I Played Pickleball for the First Time, but I Think I Prefer Tennis

I played pickleball for the first time the other day. I played tennis growing up. I liked pickleball, but I think I like tennis better. Yes, only 1 day of playing pickleball (for a total of 4 games) and my mind is made up. Here are my thoughts about pickleball and how it compares to tennis.

1. I liked how easy it is to serve in pickleball. Pickleball serving is easier than tennis serving. All you have to do in pickleball is serve underhand and hit it across the net cross-court. The only thing you have to really make sure is that your serve is not too short since the serve needs to clear the "kitchen" (which is essentially a smaller version of a service box on a tennis court.

2. I don't like the term "the kitchen". I haven't bothered to look up the meaning of it because I don't like it. "Stay out of the kitchen!" everyone says. You can't hit a ball without letting it bounce first if you are standing in the kitchen. That makes sense. If you could, you could just stand right at the net and smack balls pack or angle them for an easy point. But don't call it the kitchen. Anything else. I just don't like it. Maybe call it the "yard." "Stay out of my yard!" That wouldn't make sense. You wouldn't tell yourself to stay out of your own yard. Just call it the box. "Stay out of the box!" Leave the kitchen for cooking. Pickleball itself already has a food reference.

3. I like how easy it is to hit the ball in pickleball. It's very easy to hit forehands and backhands in pickleball. I would say that you need to use more power on far shots to make sure that ball gets over the net. Volleys are easier than those in tennis. It's generally pretty easy to react and return a volley simply by holding up your paddle. There are probably fewer unforced errors (balls in the net, out-of-bound shots) than in tennis. The ball doesn't go too far and it generally isn't susceptible to a large amount of spin.

4. I don't like how you can't crush shots as hard as you can in tennis. The fun part of tennis is hitting a forehand winner down the line or a monster overhead. Although you can hit some winners in pickleball, they don't have the same "oomph" on them. Overhead smacks or volleys for power in pickleball don't possess the same power either.

5. I hate the scoring system in pickleball. "2-2-1." "5-8-2". What does any of this mean? It's a very annoying scoring system that is unlike tennis. I do not like it at all. I am paying attention to "staying out of the kitchen," not keeping track of some convoluted scoring system.

6. I hate that it is not a crazy good workout. Perhaps it is the people I played with, but the games were fairly low-key with not that much running or moving quickly required. I had to chase a few "dink" shots, but generally it was not very strenuous. I have heard from others that pickleball can be quite demanding, but I would say that it is closer to glorified ping pong than a strenuous singles tennis match.

7. I don't entirely love the pickleball itself, but I don't hate it. I don't see how pickleballs could ever wear down. They seem to be made of sturdy plastic and won't wear down at all. It's like a stronger wiffleball. Unlike the tennis ball, a pickleball doesn't travel nearly as far, doesn't bounce as high, and doesn't provide as much spin. I love hitting topspin on my tennis shots. I also like a good slice. You can't really do that as much with a pickleball.

I would certainly try pickleball again, but I would want the game to be much faster and more competitive.

How do you like pickleball? Email info@randomeagle.com and let us know your thoughts.