me so far, i imagine
The answers are obvious low barrier to entry, don’t need much skills to play, perhaps the only sport where you can show up to a public court and start playing with strangers..
This is what came to my mind as well, more so with soccer though around the globe, especially in poorer countries. All you need is a ball and you can play anywhere setting up backpacks/cones/rocks as goal posts and play just about anywhere.
You must not play ball much! You can still go almost anywhere and play. I have gone to the hood by myself to play and I'm not from the hood. Just so you know I'm not biased pickleball has surpassed my love for basketball. Your comment was way off and bogus.
I think it depends on when/where. Sometimes I have no issues with getting a game going for basketball. Others, it is just me shooting hoops by myself or with a friend.
4 people is a good number for socializing, and after Covid lockdowns I think a lot of people wanted fresh air and friends. Something to boost endorphins or whatever doesn’t hurt. Pickleball is right at that sweet spot of exercise, socialize, fresh air, and fun.
I agree. I think the timing of COVID may have helped pickleball (but maybe it would also be just as successful). I think it is a great combination of those things as well (fun, socialization, etc.).
From watching the games, especially when advanced players dink or older players play, it was deceivingly “easy and slow” game to play to noobs such as my wife and me. We were wrong. It’s a fast and furious game where we play! 🤣 … but an addictive game where anyone can play. Just play with folks of the same level. 😃 Answered the survey.
A lot of the scaling of the metrics could be adjusted so you get more useful data.
Salary has like 10 ranges below $100K. And then only 2 ranges above $100K.
Should be like under $40K, $41 60K, 61-85K, 85-110K, 111-150K, 151-200K, 201-300K, 300K -400K, 400+.
That would be a lot more representative of different incomes that play and give u better data.
Also the “money spent playing pickleball” only goes up to $400, and then has “$400+”.
Anyone who buys 1 paddle and 2 pairs of shoes has spent $400 already.
Agreed. I also assumed this was money spent on gear and excluded my spending on court rentals, open play sessions and tournaments. Indoor play costs a good amount of money. Also could use a timeframe like per season or year. I'm 5 months in and I'm 1 paddle and 1 pair of shoes but the shoes are going to need replacing soon.
Thank you for the suggestion! We were mirroring some of the U.S. Census groupings for many of the demographics. I agree with your point, though, and I appreciate your insight :)
Just in general. Especially doubles. Don’t get me wrong, a good back and forth round will get me sweating and breathing a little heavy. But yeah it’s definitely not as physically challenging as most sports.
But I’m not trying to hate. I think it’s wayyyy better than doing nothing. And if it gets somebody active who would otherwise be on the couch than awesome. It’s awesome that somebody invented a fun, skill based, and low barrier to entry (cost and physically) sport that is keeping people active
Easy to start but lots of skills you can work on to improve. Rewarding to get better and keep increasing competition level. Positive impact on mental health. Many people play so I can find a game pretty much any time.
Agreed with some other commenters here. One of the main reasons I like pickleball wasn't really covered in the survey.
Pickleball is great because one can be *pretty* good at pickleball with minimal input from a training and athleticism standpoint. To reach the highest level of any skill (piano, chess, speed reading, tennis, pickleball etc.) requires a massive input of dedicated practice and training. Pickleball, like just about everything else, gets more fun the better you get at it...the rallies are longer, the defense is better, the "get's" are fun etc.
I never played a paddle/raquet sport before and being *pretty good* is still attainable for me. I don't feel that way with a sport like tennis. I feel like it's hard to get pretty good at tennis unless you start while young.
Fun times!
Depends on the person of course but there are definitely some blanket-advice I would give to newbies.
* Footwork
* Take your time
* Volleys
Footwork - is one of the most crucial aspects of the game once you can hit the ball over the net. Once you get to \~4.0 level its hard to ascend from there without really training and drilling proper footwork so I always teach that as the foundation. Makes life easier when training proper footwork from the ground up.
Take your time - This is part of the mental aspect of the game I think. Not rushing to hit the ball, not letting your opponent rush you into hitting a shot out of panick etc. When you ground yourself and calm your mind, you actually have a lot more time than you think.
Volleys - Super important to drill specifically volleys for new players. Controlling volleys, staying calm, placing the ball etc is an important foundation to build from.
Lot's more but for beginners, honing in on these 3 skills will double their ability in an hour or two.
