The archive
Everything we have published, newest first. 19 pieces and counting, from eight writers who play the game the way most of us do: for fun, for the company, and for as long as our knees allow.
Newest: A rising ball in the transition zone is not your invitation
CULTURE
At the Green Valley rec center, the space between the baseline and the kitchen is where I decide how soon to arrive. Here is the line I will not cross early.
Ray Whitfield 6 min read
TRAVEL & COURTS
Call the parks department, show up at eight, bring three balls, and read the room for five minutes. A traveler's method for finding pickleball anywhere.
Linda Mae Park 5 min read
COMMUNITY
A new player's first session is a club decision, not a personality test. Here is how to pair them, what to say, and what to fix before they leave.
Dottie Frasier 5 min read
TRAVEL & COURTS
A brochure promised pickleball. What I found was one taped line, a wheeled net, and a court schedule with a wristband. How to check before you pack the paddle.
Linda Mae Park 6 min read
BODY & HEALTH
An eight-minute pre-game routine for a body with two knee scopes, plus the popular stretch I gave up because it made the next morning worse.
Tomás Herrera 5 min read
GEAR
Grip size is the cheapest fix in pickleball and the one most players skip. Here is the one-minute test and what to do with the result.
Grace Okafor 5 min read
CULTURE
My dad has a backhand that would make a tennis coach weep, and he has beaten me three of the last five games with it. Why the family game is the best version.
Maya Chen 6 min read
BODY & HEALTH
The hour after a hospital shift decides how I play at 6:30. A snack, a stretch of silence, and a ten-minute reset that has nothing to do with technique.
Grace Okafor 6 min read
PLAY BETTER
Most recreational players miss the third shot long because they are aiming at the net. Aim four feet deeper and the shot starts landing.
Marcus Bell 6 min read
TRAVEL & COURTS
A painted slab next to a ferry dock, a wind that changes the game, and the 8 a.m. regulars who let a stranger in. Notes from a court you cannot plan for.
Linda Mae Park 6 min read
CULTURE
A clipboard tells you who arrives early, who avoids the wind, and who quietly deletes their name. The most important document in pickleball is not laminated.
Ray Whitfield 5 min read
COMMUNITY
I was 32 and the newest player in a room where everyone else was over 55. What I got wrong about the slow game, and why being the fourth is a skill.
Maya Chen 6 min read
GEAR
A demo day, a heavier paddle, and six weeks of shoulder pain. What I learned about buying a fix before naming the problem, and the three checks I use now.
Marcus Bell 7 min read
PLAY BETTER
Most missed volleys are not a hand problem. They are a timing problem, and the fix is two small steps that take less energy than the swing you are already making.
Kevin Tran 7 min read
BODY & HEALTH
Three hours of play is a load, and the next morning is where most recreational players get it wrong. A recovery routine built on water, walking, and a log.
Tomás Herrera 6 min read
COMMUNITY
Cliques are usually a scheduling problem before they are a personality problem. The paddle stack, the bench rule, and the quiet word that keep a club open.
Dottie Frasier 6 min read
GEAR
Court shoes wear out from the inside, not the bottom, and the calendar is a terrible guide. Three checks I run before I spend money, plus the one pair I keep for indoors.
Grace Okafor 6 min read
CULTURE
The best twenty minutes of the morning happen before anyone serves. On coffee, a court dog, the people who arrive at 7:29, and one sentence I will not say.
Ray Whitfield 6 min read
PLAY BETTER
A long serve is rarely an arm problem. It is a toss, a contact point, and a swing that is trying too hard. The fix is a slower serve with a better target.
Marcus Bell 6 min read
The newsletter
One useful idea for your next game, one gear note worth knowing, and a story from a court somewhere. No noise.
A short letter every Thursday.
