It was great to see so many new players trying out pickleball today. However, if that is you, it’s super important you don’t get in over your head, and you find a suitable game that fits your level. How do you do that? The powers of observation. Just look around and see who is close to your ability, and jump in there. I had a game today against 2.0 players who were waiting to play on the advanced courts. I am a 4.5+, my partner 4.5. It wasn’t fun for anyone involved. I am not being a snob, or an elitist, which I know some of you will probably react with. I am just speaking the truth. It wasn’t fun. We didn’t have fun. They didn’t have fun. It was mutual. I did my best, and offered them a few tips. Yay! Tips! And my game was turned only up to 4 on the dial, with a 10 capacity.
With another player, I tried to politely direct her to the many beginning level courts that were in play. She wasn’t having it. She felt she wasn’t a beginner. She was definitely a beginner compared to the 4.0-4.5 level of the court she wanted to play on. FYI: There were 15 other courts she could have played on, the majority not the high level of the one she wanted in on.
This is a fact about pickleball: Pickleball is best enjoyed with 4 players who are as equal in skill as possible, no matter the level of the game they are playing at. So, 3.0 with 3.0, 4.0 with 4.0, etc. When the talent is lopsided, the less advanced players will get picked on. That's just the nature of the Pickleball Beast. It's very Darwinian in that sense. When the sides are evenly balanced, that’s when the points get good, and the dopamine rush soars.