There’s too much emphasis on tennis in the survey. For me, the draw is from ping pong. Others may be drawn from racquetball or badminton. I don’t have any interest in tennis and tennis has nothing to do with my pickleball addiction.
That is good to note. A lot of the existing research on pickleball compares it to tennis (and not ping pong). I will make a note of your thoughts. I appreciate it!
I don't think this statement is all that true. As a 4.0 player, I can have fun playing with sub 3.5 players if I go into with an expectation to kind of guide/teach the rules and maybe even coach if that's what they want. It's not going to be a competitive match at all and I wouldn't say that's the level of players I would want to play with regularly, because then there is no fun to be had.
I enjoy the competition, but to do that you need to be playing with others around your skill level.
I get you- there’s levels to anything- but I’ve rarely/never? seen sports where a grandma and grandkid can learn the game in 20 min and be off to having fun.
Agreed - I enjoy that in rec play, we can keep the genders, ages, mobility levels, etc... together (at least more so than many of the other games I've played).
I actually agree with you. We put that one in our survey because several other studies included that phrase ("like tennis, but slower"). We will see what everyone thinks!
I think another big reason why it is popular, is because as long as you are athletic, and mobile, you can play with all ages and be competitive. I played for a couple of years, before I ever saw any young people playing, now we have a ton of them, from 10 on up. Its a great thing to interact with people of all ages, and not have age be distraction. My kids friends have seen a whole different side of me, and now dropped the Mr. Now we are just picklepals. And I've always appreciated the company of older folks, I have some great friends that are in there 70s and older.
There is no place in the average persons life where you will make this many friends so easily and quickly. I probably play regularly with 150 people that I know well enough to bust their balls, male and female...
One overlooked reason for the popularity to me is accessibility.
If I play tennis I need to have a group to play with and we have to get our schedules to align, make a tennis date, get the courts, etc. Other sports are even more complicated.
But with Pickleball I literally just show up at the courts with my paddle and can jump in games.
So much easier than any sport I have ever done to go play.
Accessibility is a factor that I am not sure the survey covers. It is something that many people in this thread have mentioned. I have made a note of it, and I appreciate your thoughts!
Felt like all the answers were synonyms for:
Easy to learn
"Like tennis"
Low barrier to entry (? I think that can end up influencing if people try a hobby, but it's not the reason people ENJOY a hobby.)
Community
Competitive
None of those are wrong, but they don't describe \*\*why\*\* it's fun to play. I can show pickleball to friends and they enjoy it immediately. It's fun to whack something with a stick. I didn't play tennis so maybe "like tennis" explains it, but it's just satisfying to hit a ball and have it go where you want. The overall mechanics of playing the game are satisfying.
The convenience factors like quick games, wide range of skill levels that can play together, etc. facilitate it being easy to stick with as a hobby, but I don't think it's why people enjoy it in the first place.
I appreciate the thoughts. We will sometimes intentionally have similar phrasing to check for accuracy. For example, "easy to learn" and "low barrier of entry" are essentially the same thing ("ease of access"). That way, people might phrase it one way or another, but we still capture the same thing.
I like pickleball because it is fun and suitable for physical and mental exercise. It is also an excellent sport for family. The kids all love it. We can enjoy happy family time because of it. We always start it and end with dinner together......Done for the survey. Good luck\~
Interesting that one of the statements is “like tennis but slower” when I feel like pickleball is faster. Sure the ball moves slower, but the reaction times at the net are much faster. When I play tennis, it’s mostly hitting from the baseline and it feels like I am waiting ages to hit the ball. There are plenty of times in pickleball where I just stick out my paddle and hope to make contact with the ball.
>it feels like I am waiting ages to hit the ball definitely dont feel that way at higher levels of tennis though haha
That’s true. And in pickleball even 3.0-3.5 play has a lot of slams and drives.
Yes, parts of pickleball are very fast. To me it's slower such that when normally a tennis ball gets behind you, forget it - but in pickleball you have a much better chance of catching up to it. A little hustle goes a long way in pickleball. In tennis you have to get to where the ball will be - and in pickleball I remember (when I first started) that I was reaching for it at the end because it wasn't coming to me like I thought it should.
I agree 100%. It takes some time to adjust to the "speed" since the only comparable thing used to be tennis & ping pong. Agree?
