I was introduced to Paddle Tennis when I moved down the road from Concord Country Club about 13 years ago.. The local champion gave me some pointers and out we went to play a couple of Type A Cross-Fit mothers from the neighborhood. We escaped with a victory by the skin of our teeth - mostly due to my partner carrying me through first two sets.
He asked me what I thought about the game: "It's like ping-pong except you're standing on the table."
Pickleball seems like it's even more so.
First, David Tepper, NO ONE calls it "platform tennis" unless you dont play and do your research and postings based on internet links and Wikipedia entries...;-)
It is called PADDLE and there is NO resemblance to ping-pong although that analogy is accurate for Pickleball - 100%.
Paddle is a game of intense strategy where points can go for 50, 75 and 100 "touches" before a point is scored at the higher levels of play. But, it is also BRUTAL on your knees as you are basically playing in a chicken wire cage with 50 grit sandpaper on the floor.
Meniscus tears and Achilles ruptures are weekly occurrences and ortho surgeons LOVE the game - it's their new "cash-cow".
It is also a game where two 70 year old players can beat teams half their age with simple and consistent strategies. There is an old adage here:
"There are no winners (shots) in paddle". Brute force is not rewarded and a soft shot down the middle is more deadly than a slamming a lob - x10!!
Pickle is much, much, much easier to play than Paddle hence its wide and growing poularity especially in 65+ retirement communities and at country clubs.
We live on the north side of chicago and neighbors 4 doors down put in a pickle court in their backyard!
Of Note: Like Paddle, and UNLIKE tennis, Pickle players can regularly consume alcoholic beverages during the course of their matches and, like bowling, play improves when consumption increases....
