How Long Does It Really Take To Learn Pickleball?
You may have seen some pickle rallies on your social media feed or when passing by your local community sports club, and said to yourself “looks pretty easy to play.” This is the case with many players starting out, as pickleball was designed to be accessible and easy to play from the get go! However, it is important to be aware of the different learning stages of the sport and deepen our understanding if we want to squeeze the most out of our pickleball training sessions. After examining the key factors affecting our rate of learning, we will jump into discussing how we can get our pickleball to the next level!
Defining Learning
Before we dive into the various factors that will affect our rate of learning, let’s first define what we mean by learning in relation to pickleball. In terms of being able to play a basic rally in pickleball with your friends, you can get started pretty quickly! So the fun can commence from the moment you step on a pickleball court. However, when it comes to learning the rules such as the two bounce rule, the non-volley zone and scoring system, we are tackling a whole new beast! Getting fully accustomed to applying the rules in a full matchplay scenario will take at least a few hard sessions of directed training. Furthermore, to get to an advanced level, will require deeper learning of pickleball strategy and specialised techniques.
The Pickle Frequency
One key factor that will impact our rate of learning in pickleball is our training frequency. The more time you make for your pickleball sessions, the more likely you are to improve faster. If we play at a low training frequency, where we only train once per week, we may find ourselves feeling like we are in ‘reset mode’, each time we go to play. Reset mode means we feel like we are starting all over again even though we have played a few times before. This is because with low training frequency, our body won’t have the consistent stimulation of pickleball movements to aid our muscle memory for the sport. Therefore, with lower training frequencies we are likely to see a slow rate of improvement in comparison to players who play three to four times per week.
Racket Sports Forte
Many of the coaches at Play! Pickle in Singapore and Malaysia have found that their students who come from racket sports backgrounds such as tennis and squash were able to learn pickleball at a quicker rate, compared to their fellow students who did not have racket sports experience. This is likely due to the ball and hand-eye coordination that they developed when playing other racket or paddle sports. This is not to say that those with no racket sports experience can’t learn at a fast rate. However, those with racket sport experience definitely have an advantage when starting pickleball from scratch.
The Body And Soul
Our level of physical fitness will also play a part in how fast we learn pickleball. The more times we can practice specific drills to learn techniques and strategy of the game, the faster we will learn. In order to put more hard hours on the court, we need a baseline level of fitness. The fitter we are, the longer we will be able to train. Like with many things in life, the more we enjoy doing something, the more likely we are to improve at it. This is where we talk about Soul! Your passion and level of care for the sport. For many, pickleball is a great way to unwind from a stressful day at work. For others, it’s more than just a game but a lifestyle choice. Pickleball has become a life priority for many athletes in the US and with its increasing popularity worldwide, we are starting to see more dedicated pickleballers in Singapore!
The Coach Advantage
Pickleball lessons have become increasingly popular due to the rapid growth of the sport. More players from diverse backgrounds have started to take an interest in pickleball. Along with this growth, comes new players who want a quick and snappy intro to the sports from an expert coach. At Play! Pickle we have found that many of our beginner students are ready to go and play with their friends after just a couple of sessions. However, our students who want to take their game to the next level to have an advantage over their friends or competitors will usually attend up to 12 lessons! Over multiple lessons, they solidify matchplay strategies as well as work on specific techniques to enhance their game.
To conclude, when we talk about how long it takes to learn pickleball, it really comes down to how each individual defines their learning and what their goals are. It may be to learn the basics and have a fun workout with their friends. Or to learn the sport at a higher level to gain a competitive edge. Pickleball is highly accessible and easy to get started in but is difficult to master! Mastering any sport or discipline requires hard work and dedication.
