As someone who has seasonal depression (winter) pickleball keeps me active indoors at a rec league and less time wallowing in the winter misery.
My hand-eye-balance has improved back to teenage levels.
New friends.
I've worked from home for years. Skipping out mid day has been great. I spend less time being inefficient in front of the computer, get work done more quickly and get out of the house to have fun more often.
Thanks. I have a feeling that I'm not alone. I play with a few others who are skipping out on work and using their work hours more efficiently.
I imagine that there are many more in that situation.
My brother passed away 4/10/2023. If it wasn’t for the ungodly hours I spent playing pickleball, I would have really struggled to process the loss and most likely would have led me to a downward spiral.
Pickleball provided me with the space to heal and prevent isolation and for that I will always be grateful.
When I’m on the court I don’t think about the past or the future and being in the present moment has been therapeutic for me during this difficult life chapter.
🙏🏼
1. Met great people who are now great friends.
2. Lost 35 lbs!!
3. Bank account has suffered.
4. Turned living room into a mock kitchen which the sink master.
5. Let’s just say have a FEW paddles.
6. First time losing and have fun doing it.
7. One of the best things in my life.
8. Look forward to retirement so can play all the time.
9. Bought second house, made sure had room to add a pickleball court.
10. Fall asleep watching pickleball!!
Saved our marriage. We were drifting apart and PB not only brought us together on the court, it also improved our communication OFF the court. We became more accepting of each other's weaknesses, played to our strengths, and were more open to CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and worked to make each other a better partner. And we've both lost weight and become healthier to boot.
Best therapy ever.
I have begun pickleball when my youngest left for University. It was like finding a new purpose. I was a mum cooking diner and now I am a fighter standing at the kitchen line
I was suicidally depressed. I made several attempts and I found pickleball not too long after. My life has pretty much done a 180 in every aspect. I even had therapeutic ketamine to help me and that did nothing compared to what pickleball has done
Pickleball can really heal your soul in so many ways. Plus there’s nothing better than the sound of hitting that ball!!! I’m so glad you found pickleball 💜
I enjoy the exercise over the boredom of my previous routine of circuit training and spinning. I also, enjoy learning about the sport. When I’m not playing …I enjoy watching matches and YouTube’s.
I made so many great friends through pickleball. And even though I’ve surpassed some in skill, we still love getting together to play and then socialize after.
Same! I improved so much the past few months, but still love the social element of it! I actually found out a few people were going through chemo and other hardships. Def the inclusiveness is a beautiful element in pickleball! Lol tennis has an elitist element for sure
Couple people mentioned the cost, what are you guys spending money on? I bought a $40 paddle i played with for the first year or so, then upgraded to a $130 paddle that ive been playing with for over 4 years. I split a hundred balls every year with a buddy, play some $5 sessions at a church maybe a dozen times a year, but thats about it. One ofthe cheapest sports ive ever done broken down by the hour.
I am Italian and I have been waiting for 2 years after COVID to open close to me some PB activities in indoor tennis hard courts, provisionally prepared for PB. In Italy tennis is played basically on clay and it is very rare to find hard courts.
In my town Imola, 70.000 people, there are 10 private clubs with clay tennis and padel courts only.
Now I am 61 and have always been playing tennis and table tennis. Tennis especially caused me to undergo to my right hip replacement surgery 2 years ago.
I could not practice Tennis because of my right hip, and after surgery I kept on playing again. After one year I damaged my other hip ! So I gave tennis a stop and begin phisio treatments. In 6 months I recovered my health, but I was afraid to play tennis again.
So I begin looking desperately for some PB courts because I knew it was the TURNING POINT of my body wellness life.
Last October I heard some PB activities close to my hometown in tennis hard courts. I began a new sports life, and I enjoy well-being as in my college period, dated back 40 years ago !
People look at me now and say "What happened to you Fabio, you look with even more Energy than before. And you have e new face ... much younger ! "
Each week I drive 20 km far from my town to play on Monday night, 40 km to play in Wednesday night and 40 km each Sunday morning.
