I showed up to my first pickleball lesson without a paddle.
Even worse: I called it a racquet.
The instructor quickly corrected my language, sighed and said she would fetch extra paddles from the trunk of her car. I was the only person who arrived for class without one, but I’d read on the website that newbies did not need to bring one to the “Learn to Play Pickleball” class.
I’d signed up for this three-hour session on a Sunday morning because it fit my work schedule. I had thought about learning this sport for years, after reading about it in this very newspaper. Pickleball became a news topic because it tends to be loud, and some people who lived near pickleball courts were annoyed when the courts near their homes were active from dawn to dusk during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Clearly, I don’t mind annoying people or I never would have lasted 33 years as a reporter).
I took that three-hour lesson in May 2025.
Less than a year later, I play multiple times a week — sometimes in mixers organized by Apex and often with people I’ve met on the court since that first lesson eight months ago. It’s been nice to make new friends in my 50s as I hear stories about how hard it is to .
Pickleball also scratched a competitive itch that’s been a part of my DNA since childhood. I’ve played competitive sports my whole life — softball, cross-country, tennis, and ultimate — but hadn’t found something that suited me as I aged. Pickleball works for all ages.
I’ve been humiliated on the court by a woman in her 70s and I’ve beaten a man in his mid-20s who was nearly a foot taller than me. Power and speed are always good in a sport, but craftsmanship and strategy play a role in winning pickleball.
So do not let your age, gender or body type deter you!
Now that I’ve talked you into trying it, here is my advice for getting started.
Step one: Take a lesson
An instructor is going to know exactly how to teach the basics, such as what the lines on the court mean, how to serve and how to keep score. You also will learn pickleball’s goofy terminology, such as what it means to dink and where the kitchen is located.
Friends can be helpful, but sometimes their enthusiastic instructions can be confusing.
If you just go to a public court, there will be too many well-meaning players trying to tell you too much all at once. Or you’ll run into folks who don’t have patience for beginners and you’ll be intimidated.
Most city and county parks and recreation districts offer lessons for beginners, as do the privately-owned indoor pickleball centers, which hope you have fun and return as a paying customer.
Most beginner classes provide paddles and balls. There’s no need to spend money until you are sure you want to play regularly.
Step two: Find a paddle
Money should never be a barrier to sports.
I paid $20 for a Franklin paddle at TJ Maxx. I figured any paddle would do to get started, and that was a correct decision. I didn’t see the need to spend a bunch of money on a paddle until I was sure I wanted to play regularly and I better understood the mechanics of the sport.
Tricia Houston, who owns in Denver, agrees.
Houston says beginners can find decent paddles for about $50.
“The Amazon ones aren’t that great, but they’re good to start with,” Houston said.
My cheap TJ Maxx paddle worked just fine, but I received a more expensive paddle at Christmas. I can tell a difference in how it pops off the paddle, like it has a spring inside, and I don’t need to use as much force in my swing.
Step three: Other equipment
There is a difference between the balls used for indoor and outdoor courts. Be sure to read the labels and buy the right balls for your surface.
Confession: I bought a set of indoor balls with my TJ Maxx racquet and honestly didn’t understand at first why no one wanted to use them on the outdoor courts.
Indoor balls have fewer holes and are lighter to hold, creating a softer, slower bounce. Outdoor balls are heavier and harder with more holes, and they bounce higher and faster.
The other thing you’ll need if you decide to play a lot is sturdy court shoes. You don’t want to slip or twist an ankle. I wear Adidas basketball shoes because I like the ankle support and the way my feet fit in the sneaker. Of course, all the major brands sell a pickleball-specific shoe, and you’re likely to spend $100 to $150 on a pair.
Step four: Find other beginners
After my first lesson, I registered for an advanced beginner mixer at Apex. There was no so-called beginner mixer so that one was perfect.
In a mixer, players at the same skill level get on a court and play a round together. At Apex those rounds are timed rather than extending to a full 11-point game. After each round the players rotate so you play with almost everyone during the mixer. We would play about 10 rounds in two hours.
In this system, you figure out how to play the game, learn from others’ mistakes and successes, and if you’re lucky like me, you find your first friends to play with.
We’ve all improved with regular play and it’s fun to get better together. And we’ve added new friends to the group as we meet people on the court.
You also can find public courts that host open play. Players often stack — or hang — their paddles on the fence to put themselves in line for the next opening on a court. Be sure to ask the veterans how that location’s stacking works because etiquette can vary. At Apex, for example, all four players leave the court after a game but I’ve heard of courts where winners keep playing.
Be sure to stack with players of a similar skill or make sure your partners understand you are a beginner and hopefully they are not too aggressive.
Houston warns that really good players can intimidate newbies, but encourages people to get out there.
“You want to go and play and open play,” she said. “Open play in pickleball is like pickup basketball.”
