The Power of Pickleball

“It was very difficult to find a sport for our three young kids, my 75-year-old dad and my competitive wife and me,” says Kirk Simpson, a 51-year-old entrepreneur who has played pickleball on courts across Canada. He found the sport during the pandemic. “We were finally playing a game where you could make two teams that were relatively easy to match and could have fun. And I don’t know how many games you can say that about. Tennis? Super popular, but the difference between a neophyte tennis player and someone who's decent is massive,” says Simpson. “The neophyte would have a hard time returning the ball over the net. Or pickup basketball — you're going to have some people who can't even shoot the ball. It is very, very rare to find a sport that has a wide skill range.” Simpson, like so many others, finds the small court size and the forgiving pace are what make pickleball accessible to players of all ages and fitness levels. It also promotes improved balance, coordination and agility, all without putting excessive strain on joints. Then there’s the social connection. The doubles format — far more popular than singles — makes it a highly social sport: it’s a great way to meet new people and build friendships. “And that's what drew me to it in the first place. It was super inclusive, fun, easy to understand,” says Simpson. “And then the second key moment was when I started to play my friend Chip in singles. And there again, it's playable, it's fun, but also you can get competitive and really elevate your heart rate. And so, within this sport, you can do both of those two kinds of extremes.” Plus, it can be played year-round, with indoor courts humming in the colder months. “People just want to play and have fun,” says Simpson, who now plays several days a week for two hours at a time. “And if you go to a few clinics and just get comfortable with the game, you’re going to find that you start having fun quickly. There are a lot of sports where, as you get older — think golf or, again, tennis — if you didn’t play it as a kid, the learning curve is really high.” Beginners can prioritize safety and avoid injuries by warming up, wearing proper court shoes and eye protection, and by gradually increasing their playing time. Over time, maintaining good fitness is the key to safety and improvement, says Jeff Roux, a sport and conditioning coach with more than 20 years of experience. “Players need to try to keep developing athleticism and the ability to move laterally. Especially people that are older, there are more opportunities for injury when [you] don’t have good movement skills.” What does Simpson tell people who’ve never played? “It is never too late. Start the journey now.”