How I learned to stop worrying and enjoy pickleball

While the world moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic, I stayed cooped up in my third-floor apartment in Detroit, too anxious to venture outside.

I stopped visiting friends, only went to restaurants for carry-out, and worked from home.

To keep myself occupied, I began collecting rare indoor plants and read a copious amount of books. My cats and wife were my constant companions. For exercise, I rode a stationary NordicTrack bike.

The prolonged isolation had made social interactions daunting.

Nearly three years into the pandemic, I came to the unsettling realization that I had missed too many summer days outside and too many nights out with friends and my wife.

Then I discovered pickleball, and it changed my life.

While visiting my wife’s family in Washington Township, they introduced me to pickleball, a game I associated with bored, old people in Florida. On their driveway were a net, paddles, and a plastic yellow ball. My initial thought was, “What a silly game.”

But as we hit the ball back and forth, I began to see its appeal: Pickleball is easy to learn, fast-paced, and promotes social interaction. It reminded me of ping-pong, which I had excelled at in college, but it required far more physical exertion.

On a sunny day in September 2023, my father-in-law and I met at a park in Dearborn to play pickleball. He’s an avid tennis player and in great shape, so it was no surprise that he trounced me for two straight hours.

But winning was not the point — not yet anyway. I was soaked in sweat and exhausted, and the heavy weight of my anxiety began to lift.

For the first time since the pandemic, I felt a craving to be outside and around other people.

Later that month, I joined a pickleball league at Belle Isle in Detroit. Organized by Come Play Detroit , the league exposed me to various players and skill levels.

And this is where the fun began: Pickleball is predominantly played with a partner, so there are usually four people on a court. In a league, you change partners every game, so it’s a simple way to meet new people.

Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, and matches are fast-paced, with volleys involving close-range exchanges near the net. The court is about half the size of a tennis court, so it requires quick reflexes and hand-eye coordination to time shots and make accurate contact with the ball.

While pickleball is easy to learn, it’s incredibly difficult to master.

At higher levels, as I’d later learn, strategy and game awareness are a big part of the game. More than hitting the ball hard, pickleball is about finesse and outmaneuvering opponents.

But most of all, it’s about fun and building camaraderie.

On the recreational level, pickleball embraces an open-play format, which allows players to mix and match with a variety of people. With each game lasting an average of about 15 minutes, pickleball enables players to interact with a lot of different people they’d otherwise never come across. In fact, a recent New York Post article showed that pickleball is replacing dating apps as a new way to meet singles.

For me, it has meant connecting with new people and reestablishing myself with the post-pandemic world. Not only was I getting fresh air and exercise, but I was creating a network of new friends.

It’s no surprise that pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in the U.S. In the past three years, pickleball has grown 223.5% , according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.

It’s even become a spectator sport. ESPN and CBS Sports Network recently inked deals to air pickleball tournaments this year, and the Olympics is even considering adding pickleball to its list of future events.

Until COVID-19, pickleball had a small, dedicated community. When team sports became largely off-limits, pickleball gained popularity because it offered a way to stay active while social distancing. It brought people together after several years of isolation.

“These participation numbers are positive for the country and for our industry,” Tom Cove, president and CEO of SFIA, said in a statement. “Frankly, they are not a surprise, as we know Americans are valuing and pursuing active lifestyles post-pandemic. Our industry’s role now is to fulfill that interest with positive sports and fitness experiences and quality, innovative, and inspiring products.”

The growth is hard to miss in metro Detroit. Bash Pickleball Club, the first pickleball-only facility in the Detroit area, opened last month in Warren, and dozens of parks across the region now have outdoor pickleball courts . In the cold months, recreation centers are converting gymnasiums into space for pickleball.

In Michigan, there are about 1,625 pickleball courts in more than 375 locations, according to USA Pickleball .

Pickleball was born in 1965 , when three men in Bainbridge Island, Wash., wanted to entertain their families. They planned to play badminton, but didn’t have enough rackets. So they used what they had — ping-pong paddles, a net, and a wiffle ball.

Nick Hernandez, the head pro at Bash, teaches the ins and outs of pickleball to everyone from beginners to advanced players. I asked him why he believes pickleball has become so popular.

“It’s very addictive,” Hernandez tells me. “A lot of people are realizing when you come out and play, it’s easy to pick up and learn how to play. It’s user-friendly in the beginning. But like any sport, when you try to master it, it’s very complicated.”

Then there is the social part, he says.

“It’s easy to find people to play pickleball,” Herndandez says. “You go to the local tennis court right now and you might not find anyone. It’s hit or miss. You have to join an organization or know people. But for pickleball, you go to a public court, and there are people playing.”

Hernandez, who played tennis at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, was in his fourth year of pharmacy school in Florida when he passed what he thought were tennis courts in 2019. At the end of his shift, he took a closer look and discovered about two dozen people playing pickleball. He was still in his scrubs.

“I watched and someone asked me to play. I had no idea what it was,” Hernandez says. “I jumped in and played one game. It was a blast. From there it took off. I tried to play as much as I could at that point.”

And he got quite good. At the Royal Oak Classic Pickleball Tournament last year, he won gold medals in singles, mixed doubles, and men’s doubles.

Unlike tennis, which largely maintains a country club tradition, pickleball attracts a diverse array of people because of its accessibility and affordability.

“It’s a massive melting pot of cultures and different personalities,” Hernandez says. “I think it’s a great equalizer.”

For me, pickleball became a way to reconnect with people and the world outside my apartment. At a time when the country is sharply divided, pickleball gives me a reprieve from what’s going on outside the 40-foot court and allows me to live in the moment, as if I’m a kid again without the worries of adult life.

It has taught me to be mindful and to appreciate the small joys of friendly competition and social connection.

Eight months after my first pickleball game, I now play at least five days a week. I play in leagues and tournaments and drop in for open play.

But the best part is, pickleball has helped me find myself again, or a younger version of myself — one that worries less and smiles more. I’m a far different person than the one cooped up in my apartment, letting life pass me by.

If you haven’t tried pickleball yet, what are you waiting for?