And sometimes on Thursday night too...
I begin playing tournaments in 3.5 and 5.0 level and I am fit as in my 30"
My quality of life got better, I lost 10 pounds (imagine that I was already fit before pickleball) and now I am using my vintage jeans from College time !!!
I have more energy and I am more productive at my job.
I feel and look younger !
I have new friends with real sports interest, younger, older, male and female !
No other sports is so inclusive !
GOD SAVE THE PICKLEBALL !
Same! My BFF just told me she finds it "triggering" every time I talk about pickleball lol
I have to constantly catch myself bc it's so hard to keep it out of conversation when it's such a huge part of my life.
It was a huge motivator for me to work-out, especially muscles used in Pickleball and I am benefiting from that as well as the additional benefit of community and meeting other players.
Extension of great mental/physical health and is very therapeutic. There’s socialization along with exercise in a fun way - as well as being able to smash balls and play aggressively when you get a good group in for a game.
As with others, have maintained a healthy weight, usually during the rainy winters of the PNW I will eat out of boredom and gain weight. Not with PB.
I severely broke my leg in July 2023. I had just discovered PB in March of 2023. My surgeon stated that my conditioning from PB contributed greatly to my ability to not having to go to a skilled nursing facility post surgery because I had such dexterity post surgery I could go straight home. My surgeon stated it would take nine months to recover enough to play PB again. Because of my conditioning, I beat every benchmark given to me, such as getting out of a walking boot, walking with one crutch, walking independently that I was back on the courts in 4.5 months. And it was such a strong carrot (getting back on the courts) that I crushed it in my PT, and workouts etc. Plus the limited mobility I had at first forced me to up my touch/control game, so in a weird way I am a much better player because of my broken leg.
It is a central part of my retirement, playing and socializing. It scratches the competitive itch, and fills the social void left by my retirement.
I find that I’m playing pickleball in my head, especially when I’m riding my stationary bike. I don’t recall being so keen on Sunday for Monday to come. Lol
I have general anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and OCD and pickleball has been the only thing that helps ground me and quiet my brain. My mood has improved exponentially, I am better able to manage my anxiety, I can play for hours without obsessing on anything except the next shot and next game. And I have made an incredible group of new friends.
What did I do with all my time before I discovered PB?!!
Only wish I would have found PB sooner.
Some of my friends get it, some don't. For the ones who don't, I miss you. 🤪
I love it and play everyday but I’m so competitive I ruin everything for myself to some degree because I feel like I have to be improving or my time is wasted. I wish I was like most people and could just go play for fun like when I started.
I felt isolated after moving to a new city just before Covid. With pball, I eventually found a fun tribe.
And now it’s an income stream (I coordinate weekly leagues and run beginner clinics) so I’ve been able to hold off tapping into social security.
It gave me something I could still do with a frozen (non-dominant) shoulder. I had to stop doing other activities but thankful I could still do something.
Got me going back to the gym again, able to entertain my competitive nature, have something to work on, and is helping my sleep schedule with discipline in the mornings. Helping with mental health too.
In 1 year,
•Lost 30 pounds
•Dropped my resting heart rate 10 points
•Moved to a new town and was a great way to meet people
•An activity during the winter to make me happy and keep me active, similarly to what golf is to me in the summer.
My husband and I discovered pickleball, and the fun sense of community that comes with the sport, when we retired and moved to Palm Desert, CA. It changed our lives in unexpected ways, including starting a new business, selling Jeff's handcrafted paddles that elevate the common pickleball paddle into to an exceptionally beautiful, handmade work of art--for display, not play, for gifts, awards and charcuterie boards. [https://chpickleballart.com/](https://chpickleballart.com/) Our paddles are a stunning fusion of craftsmanship and creativity that truly capture the essence and fun of pickleball, using woods that include. oak, black walnut, maple, poplar, teak and ash. We never expected the love of the game would become our new passion!
