Pickleball is…
What is pickleball to you?
Is it just a sport, or something more? Is it how you start your mornings, how you stay healthy, or how you stay connected to others?
For many players, pickleball is more than a hobby. It’s a lifeline. A turning point. A source of identity and meaning. And as someone who’s spent the last five years playing the sport and the past couple of years teaching and coaching in this sport, I’ve seen just how deeply pickleball can touch people's lives.
A Sport That Changes Lives
In my role as a pickleball coach educator and course facilitator over the past year and a half, I’ve had the privilege of working with countless individuals seeking to become certified instructors here in Canada. These are people from all walks of life — retirees, former athletes, school teachers, healthcare workers — each bringing a different story to the court.
At the beginning of the first day of each coaching certification course when we do the personal introductions something profound often comes up:
When I ask each candidate to introduce themselves and then share a little bit about their current level of involvement in the sport and why they are attending the course, a good handful of candidates have quietly, emotionally, or quite seriously, shared that pickleball saved their lives.
Those are their exact words.
For some, it was a way to recover from depression or loss. For others, it was the thing that pulled them out of isolation during or after the pandemic. Some discovered a renewed sense of purpose or community they hadn’t felt in years.
It never fails to humble me. It reminds me that while pickleball might seem like just a sport — a paddle, a plastic ball, a net — what happens on those courts can be life-changing.
The Challenges of Loving the Game
But even something we love deeply can present challenges. In fact, the more invested we become in pickleball, the easier it is to fall into habits that aren’t always healthy. As an instructor and coach I’m often on the receiving end of challenges that students are experiencing as part of their pickleball journey. I’ve also experienced many of these challenges myself as a player.
You might recognize some of these:
Burnout from overplaying or overcommitting.
Comparing yourself to other players — their skill level, fitness, tournament results, or social following.
Neglecting other parts of your life — family, work, rest — in pursuit of improvement or community.
Facing financial strain from lessons, travel, equipment, or clinic fees.
These are real challenges, and they're worth acknowledging. Enthusiasm can easily slide into pressure. Fun can become an obligation. And sometimes we forget to ask ourselves why we picked up the paddle in the first place.
Why We Play
At its heart, pickleball is simple:
It’s a game. It’s a chance to move, connect, laugh, and grow.
It’s a sport where 22-year-olds and 72-year-olds can play together and leave the court as friends. Where skill matters, but spirit matters more. Where you can be competitive, silly, sweaty, social, and supported — all in the same hour.
If you’re feeling a bit stretched, stuck, or like the joy is fading, that’s your cue to reset.
Step back. Reflect. Reconnect with your "why."
Ask yourself:
What brought me to this game?
What keeps me coming back?
And how do I want to experience this sport moving forward?
Final Thoughts
Pickleball is… whatever you want or need it to be.
For some, it's a competitive sport. For others, it’s a daily ritual that provides a regular routine, a healing tool, a social connection, or even a new career path. It might even be a combination of all those things.
Whatever it is to you, let it enhance your life — not overwhelm it.
When feeling overwhelmed, try to protect the joy by reflecting back on why you fell in love with this game in the first place . Stay grounded. And never forget: you can play hard and play light.
Because in the end, pickleball is more than just a game.
It’s a community. A lifeline. A passion. It’s whatever you want or need it to be.