Making Pickleball Fun for Kids!

So what’s the secret for ensuring that your children or grandchildren have a positive first-time experience with pickleball, encouraging them to make it a lifetime activity they can love as much as we all do?

First, remember your experience learning the game. Was it a friend or family member who got you started, or a dynamic pickleball coach who made it simple and easy to learn? Or maybe, with all the buzz around pickleball, you bought a couple of inexpensive paddles at Walmart or on Amazon and—with eager optimism—went out and played without even knowing the rules.

Regardless of how you got started, you were able to experience playing the game immediately, even with unpolished swings and rallies. You were hitting balls, getting great exercise, and relieving stress and anxiety with every whack of the ball. And within minutes, you were a pickleball player and hooked on the game!

So how can we get kids off to the right start?

Make it Fun!

Give the kids a break from a lot of technical suggestions and corrections when they learn. Think about it: Do you like it when your spouse/friend/colleague takes extra liberties to tell you how to do stuff, and corrects you when you do it wrong?

Treat Them Like Friends.

Think about how kids learn from each other by observing and attempting new things through trial and error, such as learning how to ride a skateboard and even how to do difficult tricks with it.

Friends often learn much better from friends because of the non-judgmental, non-technical, and learn-by-doing approach that is a natural process of growing up.

So be a friend first, and if they still don’t do it right, then you can yell at them. (Just kidding—no yelling please!)

Find Ways to Make it Easier.

If they struggle at first, adapt!

• Use indoor balls (or foam tennis balls) when learning. They are lighter, bounce higher, and go through the air slower, which makes them perfect for gaining skills and confidence quickly.

• Start the kids closer to the net with shorter, controlled swings and dinks before playing from farther away.

• Rally and play over a line (no net) before rallying over a net. This is a great way for learning skills and can be done in most driveways!

• Adapt the rules of play and allow multiple hits and bounces to get the ball over the net. Allow extra serves if they miss, start closer when serving, play from ¾ court instead of full court, etc.

• Use simplified rally-based scoring with players taking turns serving before explaining traditional scoring.

Be Patient and Reassuring.

If you have followed the recommendations above and they still struggle with success or are just very impatient with themselves, give them a hug or fist bump and say, “I am so proud of you for trying pickleball. Just let me know when you want to come out and play again. But for now, let’s go get some ice cream—my treat!”

At the end of the day, pickleball should be fun for kids and an outlet for exercise and reducing the stress that they may have as young people. Also, if you teach others the way you would want to be taught, things usually work out quite well.

And years later—after you see your children, grandchildren or students enjoying the sport and sharing it with their friends and others—you can say, “I remember when…” •

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Jason Jamison is a PPR professional, president/founder of Covering the Court, LLC, coach education specialist, and industry consultant.

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