Requesting Your Pickleball Thoughts and Experiences
Requesting Your Pickleball Thoughts and Experiences
What are your thoughts on leaving a pickleball game, pickleball coaching, to compete or not to compete, pickleball addiction, drilling, could pickleball diminish like racquetball?, and more.
As I sat down to write this week’s column, I reviewed my upcoming pieces and realized something important—several of them could use more you. Heavens knows I have lots of thoughts about the World of Pickleball, but you do, too, and I’d love to hear them.
I have articles in the pipeline on the following topics and would welcome your contributions. The Pickleball Times aims to be a thoughtful look at this growing sport and the people involved in it, and these upcoming columns will be all the more interesting with your thoughts and experiences included.
If you have particular thoughts on any of the following would you please email me at emily@emilyburnett.me? Don’t worry about polishing them or being fancy with your thoughts. Candid and brief comments are welcome!Leaving a game
Have you ever left a court mid-game, or wish you had? If you have, what did you say? Have you seen anyone leave a game and what are your opinions on when it might be necessary to do so?
Coaching
What in your experience of taking pickleball lessons makes a great pickleball coach? What has not worked well in the pickleball coaching you’ve received? I’m interested in perspectives about coaching experiences ranging from pro clinics to community-level coaching.
Tournaments
If you’ve not competed in a tournament yet, why? And if you were hesitant to compete but have since, what was that experience like? How has competing in tournaments made your pickleball game and life better?
Drilling
What’s your relationship like with drilling? Do you love the idea of it but find it hard to make happen or find it hard to keep from getting sucked into games? How have you found places to drill and people to drill with? Has drilling made your life overall better?
Similarities between racquetball
I have heard people equate the growth of pickleball to racquetball in the 1980s. If you have experience with both sports or thoughts on the meteoric rise of both, I’d love to hear your projections for pickleball. Did racquetball reach as wide a swath of the population as pickleball is reaching?
Pickleball and tennis
I’m interested to hear from people who like and play both sports. I’m particularly interested to know what you see as the biggest differences in attitudes, athleticism, social/personal benefits, opportunities with the sport, etc. If you play both, why? And if you left tennis for pickleball, why? What do you miss and what have you gained in moving to pickleball?
Pickleball addiction
People seem to proudly self-identify as a “pickleball addict” in a way I haven’t seen with any other hobby or sport. What are your thoughts on pickleball addiction in general? And if you strive to maintain balance when it comes to pickleball as part of your life, why and how do you? Has pickleball replaced something in your life?
Getting into the game
If you are newer to the sport, what advice has been most helpful to you? How did you get into the game? I’ve created a robust guide based on my own diverse experiences getting into pickleball in communities across the country, and would love to include the experiences of people of various ages in the guide.
If you have thoughtful opinions or experience with any of the above, would you please email me at emily@emilyburnett.me? I look forward to reading about your pickleball experiences and thoughts and weaving them in upcoming pieces.
The Pickleball Times was created to be a thoughtful look at the game of pickleball, the industry, the people, and what its rise says about society. It’s also meant to hopefully influence the sport to stay classy and each of us to make pickleball a wonderful part of an intentional, balanced life. If this resonates, please consider subscribing today and sharing to help it grow!