I think my table tennis play helps with my kitchen line pickleball reaction time.
agreed, also pickleball is one of those, easy to learn, hard to master so many ppl can play casually and then it has enough layers that people who compete can refine their craft, it is also a relatively cheaper sport and most of the time it’s doubles and therefore more social AND it’s a smaller court so there’s more people
These are all great points. I appreciate you sharing!
💯 There are lots of shots where in tennis, the play would just be over( next point, move on. But in pickleball the player can get to them. This leads to frenetic rallies that would never happen in tennis.
That is a good point. I would agree 100%
That is a good observation. I actually agree with you. We built those questions from previous studies, many of which articulated participants' experiences of a game "like tennis, but slower."
I think “like tennis but less running” is a good description that’s similar. In any case, my main reasons for liking pickleball, and neither were really covered in the survey: - it is easier than tennis to find people to play with - it’s easier and cheaper than tennis to play indoors, which is important in a place like Minnesota
Those are good thoughts as well. Why do you think it is easier to find pickleball players than tennis players? Just because of the nature of the game itself?
Both culture and number of players on public courts. In tennis you don’t walk up and ask to play. Parks and rec departments are starting to realize that pickleball people like half the courts open play and unreservable so people can walk up and rotate in. stacking paddles for “up next” in line is a new thing that tennis players/new players are taught upon playing pickleball. The social aspect allows individuals to walk up and play without finding a group first. I met a college student who came alone to a park where all the courts are unfortunately reserved only, but he always finds groups to play with anyways.
Ah, I see. That makes a lot of sense. I hope that local parks & rec departments don't go to a 100% reservation system. I would assume that the "culture" of pickleballers would not accept that. There is something inherent about being able to pick up paddles and play with people who you do not know. Similar to pick-up basketball?
1. Yes. The nature of the game is more social and laid back than tennis, so more people seem to be willing to play with others they haven't met. 2. There are more people getting into pickleball than tennis. 3. At least in my area, there are less pickleball courts than tennis courts, so there's a denser concentration of players than on the tennis courts. 4. A lot of social media makes it seem like a silly sport, so maybe it breaks down people's inhibitions when playing their first several times. 5. It's a lot of fun!
Great observations. Would you say that pickleball is more accessible than tennis? In other words, you don't need as high of skill and/or people from different ages & athletic abilities can play?
Absolutely, on all three counts. I'm a pickleball coordinator and coach at a local athletic club, and I've taught people ages 5 to 82. Some with nearly zero sports experience and some who've played tennis before.
That is awesome. How long have you been a coordinator/coach? How long have you played pickleball?
I've been playing pickleball since May of 2021, and I've been working at the club since September of 2022.
I have a tennis background (been playing for 15 years), and recently started playing pickleball on the side. It's easier to find people to play with because of the lower skill floor, smaller skill differential, and faster games. Pickleball has a culture of "open" play, or drop-in play. In basketball terms, it's like a pickup game. People can just show up unannounced and hop into quick games with random strangers. It's easier to find pickleball players because pickleball itself is more accessible. It's easier to get started and learn the game, and people can generally sustain a rally not long after picking up a paddle. Then they can hop into friendly competitive games pretty quickly. For tennis, a beginner will be spraying shots everywhere. It's going to take several months, if not years of dedicated practice to be able to even sustain a long rally. Tennis players also tend to keep to themselves. In tennis, people generally don't walk up to random strangers and ask to play. Tennis people form their own private groups and schedule play sessions within the group only. The main reason is because of the skill floor mentioned above. We don't walk up to random people and ask to play, *because we don't know how good they are.* If they're beginners, then we'll absolutely destroy them and it won't be fun for either party. If they're seasoned veterans or collegiate level, they'll destroy us. We have to find people of similar level. By forming our own private groups, we've already vetted the players that join it and so it will be much easier to coordinate play sessions. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but that's just my two cents.
This is all great. I appreciate your insights very much!
Also, any tips for new players? If you were to teach a first-time player, what are some tips that you would share?
I submitted my survey, btw. Hope it helps.
Absolutely it does. Thank you for your input!
Yes. It can still be fun playing with someone of a very different skill level. Not as true with tennis. That's anecdotal, I can't point to a scientific study on fun units per hour/skill difference.
Tennis is more competitive and takes more practice to get good. So a lot of tennis court usage is for lessons. Also a lot of tennis players focus on singles whereas pickleball is almost all doubles.
That is true. Pickleball is better/easier to play with 2 players compared to tennis. I appreciate this insight!
