Welcome to picklerswand.com—a place where we celebrate and share the joy and simplicity of pickleball. I’m Paul, a 5.2- level pickleball player (for those unfamiliar, that’s shorthand for someone pretty serious about the game).
If you’re trying to refine your skills in the game, then you have landed at the right destination and allow me to explain how it all started by sharing my story on how I discovered pickleball and eventually fell in love with it.
In 2015, I was working at a renowned bank. It was a typical banker’s 9 to 5 job involving handling customer relationships, selling bank products to customer and rest on weekends.
I was earning enough the job was not satisfying but I wasn’t dissatisfied too.
On weekends, you would find me running. I used to participate in marathons a lot. If you’re regular runner then you would agree to the fact that “Running=Addiction.” Every run you complete gives you a sense of freedom & clarity.
What else could I ask from life when everything is going near perfect.
However, the time is not always so merciful. A feeling of something lacking in my life started to rise.
The social media made me feel inferior. My university friends were leading much better life living in bigger cities or that’s what they portrayed on Facebook. I was getting restless and started dreaming of “better” life.
Finally in February 2016, I made big decision of quitting my current job and joining the corporate world.
So it all started – “living my dream life”, the new company was offering me higher paycheck and city was assuring lavish lifestyle.
It was exciting to earn more and spend on things that I always wanted to buy. I joined my friends for weekend parties. Early mornings of weekends of running were replaced by Hangover.
Once this initial excitement started to fade. I realized that this new path is caging me. Same was the case with my friends who had accepted their fate. On weekends, we were complaining about our bosses and office work culture and how much we hated this job.
These were the friends whom I was envy of after looking at their Facebook posts.
Weekdays were full of work pressure. I was running behind tight deadlines set by management. Soon the weekend joy disappeared as I had to catch up with the pending work. I started feeling how fool I was to quit a peaceful life and join this rat race.
As it is rightly said – The grass is always greener on the other side!
No time for myself forget the marathons. I lost my health, nights became sleepless, I gained 40 pounds in just 6 months.
And- if I am being honest once you lose the body that you have associated with your whole life, the identity crisis and being confident walking out becomes really difficult.
It didn’t matter, how much I was earning as I barely had time to enjoy it. I often wished I’d quit this job and return to the good old days.
Fast forward when COVID-19 arrived, everything stopped. I was laid off so were the many others from my company.
Unlike others – I was actually relieved to lose my job. It felt like the break I had been too afraid to take myself.
Thankfully, I had enough buffer of savings to last for two years.
Stuck at home, I was missing my life from back in my town. I had nothing to do and initially it felt like time was passing very slowly. But soon, it sped up and I was wasting every second of it. By this time, I also understood that I don’t do -BORING AND MONOTONOUS.
One day, I was sitting on my couch watching DARK on Netflix. My neighbor, Sarah, called me and invited me to join her for playing Pickleball. Her regular partner was sick, and she needed someone to fill in. Believe me when I say this- I had to google the name of the game to understand if it’s an indoor game or an outdoor one.
Sarah’s friend, Andrew, had a simple pickleball court in his backyard. It was a short drive away. And it was there, I played my first game.
It was easy to play, rules are easy to learn, minimal setup required, court was smaller compared to the other games. Unlike running, Pickleball was about strategy and quick moves and most importantly it was fun to play. I enjoyed it a lot. It became our routine soon.
The one thing it was helping me most at was keeping me active. Also, those who know me- know that I am competitive and somehow this simple yet thrilling game happens to have the most competitive community, where respectfully everyone wants to thrash you and win- IN THE GAME.
What I Love About Pickleball
The beauty of Pickleball lies in simplicity.
No need of powerful shots, no need to recite rules and regulations. It’s easy for any newcomer.
Less stress on body mind remains active for creating strategies. The volley demands focus and agility. All skill level people can enjoy this game, you don’t have to be pro for that.
Why I Chose Pickleball
What I love most about this game is my parents now in their 60s join us along with my sister and her children. I don’t know any other outdoor game can bond family in this way.
Today, for me pickleball isn’t just a weekend game, I had participated in several local tournaments and won. With my dad, I train old age people which gives them joy.
Why You Should Stick Around
On this blog, I’ll share tips for beginners, strategies to improve your game that I’ve personally found helpful during my pickleball journey. Whether you’re looking for the best paddle, trying to master the dink shot, or simply curious about the sport, you’ll find something here.
I’ve had the privilege of introducing friends, family, and even local players to pickleball, and I’m excited to help you discover the joy of this game too.
