Blog - Pickleball Rookie

What Is Pickleball? I Took a Lesson to Find Out!

November 30, 2025March 6, 2022 by Drew Pierce

Pickleball is a fast-paced paddle sport where most points are won at the net (the ‘Kitchen’). For beginners, success comes from keeping the ball low, loosening your grip for better spin, and wearing proper court shoes to handle the quick lateral movements. While similar to tennis, it requires less running but faster reaction times.

I took my first one-on-one pickleball lesson this week to answer America’s favorite recent question, “What is pickleball?” I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the fastest-growing sport in America. It is clear that I have a ton to learn, but the 60-minute session left me confident that my tennis skills will translate well on the pickleball court. However, there were a few surprises for this brand new player. If you’re considering picking up a pickleball paddle, here are a few things that my instructor shared with me, as well as a few things that caught me off guard.

Pickleball Young Guns Rising, Parris Todd’s Return, and Why Illness Wreaked Havoc on the Indoor Nationals

January 29, 2026 by Ace Rivera

It was one of the most eventful—and frankly, brutal—weeks on the PPA Tour so far this year. The Indoor National Championships at Life Time Lakeville, Minnesota just wrapped up, and while the action inside was blazing, the conditions outside were absolutely arctic. We’re talking temperatures hitting -20°F, with daily highs struggling to break single digits all week.

But here’s the thing about professional pickleball in 2026: the show goes on, the young players keep getting better, and sometimes the storylines off the court matter just as much as what happens during matches. Let’s break down what just happened in Minnesota.

Pickleball Kitchen Rules Explained: The Simple Guide for Beginners (2026)

January 22, 2026 by Drew Pierce

I still remember the first time I played pickleball. I stood at the baseline, terrified of the seven-foot zone in front of the net like it was actual hot lava. I had been told by a well-meaning (but dead wrong) regular that “you can’t go in there unless the ball bounces in there.”

For three weeks, I played like a statue, afraid to toe the line.

It turns out, I was wrong. And that guy at the local courts? He was wrong too.

The “Kitchen”—officially known as the Non-Volley Zone (NVZ)—is the most misunderstood part of this sport. It is also the single biggest reason beginners lose points they shouldn’t.

If you have ever argued with your partner about whether they “momentum fell” into the zone or if you are allowed to step in before the ball bounces, this guide is for you.

Why Your “Perfect” Drop Shot Keeps Getting Smashed (And How to Fix It)

January 21, 2026 by Drew Pierce

If your opponent is driving your drop shot back at you, your drop shot isn’t “good”—it’s too high. The harsh truth is that a “soft” drop often floats. In 2026, the game has moved beyond the feather-soft dink to the “Drip” (a Hybrid Drive/Drop). To stop the smash, you need to lower your apex, switch from backspin to topspin, and stop rushing the net.

Pickleball and Tennis Hybrid Typti Arrives With Big Names, Bigger Claims, and Some Eyebrow-Raising Rules

January 21, 2026 by Ace Rivera

Let’s talk about something that just launched this week and has the entire racket sports community buzzing—a new sport called Typti.

Yes, you read that right. In a world where we already have tennis, pickleball, padel, platform tennis, racquetball, squash, and badminton, someone decided we needed one more racket sport. And that someone is Tennis Channel founder Steve Bellamy, backed by an 80-person investor group including Drew Brees, Nick Kyrgios, Tony Robbins, Chris Pine, JJ Abrams, Tiffany Haddish, and comedian Bert Kreischer.

The pitch? Typti is a cross between tennis and pickleball, played on a pickleball court with foam balls and small tennis-like rackets. Think mini-tennis meets trick-shot YouTube video. Let me break down what we know, why I’m skeptical, and why I’m also kind of excited about it.

USA Pickleball Gets Serious About Equipment Testing, MLP’s Rule Overhaul, and the US Open Lottery Is Open

January 19, 2026 by Ace Rivera

Hey pickleballers, Ace here, coming at you fresh off Championship Sunday at the PPA Masters in Palm Springs. What a way to kick off the 2026 professional season—we got breakthrough wins, dominant performances, historic milestones, and some serious storylines that’ll shape the rest of the year. Plus, USA Pickleball just dropped a game-changing equipment testing program, MLP unveiled their 2026 rule changes, and the US Open lottery is officially underway. Let’s get into it.

The “Tuesday Hangover”: Why You Have Pickleball DOMS & 5 Ways to Recover

January 18, 2026January 13, 2026 by Drew Pierce

If you play hard on the weekend and can’t walk down the stairs on Tuesday, you are suffering from “Pickleball Hangover” (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). The mistake most players make is doing nothing—sitting on the couch only makes the stiffness worse. In 2026, smart players are trading ice packs for active recovery tools like Firefly Recovery Straps and Incrediwear Sleeves, which flush out inflammation while they sit at their desks.

You know the drill. You play four hours of pickleball on Sunday morning. “One more game,” everyone says. You feel tired but fine on Monday. But when you wake up Tuesday, your knees are stiff, your calves are screaming, and your lower back feels like it’s fused shut.

Welcome to DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

The Biggest Paddle Deal in Pickleball History, Contract Drama Rocks the Pro Tour, and MLP Heads to Disney World

January 12, 2026January 12, 2026 by Ace Rivera

What’s happening, pickleball fans? Ace here, coming to you in the second full week of January with some absolutely massive news from the past several days. If you’ve been paying attention to the pro scene, you know that this week brought us what might be the biggest equipment sponsorship deal in pickleball history, some serious contract enforcement drama that has the entire community talking, a major announcement from Major League Pickleball about their season finale, and the annual rule changes that just went into effect. Let’s break it all down.

2026 Kicks Off With Palm Springs, The Sport’s Counterfeit Problem Goes Mainstream, and What to Expect From Paddles This Year

January 5, 2026 by Ace Rivera

Happy New Year, pickleball fam! Ace here, writing to you from a gorgeous January week in Austin where the courts have been absolutely packed with people working off their holiday cookie guilt. There’s something special about the first week of a new year in pickleball—fresh goals, new gear under the tree, and that optimistic feeling that this will be the year you finally master the two-handed backhand. For the pros, 2026 officially kicked off this week with the PPA Masters in Palm Springs, and for the entire pickleball community, we’re confronting a serious problem that’s been growing in the shadows: counterfeit paddles. Let’s dive in.

The Business of Pro Pickleball Just Changed Forever, New Rules Drop January 1st, and Reflecting on an Epic Year

December 29, 2025 by Ace Rivera

Happy holidays, pickleballers! Ace here, coming at you between Christmas and New Year’s with some major developments that are shaping what 2026 is going to look like for professional pickleball. While most of us are enjoying time off, eating too many cookies, and getting court time in when we can, the business side of pro pickleball just went through a seismic shift that’s going to impact how the sport operates for years to come. Let’s break it down.

Daytona Wraps Up 2025, Pickleball Goes Hollywood (Sort Of), and What a Year It’s Been

December 23, 2025 by Ace Rivera

What’s happening, pickleball fam? Ace here with your final column of 2025, and what a way to close out the year. The PPA Tour just wrapped its last event in Daytona Beach, Lifetime gave us an actual pickleball Christmas movie (yes, really), and as we head into the holidays, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on how far our sport has come this year. Let’s dive into the latest.