What Pickleball Has Taught Me About Life

I’ve never considered myself sporty, despite spending most of my childhood in a pool competing on my school’s swim team. I let the boys’ complaints in gym class—“Ugh! You missed the ball again”—decide what I was capable of. I stopped swimming in middle school and didn’t join another team until Grade 12. Motivated by a crush, I tried out for the tennis team only so I could attend the end-of-year athletic banquet.

My dad was a huge tennis fan and avid player, but my childhood summer lessons only landed me a spot on the B-team. And as a new driver with a poor sense of direction, I ended up being so tragically late for the banquet that I should have just stayed home.

Since then, I’ve taken adult ballet and yoga classes, but have mostly exercised for fitness and mental health rather than enjoyment. It took more than 25 years, but I’ve finally joined another team. This time, I’m swinging a paddle. And while I’m probably the worst player in the pickleball league, I’m learning and having more fun than I expected.

Pickleball is considered the fastest-growing sport in Canada: more than half a million people picked up paddles between 2022 and 2025, bringing the national estimate to 1.54 million players.

Inspired by my friend Susie, who moved to the suburbs from the city and found community at a pickleball court in a local church, I took a lesson at my local YMCA and loved it. Besides how to serve, when to dink and why the kitchen is off-limits, pickleball has also taught me a few things about life. 

I'm More Resilient Than I Thought

I’m a grown woman with two kids, a social life and a busy schedule, but showing up for that first class felt ridiculously intimidating. I let the competitive schoolboys in my imagination psych me out again, but I muddled through with other beginners and actually had fun. I even hit the ball a few times. So I went back and kept going back. And then I joined the “beginner-friendly” league, which turned out to be full of advanced players who regularly put me to shame.

But in the time I’ve been playing, something has shifted. Maybe I’m just getting used to putting myself out there, or maybe it’s the trial by fire of dodging speeding wiffleballs slammed by level-four players, but I no longer feel intimidated. I’ve gone from a level 2.0 to a 2.5 (professionals play at a level 8.0), and while I still say “sorry” too much when I miss a ball, I no longer feel embarrassed.

Pickleball Is Good For Your Brain

Multiple studies have shown the benefits of playing pickleball. It improves mood and reduces stress, loneliness and even the risk of dementia. Of course, these happy side effects are more pronounced for older adults, who are likelier to experience social isolation, but it’s never too early to start. While it’s a great sport for retirees, who are free to play the mid-weekday sessions at community centres and clubs, the average age of pickleball players is around 35. 

Although experience playing racquet sports helps, pickleball is arguably easier than tennis and the barrier to entry is much lower. You can play in community centre gyms or outdoors on any hard surface. Plus, the court is smaller, the ball moves more slowly, and it’s usually played in pairs, meaning you don’t have to cover the court alone.

It’s that doubles aspect that makes it so social. When you show up for drop-in pickleball, it’s usually organized by what’s called a paddle stack. Everyone puts their paddle in a bin and you play with whoever is up next. You’re forced to learn names, meet new people and make small talk—a skill that’s also been associated with increased happiness and a stronger sense of social belonging.

As a somewhat shy, highly sensitive person, I prefer deep conversations to small talk about how my serve is improving. But practicing meeting new people and slowly learning about their lives is good for me. I’m not only making new friends, I’m replacing negative gym class associations with positive ones.

Doing More Can Reduce Your Stress

I know the power of exercise for mental health. I work out regularly because I feel better when I do. But I mostly see it as a means to an end. I bribe myself and watch a show while I cycle, or I listen to a podcast while I lift weights. Then I get on with my day.

If you had told me a year ago that adding an activity or hobby to my routine would improve my quality of life, I would have told you that it wouldn’t work. I was too busy already. But it’s true: studies show that leisure activities (even less physical ones) increase feelings of well-being. 

As someone who admittedly doesn’t make enough time for myself, playing pickleball regularly makes me feel calmer and more patient. I sleep better and have more energy. It almost seems like there are more hours in the day. 

Sometimes Shoes Can Make You Cry

My tennis fanatic father passed away in early 2024. Even when Parkinson’s made playing impossible, he followed the pro tours and sometimes tossed an imaginary ball, practicing his serve in the air. While he mostly made fun of pickleball in the sport’s early years, I feel pretty confident that if his disease hadn’t progressed, he would have eventually come around and been a great player.

So when I upgraded my worn-in gym sneakers for a pair of shiny new court shoes, I had a second of excitement. I couldn’t wait to show him. And then I remembered. It hurt, but I didn’t let it slow me down. My growing addiction to a racquet sport makes me feel closer to my dad.

As a kid, I didn’t really get why he loved playing so much, but I now see how hitting tennis balls helped him release stress and improve his mood, especially as he aged. My dad spent much of his 40s and beyond on the court, and I plan to do the same. 

This essay originally appeared in our Group Chat newsletter.