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5 Reasons Why You Should Play Pickleball
Pickleball is America’s fastest-growing sport with more than 48 million players nationwide! The largest player demographic is 18–34-year-olds. Nineteen percent of Americans have played at least once in the past year!
Below are five great reasons why you should join the party and not be left behind while all your friends are having such a good time.
1. It’s great exercise. Although pickleball is not as physically demanding as sports like basketball or tennis, it’s also not as high impact and can provide an excellent workout. Pickleball players are constantly moving and often display bursts of quick movements which elevate their heart rates, improves flexibility, balance, and agility. Also, the rapid back-and-forth ball exchanges near the net challenge hand-eye coordination and improve fast reflexes.
2. It boosts your mental health. Smacking a ball across the net is a great stress-reliever and can help lower blood pressure. The game’s fast pace and strategizing can also sharpen the brain’s ability to think more quickly. Winning games or just individual shots releases those “feel-good” endorphins, too.
3. It’s easy. Unlike for golf and tennis, you won’t need lessons to play pickleball at a respectable level. In fact, the serve, which is the hardest shot to master in tennis, is the easiest shot to make in pickleball. If you can hit a ball back and forth on your home’s ping-pong table, you can play pickleball.
4. It’s not expensive. More and more parks today have pickleball courts available for free play. Even indoor pickleball facilities usually charge less than ten dollars for two-to-three hours of play. Beginners can buy a paddle for $50 or less and balls cost little more than tennis balls. Portable nets are around $110. With paddles, balls, a net, and a piece of chalk to draw lines, you can be play “driveway pickleball” in about 10 minutes!
5. It’s friendly, accessible competition. What other sport offers the chance for parents, grandparents, young adults, and children to compete together? Pickleball may be the only sport where an older player can legitimately defeat a younger, more agile player. Also, women can successfully compete against men.
Bottom line: Play pickleball because it’s flat-out fun! It’s also a sport you can play for the rest of your life. Search online for a pickleball club in your area or call your local YMCA to find a game near you. See you on the court!
For tips and strategies on pickleball, check out my book Winning Pickleball, available wherever you buy books.
Winning Pickleball
Written by David Satka
Foreword by Leigh Waters & Anna Leigh Waters
978-1-57826-995-2, $15.95 paperback
978-1-961293-02-1, $9.99 ebookPublished by Hatherleigh Press.
Distributed through Penguin Random House.
Available wherever books are sold.
www.hatherleighpress.com -
Winning Pickleball: Hot Summer Read
“…offering an insightful guide to enhancing one’s game beyond the physical play.”
—KYLE WHATNALL, Selkirk Sports, Senior Manager, PPA Pickleball Tour Player“…can help all players improve their game!”
—MOIRA ROUSH, eight-time US Open Pickleball Champion“…a never-ending reservoir of tactics, strategies and life lessons to apply in your pickleball journey.”
—PETER POPOVICH, US Open and National Senior Games gold medalist“…discusses the often overlooked aspects of balance and footwork which I truly appreciated.”
—DR. SABY KARUPPIAH, MD, Selkirk Pro Team USAPA Atlantic Regionals Singles and Doubles gold medalist“Dave’s sheer determination to be the best mentally prepared player on the court comes through loud and clear in this inspiring book.”
—DOUG ROWE, former Head Men’s Tennis Coach, D-1 Player, USPTA Professional“…will give you tips to improve quickly, as well as tell stories, make you laugh, and give you insights into how the pros play and think.”
—LEIGH WATERS & ANNA LEIGH WATERS, #1 Ranked Pickleball ChampionsWinning Pickleball shows players of all levels how to improve their game through strategy, technique and mental toughness.
Whether you’re a pickleball novice looking to improve or a pro player eager to up their mental game, Winning Pickleball is perfect for anyone who’s ready to learn and ready to win — all without skills or drills.
Pickleball expert David Satka shows players of all levels how to improve their game through careful strategy, refined technique and mental toughness. Remember: you don’t have to be a natural athlete to become a better player, so long as you know the secrets of winning.
With Winning Pickleball, you’ll learn secrets to success like:
• Identifying your current level and how best to play up to it
• What peak performance really looks like
• How to cultivate focus
• Proper footwork and shot selection
• Perfect practice to practice perfectly
• The importance of partner communicationWanting to win isn’t enough — you need to know how to win to succeed at anything, and pickleball is no different. Let Winning Pickleball show you how to do just that!
About the Author
David Satka is a USA Pickleball Ambassador and certified Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR) coach. An athlete all his life, David was a four-year starter on the Division I tennis team at Indiana State University. He began his instructing career at the World Class Tennis Camp in Baltimore and continued as a tennis teaching professional. David recently retired from a 25-year career as an educator and coach. He also founded the first outdoor pickleball courts in Altoona, PA. For more information, visit www.winningpickleballnow.com.
Winning Pickleball
Written by David Satka
Foreword by Leigh Waters & Anna Leigh Waters
978-1-57826-995-2, $15.95 paperback
978-1-961293-02-1, $9.99 ebookPublished by Hatherleigh Press.
Distributed through Penguin Random House.
Available wherever books are sold.
www.hatherleighpress.com