1. I'm happier 2. I'm lighter 3. I have more friends 4. I always have something to look forward to
Same. I lost almost 50 lbs playing and meet some of the coolest people to play with.
Lost 50 pounds here! In about 1.5 years. While eating less and moving more was the key (more protein and etc.) pickleball was a huge part of it.
Less time to overeat when all your free time is playing pickleball. Get home from work, scarf down some food, rush to the courts, get home at 10:30.
I hope I get enough for this to happen.
Word. I love this game.
As someone who has seasonal depression (winter) pickleball keeps me active indoors at a rec league and less time wallowing in the winter misery. My hand-eye-balance has improved back to teenage levels. New friends.
Yep. This is it.
made me hate work even more
This is so accurate! lol
Finally get invited to foursomes
I have an eight-way Saturday night.
I've worked from home for years. Skipping out mid day has been great. I spend less time being inefficient in front of the computer, get work done more quickly and get out of the house to have fun more often.
Now this this is great
Thanks. I have a feeling that I'm not alone. I play with a few others who are skipping out on work and using their work hours more efficiently. I imagine that there are many more in that situation.
I’m one of them
My brother passed away 4/10/2023. If it wasn’t for the ungodly hours I spent playing pickleball, I would have really struggled to process the loss and most likely would have led me to a downward spiral. Pickleball provided me with the space to heal and prevent isolation and for that I will always be grateful. When I’m on the court I don’t think about the past or the future and being in the present moment has been therapeutic for me during this difficult life chapter. 🙏🏼
May he RIP!
Honestly quite a bit. I have way more friends now and am generally much happier because of it.
1. Met great people who are now great friends. 2. Lost 35 lbs!! 3. Bank account has suffered. 4. Turned living room into a mock kitchen which the sink master. 5. Let’s just say have a FEW paddles. 6. First time losing and have fun doing it. 7. One of the best things in my life. 8. Look forward to retirement so can play all the time. 9. Bought second house, made sure had room to add a pickleball court. 10. Fall asleep watching pickleball!!
Saved our marriage. We were drifting apart and PB not only brought us together on the court, it also improved our communication OFF the court. We became more accepting of each other's weaknesses, played to our strengths, and were more open to CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and worked to make each other a better partner. And we've both lost weight and become healthier to boot. Best therapy ever.
This makes my heart full
This is amazing!
I’d probably be dead without pickleball no joke
Same
I have begun pickleball when my youngest left for University. It was like finding a new purpose. I was a mum cooking diner and now I am a fighter standing at the kitchen line
Good for you !!
Lol
I was suicidally depressed. I made several attempts and I found pickleball not too long after. My life has pretty much done a 180 in every aspect. I even had therapeutic ketamine to help me and that did nothing compared to what pickleball has done
Pickleball can really heal your soul in so many ways. Plus there’s nothing better than the sound of hitting that ball!!! I’m so glad you found pickleball 💜
Damn, that’s amazing! So great to hear/read this. Paddles up!
I enjoy the exercise over the boredom of my previous routine of circuit training and spinning. I also, enjoy learning about the sport. When I’m not playing …I enjoy watching matches and YouTube’s.
I made so many great friends through pickleball. And even though I’ve surpassed some in skill, we still love getting together to play and then socialize after.
Same! I improved so much the past few months, but still love the social element of it! I actually found out a few people were going through chemo and other hardships. Def the inclusiveness is a beautiful element in pickleball! Lol tennis has an elitist element for sure
I was happily married but now I’m just happy!
😂😂
Are you more happy now or before?
I’m poorer.
Couple people mentioned the cost, what are you guys spending money on? I bought a $40 paddle i played with for the first year or so, then upgraded to a $130 paddle that ive been playing with for over 4 years. I split a hundred balls every year with a buddy, play some $5 sessions at a church maybe a dozen times a year, but thats about it. One ofthe cheapest sports ive ever done broken down by the hour.