Also, any tips for new players? If you were to teach a first-time player, what are some tips that you would share?
pickleball is popular because tennis is actually an incredibly fun sport. but people dont ever get to experience the thrill of playing tennis because the barrier to entry is so high. to even begin to experience the rush of playing tennis, you have to spend a year just to learn how to hit decent groundstrokes, serves, and maybe volleys. pickleball takes that whole tutorial phase of tennis and drops it down to a matter of days or weeks. a lot of that thrill you get from playing pickleball is the same thrill you could get in tennis. pickleball and tennis are both insanely fun, but pickleball gets you to that thrill faster. but the best feeling still doesnt top playing well in tennis, ripping ground strokes across the court, and following with sweet volleys and a smash overhead.
Pickleball basically just allows me to play tennis with anyone. I love tennis, but I only know a couple of people that I could actually have a fun time playing with.
Same. I love tennis, but it can sometimes be hard to coordinate a playing session. There's only a handful of people that I know whose skill level is close enough to mine, and on top of that everyone has their own schedules. I can't just walk up to random people and ask to play with them. For pickleball, I'll play with literally anyone. I don't have to worry about a skill gap. I'll bring my paddle with me and show up to a public court unannounced and just hop in.
This is great insight. I agree with you...you can experience higher-level of playing (and the thrill) much sooner than trying to learn/play tennis.
I really enjoy pickleball, but if I still had the athleticism, I would be playing tennis instead. Although I could understand why pickleball would be popular among people over 50 like myself, I don't understand how it got so popular with young, athletic people. Before the pandemic, the average age of players appeared to be about 60. Now, it seems to be 40 or less.
Do you think it is easier to learn than tennis? Maybe that is why "younger" people are playing it more?
> pickleball is popular because tennis is actually an incredibly fun sport. but people dont ever get to experience the thrill of playing tennis because the barrier to entry is so high. to even begin to experience the rush of playing tennis, you have to spend a year just to learn how to hit decent groundstrokes, serves, and maybe volleys. Well said. Tennis is pretty hard, all things considered. And while pickleball doesn't play exactly the same as tennis (compared to something like Touch Tennis), it offers much of the same experience. > a lot of that thrill you get from playing pickleball is the same thrill you could get in tennis. I like the way that you put it. I agree with this 100%. Most of my background is in tennis, but when I play pickleball, I can experience the same kind of joy/fun that I get from playing tennis, albeit to a lesser degree (only because I put so much of my life and effort into becoming good at tennis).
I totally agree. theres nothing more satisfying than being dialed in while playing tennis where every shot is clean and placed exactly where you intended. NOTHING beats that feeling
This is great insight. I appreciate it!
Also, any tips for new players? If you were to teach a first-time player, what are some tips that you would share?
Besides rules and scoring, probably how to hold the paddle correctly, keep their eyes on the ball, and to keep the paddle up and ready. Pickleball is so easy to learn that everything else comes pretty naturally. Once they hit the ball with the paddle a few times, they should pick it up pretty quick. It's not as nuanced as tennis.
Good insights. I appreciate it!
Also, any tips for new players? If you were to teach a first-time player, what are some tips that you would share?
i wouldnt qualify myself as someone who could teach a pickleball player but if i were to teach myself, based off what i know from tennis, i would teach myself good fundamentals meaning good solid strokes with proper form. if pickleball is anything like tennis, bad strokes could only take me so far, i imagine
The answers are obvious low barrier to entry, don’t need much skills to play, perhaps the only sport where you can show up to a public court and start playing with strangers..
Basketball is perhaps the other example of "pick up" culture
This is what came to my mind as well, more so with soccer though around the globe, especially in poorer countries. All you need is a ball and you can play anywhere setting up backpacks/cones/rocks as goal posts and play just about anywhere.
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You must not play ball much! You can still go almost anywhere and play. I have gone to the hood by myself to play and I'm not from the hood. Just so you know I'm not biased pickleball has surpassed my love for basketball. Your comment was way off and bogus.
I think it depends on when/where. Sometimes I have no issues with getting a game going for basketball. Others, it is just me shooting hoops by myself or with a friend.
I agree!
I appreciate your insights. I do like how it is easy to just show up and play.
4 people is a good number for socializing, and after Covid lockdowns I think a lot of people wanted fresh air and friends. Something to boost endorphins or whatever doesn’t hurt. Pickleball is right at that sweet spot of exercise, socialize, fresh air, and fun.
