After the boom in the United States, pickleball has also arrived in Italy. The question comes naturally: did we really need it? Wasn’t tennis enough, which gained in popularity and practitioners after Sinner’s extraordinary exploits, or paddle, which has now become extremely popular? We explain why the answer to the question could be yes.
Born in the 1960s in the States, today it has over 5 million practitioners and the growth does not stop. In our country, the related discipline of tennis is starting to make its way, with structures that are also preparing spaces for this discipline. One of these is theAspria Harbor Club in Milana very cool club that pays attention to new things, which took the opportunity to enrich its sports offering with a pickleball course. Massimo Lacarbonara, head of the club, speaks about it with enthusiasm: «This game with rackets and plastic ball is very fun, dynamic and easy to learn. There is strategy, but it allows you to have fun without too much effort, especially in doubles mode. Played alone, however, it can become more intense and demanding even for those who want a more challenging physical activity.”
Ernie Medina, USA Pickleball ambassador and certified coach of the Professional Pickleball Registry, agrees with Lacarbonara’s thesis and adds that «pickleball is so popular because it resembles maxi ping-pong more than mini tennis. Another factor that potentially contributes to the success of the game is the size of the field, because it encourages sociability.” In fact, the players are closer and don’t have to run too much, so they can chat happily between one point and another.
Physical and mental benefits: a complete workout for all ages
Pickleball is a sport of shots and restarts, like its big brother tennis, albeit with a decidedly slower pace. Playing it you develop strength and endurancewith total body involvement, with the legs active in every movement and with the abdominals stabilizing the body and the shoulders continuously in action. Furthermore, Pickleball stimulates coordination and improves cardiovascular health, helping those who practice it to maintain good balance and strengthen reflexes. The other non-negligible aspect is the psychological well-being: The game requires concentration and strategy and is a social game, perfect for those looking for a way to stay active while having fun with friends and new teammates. A bit like what happened with padel.
How do you play pickleball?
Action shot of a handsome Latino man in his early 60s playing pickleball at an established court on a sunny day.halbergman