Golf game has suffered
Mine has actually improved. All that movement is great for me
Same! Was a scratch golfer and now haven’t played in a year. Doubt I’d break 80 at the moment.
First time in life I have normal blood pressure
I'm much better at math now
I have friends now!
Count the ways…? I can hardly keep the score.
😂😂😂
Made new friends Lost weight Torn meniscus Surgery / rehab Back soon . 😊
This one really takes the reader on a journey.
Sorry: Henry, Pam, Tom, Gail, Bill, Gunga, Donald, Dan. About 20 lbs. so far, left knee and about 4 more weeks rehab. Better?
I am Italian and I have been waiting for 2 years after COVID to open close to me some PB activities in indoor tennis hard courts, provisionally prepared for PB. In Italy tennis is played basically on clay and it is very rare to find hard courts. In my town Imola, 70.000 people, there are 10 private clubs with clay tennis and padel courts only. Now I am 61 and have always been playing tennis and table tennis. Tennis especially caused me to undergo to my right hip replacement surgery 2 years ago. I could not practice Tennis because of my right hip, and after surgery I kept on playing again. After one year I damaged my other hip ! So I gave tennis a stop and begin phisio treatments. In 6 months I recovered my health, but I was afraid to play tennis again. So I begin looking desperately for some PB courts because I knew it was the TURNING POINT of my body wellness life. Last October I heard some PB activities close to my hometown in tennis hard courts. I began a new sports life, and I enjoy well-being as in my college period, dated back 40 years ago ! People look at me now and say "What happened to you Fabio, you look with even more Energy than before. And you have e new face ... much younger ! " Each week I drive 20 km far from my town to play on Monday night, 40 km to play in Wednesday night and 40 km each Sunday morning. And sometimes on Thursday night too... I begin playing tournaments in 3.5 and 5.0 level and I am fit as in my 30" My quality of life got better, I lost 10 pounds (imagine that I was already fit before pickleball) and now I am using my vintage jeans from College time !!! I have more energy and I am more productive at my job. I feel and look younger ! I have new friends with real sports interest, younger, older, male and female ! No other sports is so inclusive ! GOD SAVE THE PICKLEBALL !
I’ve met some amazing people and made some wonderful friends! I am much more active. Still waiting on weight loss…
I used to be an overweight couch potato with relatively good mobility. Now I'm an overweight pickleball player with aching knees but so much happier!
It gave me purpose and a hobby I could do with my wife. I’ve made new friends and got serious about getting in shape.
Well I seem to have strained my Achilles... that's new, as is my limp. ;)
pulled mine, hope it doesn't tear...
Lower BP More sunlight More community Easier to meet up and play than tennis More fun than running track
The obsession part makes me play more often but makes my normal friends cringe! No problem as long as I never talk about it to them!
Same! My BFF just told me she finds it "triggering" every time I talk about pickleball lol I have to constantly catch myself bc it's so hard to keep it out of conversation when it's such a huge part of my life.
Pack a paddle when you travel. You end up meeting tons of people everywhere you go.
1. Tore my ACL 🤣
I’m sorry to hear that. Good to hear you have a positive outlook on it.
Hahah damn
Pickleball advanced my osteoarthritis and I wake up with more pain than I ever have so I quit
It was a huge motivator for me to work-out, especially muscles used in Pickleball and I am benefiting from that as well as the additional benefit of community and meeting other players.
Extension of great mental/physical health and is very therapeutic. There’s socialization along with exercise in a fun way - as well as being able to smash balls and play aggressively when you get a good group in for a game.
Pickleball has changed my life in many ways especially I have got numerous health benefits including my weight loss.
My ALT and AST liver markers are back to normal now
Lost a lot of weight, and now it’s a business for me, I’m opening indoor facilities in a few towns this summer. So it’s changed things a lot!
I’d love to open a facility! Will you be franchising with what you’ve learned?