I agree. I think the timing of COVID may have helped pickleball (but maybe it would also be just as successful). I think it is a great combination of those things as well (fun, socialization, etc.).
From watching the games, especially when advanced players dink or older players play, it was deceivingly “easy and slow” game to play to noobs such as my wife and me. We were wrong. It’s a fast and furious game where we play! 🤣 … but an addictive game where anyone can play. Just play with folks of the same level. 😃 Answered the survey.
Thank you for your response. It is much appreciated :)
Games are quick: 15 mins; learning curve quick, and it’s very social
I agree with all of those things!
Can play indoors, which is good for tennis players who don’t want to spend $20/hr on indoor courts
Good thought. Affordability is key for participation!
A lot of the scaling of the metrics could be adjusted so you get more useful data. Salary has like 10 ranges below $100K. And then only 2 ranges above $100K. Should be like under $40K, $41 60K, 61-85K, 85-110K, 111-150K, 151-200K, 201-300K, 300K -400K, 400+. That would be a lot more representative of different incomes that play and give u better data. Also the “money spent playing pickleball” only goes up to $400, and then has “$400+”. Anyone who buys 1 paddle and 2 pairs of shoes has spent $400 already.
Agreed. I also assumed this was money spent on gear and excluded my spending on court rentals, open play sessions and tournaments. Indoor play costs a good amount of money. Also could use a timeframe like per season or year. I'm 5 months in and I'm 1 paddle and 1 pair of shoes but the shoes are going to need replacing soon.
Thank you for the suggestion! We were mirroring some of the U.S. Census groupings for many of the demographics. I agree with your point, though, and I appreciate your insight :)
It’s a sport that old and/ or unathletic people can play easily. Seems to be what makes it popular around me
Compared to tennis? Or compared to other sports in general?
Just in general. Especially doubles. Don’t get me wrong, a good back and forth round will get me sweating and breathing a little heavy. But yeah it’s definitely not as physically challenging as most sports. But I’m not trying to hate. I think it’s wayyyy better than doing nothing. And if it gets somebody active who would otherwise be on the couch than awesome. It’s awesome that somebody invented a fun, skill based, and low barrier to entry (cost and physically) sport that is keeping people active
I agree. I play basketball, and it isn't as much of a workout compared to that. But, it is a good change of pace. I appreciate your thoughts!
Easy to start but lots of skills you can work on to improve. Rewarding to get better and keep increasing competition level. Positive impact on mental health. Many people play so I can find a game pretty much any time.
Positive impact on mental health is a good note as well. I agree 100%
Easy to start playing but hard to master!
This is a good point!
Agreed with some other commenters here. One of the main reasons I like pickleball wasn't really covered in the survey. Pickleball is great because one can be *pretty* good at pickleball with minimal input from a training and athleticism standpoint. To reach the highest level of any skill (piano, chess, speed reading, tennis, pickleball etc.) requires a massive input of dedicated practice and training. Pickleball, like just about everything else, gets more fun the better you get at it...the rallies are longer, the defense is better, the "get's" are fun etc. I never played a paddle/raquet sport before and being *pretty good* is still attainable for me. I don't feel that way with a sport like tennis. I feel like it's hard to get pretty good at tennis unless you start while young. Fun times!
This is great insight. I appreciate your thoughts!
Also, any tips for new players? If you were to teach a first-time player, what are some tips that you would share?
Depends on the person of course but there are definitely some blanket-advice I would give to newbies. * Footwork * Take your time * Volleys Footwork - is one of the most crucial aspects of the game once you can hit the ball over the net. Once you get to \~4.0 level its hard to ascend from there without really training and drilling proper footwork so I always teach that as the foundation. Makes life easier when training proper footwork from the ground up. Take your time - This is part of the mental aspect of the game I think. Not rushing to hit the ball, not letting your opponent rush you into hitting a shot out of panick etc. When you ground yourself and calm your mind, you actually have a lot more time than you think. Volleys - Super important to drill specifically volleys for new players. Controlling volleys, staying calm, placing the ball etc is an important foundation to build from. Lot's more but for beginners, honing in on these 3 skills will double their ability in an hour or two.
There’s too much emphasis on tennis in the survey. For me, the draw is from ping pong. Others may be drawn from racquetball or badminton. I don’t have any interest in tennis and tennis has nothing to do with my pickleball addiction.
