Guide to recruiting new players I've been successfully…
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Guide to recruiting new players
I've been successfully recruiting new players to my pickleball obsession and here is my personal guide.
* DON'T PRESSURE - Some people just aren't interested. When the topic comes up, you should easily be able to tell if someone might be interested in trying it out or completely disinterested. The only exception is what I like to call 'ex-tennis snobs'. They've played a ton of tennis and don't play anymore, but appear to have some unwarranted negative feelings about pickleball. Most of these 'tennis snobs' are the ones that end up becoming obsessed with pickleball after a single game (e.g. I stopped playing tennis because of my knee, but I can do this!)
* EXTRA PADDLES - Have extra paddles that your new recruits can borrow. The number of paddle options are daunting and most don't want to commit to a purchase for something they want to try for the first time (or worse, they show up with a $10 walmart paddle).
* SCORING - Before stepping foot onto an Open Play court, try to explain the basics of the scoring first. There's a lot going on without having the added confusion of explaining why there is a 3rd number or why points are only scored for the serving side. They won't remember everything, but this drastically reduces confusion. When they get confused, a simple reminder turns into, "oh yea, that's right" instead of holding up play to explain it all.
* SERVING - The amount of times I had to remind the ex-tennis players that their paddle needs to be underhand/below their hip is astounding.
* KITCHEN - You can get into the details of when you are allowed to step in the kitchen later, but for the early introduction, just tell them which section is the Kitchen and just stay out.
* KEEP IT SIMPLE - The number of rules/regulations gets overwhelming, so don't get too much into details. Those can be figured out during games or later on if they stick with it.
This next part is nice to haves if you are able to with your new recruits:
* PRIVATE COURT/NET or OFF-PEAK PUBLIC COURTS - If possible, it's nice for a new player to have the luxury of drilling and simply getting used to hitting the ball without the pressure of open play.
* DINK PRACTICE - Either against a wall or on a driveway
* RESEARCH - Have them look up the rules themselves and/or watch videos to get acclimated to what is involved.
#sport
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I've been successfully recruiting new players to my pickleball obsession and here is my personal guide.
* DON'T PRESSURE - Some people just aren't interested. When the topic comes up, you should easily be able to tell if someone might be interested in trying it out or completely disinterested. The only exception is what I like to call 'ex-tennis snobs'. They've played a ton of tennis and don't play anymore, but appear to have some unwarranted negative feelings about pickleball. Most of these 'tennis snobs' are the ones that end up becoming obsessed with pickleball after a single game (e.g. I stopped playing tennis because of my knee, but I can do this!)
* EXTRA PADDLES - Have extra paddles that your new recruits can borrow. The number of paddle options are daunting and most don't want to commit to a purchase for something they want to try for the first time (or worse, they show up with a $10 walmart paddle).
* SCORING - Before stepping foot onto an Open Play court, try to explain the basics of the scoring first. There's a lot going on without having the added confusion of explaining why there is a 3rd number or why points are only scored for the serving side. They won't remember everything, but this drastically reduces confusion. When they get confused, a simple reminder turns into, "oh yea, that's right" instead of holding up play to explain it all.
* SERVING - The amount of times I had to remind the ex-tennis players that their paddle needs to be underhand/below their hip is astounding.
* KITCHEN - You can get into the details of when you are allowed to step in the kitchen later, but for the early introduction, just tell them which section is the Kitchen and just stay out.
* KEEP IT SIMPLE - The number of rules/regulations gets overwhelming, so don't get too much into details. Those can be figured out during games or later on if they stick with it.
This next part is nice to haves if you are able to with your new recruits:
* PRIVATE COURT/NET or OFF-PEAK PUBLIC COURTS - If possible, it's nice for a new player to have the luxury of drilling and simply getting used to hitting the ball without the pressure of open play.
* DINK PRACTICE - Either against a wall or on a driveway
* RESEARCH - Have them look up the rules themselves and/or watch videos to get acclimated to what is involved.
#sport
source
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