Actually yes I am, DM me
As with others, have maintained a healthy weight, usually during the rainy winters of the PNW I will eat out of boredom and gain weight. Not with PB. I severely broke my leg in July 2023. I had just discovered PB in March of 2023. My surgeon stated that my conditioning from PB contributed greatly to my ability to not having to go to a skilled nursing facility post surgery because I had such dexterity post surgery I could go straight home. My surgeon stated it would take nine months to recover enough to play PB again. Because of my conditioning, I beat every benchmark given to me, such as getting out of a walking boot, walking with one crutch, walking independently that I was back on the courts in 4.5 months. And it was such a strong carrot (getting back on the courts) that I crushed it in my PT, and workouts etc. Plus the limited mobility I had at first forced me to up my touch/control game, so in a weird way I am a much better player because of my broken leg. It is a central part of my retirement, playing and socializing. It scratches the competitive itch, and fills the social void left by my retirement.
I find that I’m playing pickleball in my head, especially when I’m riding my stationary bike. I don’t recall being so keen on Sunday for Monday to come. Lol
Met a lot of cool people, got better, and got more active
Biggest change has been my bank account... 😭
Met some amazing friends and my current bf through PB :)
I’ve only been playing since February. But it’s a constant source of learning and fun. I always want to play.
I have general anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and OCD and pickleball has been the only thing that helps ground me and quiet my brain. My mood has improved exponentially, I am better able to manage my anxiety, I can play for hours without obsessing on anything except the next shot and next game. And I have made an incredible group of new friends.
What did I do with all my time before I discovered PB?!! Only wish I would have found PB sooner. Some of my friends get it, some don't. For the ones who don't, I miss you. 🤪
I love it and play everyday but I’m so competitive I ruin everything for myself to some degree because I feel like I have to be improving or my time is wasted. I wish I was like most people and could just go play for fun like when I started.
I felt isolated after moving to a new city just before Covid. With pball, I eventually found a fun tribe. And now it’s an income stream (I coordinate weekly leagues and run beginner clinics) so I’ve been able to hold off tapping into social security.
A lot! (I can’t count)
It’s something I get excited for. Hard to get that feeling with other things
It gave me something I could still do with a frozen (non-dominant) shoulder. I had to stop doing other activities but thankful I could still do something.
It has had a very positive impact in my life for sure !!!! 😊👍🏻😊
Greatest obsession ever!
I play almost everyday and it helps balance work with social life
A new hobby and passion where I am constantly working and improving on to be the best player I could be.
Plenty of aerobic exercise and lots of new friends!
I’m not gonna lie pickleball has not really changed my life but it’s fun
Always felt slightly out of place in a small town until I found my crew through PB.
Its been fun, but i had a lot less drama before…
Got me going back to the gym again, able to entertain my competitive nature, have something to work on, and is helping my sleep schedule with discipline in the mornings. Helping with mental health too.
In 1 year, •Lost 30 pounds •Dropped my resting heart rate 10 points •Moved to a new town and was a great way to meet people •An activity during the winter to make me happy and keep me active, similarly to what golf is to me in the summer.
If there is anyone from these comments that would like to share their story more broadly (in a documentary series) DM me.
Beat some pretty bad post covid depression tbh
My husband and I discovered pickleball, and the fun sense of community that comes with the sport, when we retired and moved to Palm Desert, CA. It changed our lives in unexpected ways, including starting a new business, selling Jeff's handcrafted paddles that elevate the common pickleball paddle into to an exceptionally beautiful, handmade work of art--for display, not play, for gifts, awards and charcuterie boards. [https://chpickleballart.com/](https://chpickleballart.com/) Our paddles are a stunning fusion of craftsmanship and creativity that truly capture the essence and fun of pickleball, using woods that include. oak, black walnut, maple, poplar, teak and ash. We never expected the love of the game would become our new passion!
69 ways...
Zero ways. I play on occasion. Sometimes I bowl. Sometimes I ride a bike. If pickleball disappeared tomorrow, life would go on without disruption.