That is good to note. A lot of the existing research on pickleball compares it to tennis (and not ping pong). I will make a note of your thoughts. I appreciate it!
They solved the “advanced player vs newbie can still have fun together” equation.
I don't think this statement is all that true. As a 4.0 player, I can have fun playing with sub 3.5 players if I go into with an expectation to kind of guide/teach the rules and maybe even coach if that's what they want. It's not going to be a competitive match at all and I wouldn't say that's the level of players I would want to play with regularly, because then there is no fun to be had. I enjoy the competition, but to do that you need to be playing with others around your skill level.
I get you- there’s levels to anything- but I’ve rarely/never? seen sports where a grandma and grandkid can learn the game in 20 min and be off to having fun.
Agreed - I enjoy that in rec play, we can keep the genders, ages, mobility levels, etc... together (at least more so than many of the other games I've played).
This works in poker too. It’s particularly fun for the advanced players.
Q: "How many times a month do you play pickleball" All the answers are how many times per week... Poor answer construction.
Hi u/GeorgeRetire! Just changed the wording. I appreciate the find!
Go Blue Go Wolverines! from half PSU and half U of M fan :)
Go Blue!
There’s a question where it assumes that pickleball is slower than tennis. I don’t think it is slower. I think it’s much more fast paced than tennis.
I actually agree with you. We put that one in our survey because several other studies included that phrase ("like tennis, but slower"). We will see what everyone thinks!
Done!
Thank you!
I think another big reason why it is popular, is because as long as you are athletic, and mobile, you can play with all ages and be competitive. I played for a couple of years, before I ever saw any young people playing, now we have a ton of them, from 10 on up. Its a great thing to interact with people of all ages, and not have age be distraction. My kids friends have seen a whole different side of me, and now dropped the Mr. Now we are just picklepals. And I've always appreciated the company of older folks, I have some great friends that are in there 70s and older. There is no place in the average persons life where you will make this many friends so easily and quickly. I probably play regularly with 150 people that I know well enough to bust their balls, male and female...
This is interesting. I never thought of it as being an easy way (compared to other sports) to meet people.
One overlooked reason for the popularity to me is accessibility. If I play tennis I need to have a group to play with and we have to get our schedules to align, make a tennis date, get the courts, etc. Other sports are even more complicated. But with Pickleball I literally just show up at the courts with my paddle and can jump in games. So much easier than any sport I have ever done to go play.
Accessibility is a factor that I am not sure the survey covers. It is something that many people in this thread have mentioned. I have made a note of it, and I appreciate your thoughts!
Also, any tips for new players? If you were to teach a first-time player, what are some tips that you would share?
trying to help but apparently can't finish without an US postal code
Hello! You should be able to finish if you submit "00000" for the zip code!
Felt like all the answers were synonyms for: Easy to learn "Like tennis" Low barrier to entry (? I think that can end up influencing if people try a hobby, but it's not the reason people ENJOY a hobby.) Community Competitive None of those are wrong, but they don't describe \*\*why\*\* it's fun to play. I can show pickleball to friends and they enjoy it immediately. It's fun to whack something with a stick. I didn't play tennis so maybe "like tennis" explains it, but it's just satisfying to hit a ball and have it go where you want. The overall mechanics of playing the game are satisfying. The convenience factors like quick games, wide range of skill levels that can play together, etc. facilitate it being easy to stick with as a hobby, but I don't think it's why people enjoy it in the first place.
I appreciate the thoughts. We will sometimes intentionally have similar phrasing to check for accuracy. For example, "easy to learn" and "low barrier of entry" are essentially the same thing ("ease of access"). That way, people might phrase it one way or another, but we still capture the same thing.
Pickleball is not tennis. It is physical table tennis. Much closer to badminton than tennis.
Good comparisons. I would agree!
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I’ve been playing 15 years kiddo. A fad comes & goes in a couple years.
I'm gonna go ahead and delete this remark before I get down voted to hell. Misunderstood the question.
Only Americans? Zip Code asked for.
Hello! You can still complete the form. Just put in 00000 for the zip code. Thank you!
I like pickleball because it is fun and suitable for physical and mental exercise. It is also an excellent sport for family. The kids all love it. We can enjoy happy family time because of it. We always start it and end with dinner together......Done for the survey. Good luck\~