Blog: Order On The Court — Starting your pickleball journey

Ronnie Hawkins personal and professional journey is a fascinating story.

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When I show my website to friends and family, invariably, the comment is often the same. “I don’t get it. It’s an website for booking a pickleball lesson, and it opens to show a mountain road winding along the coast. Shouldn’t the photo be of you, smiling, with a paddle.”  

I smile graciously, of course, thanking them for the suggestion, as if it had never occurred to me.

And I will be changing it up. I believe a good website should be a living, constantly evolving place. With a focus on interesting content, an occasional laugh or two, and, in my case, also to book a lesson with a certified instructor. 

But for now, the home page background stays because of the site’s stated purpose — “Your Journey Begins Here.”

Over the coming weeks and months, I will be taking the site’s visitors on a journey with Play To Win Pickleball as I continue to grow the content, improve its presentation, and promote its core mission statement — to be a voice of all things pickleball in Ottawa and beyond.

It’s an ambitious journey, a bold mission; I’m still mapping out its eventual destination. But I want it to be more than a web resource to book a pickleball lesson.

Why me. Why PlayToWinPickleball.com?

I spent over 20 years publishing newspapers, as a reporter, editor, owner in Ontario, writing hundreds of editorials, news stories, profiles of people, and weekly columns on a host of subjects.

I wrote about crime, the local political scene and local events, but I think my favourite column subject was a 10-part series on training my new puppy. I enrolled Samantha, a beautiful blue merle Australian Shepherd in a Dog Obedience Course and every week wrote about the experience, as I learned how to let Sam find her, “Place in the Sun” according to the Trainer. 

Picture a small puppy with other dogs of all sizes, and breeds, being trained to follow a master's command, when all they want to do is goof off and enjoy each other’s company. I smile thinking about it even now.

I think that column epitomizes the journey every dog owner takes when they get their first puppy. The highs, and the lows, including those suspicious wet spots on the carpet you only find when barefoot and turning in to bed.

I interviewed Prime Ministers, the rich and famous, the infamous, and Ronnie Hawkins. 

Ronnie was a true original. I met him in the smoke filled bar of the Empire Hotel on Huntsville’s main street. He described his incredible journey, fronting bands in honky tonk gin joints from Tennessee to Muskoka, that started with running moonshine when he was a teenager. Working with The Band, “I love working with Robbie (Robertson). Man, he had that talent, that great voice. Excellent musician and a great friend.”

I put down my notebook, pen and just listened to Ronnie talk about his illustrious past, and optimism for the future. It was very cool. And it reminded me, that everyone has their own journey in life. Filled with the highs, and the lows. 

We are defined by the journey we take, the people we meet, and things we try and our victories, as well as our failures. 

My journey is one of change. Pickleball being one of those major updates in my coding, but only one of many, as I continually fine-tune and hard wire my DNA.But enough about me. 

Let’s talk about your pickleball journey. Where you started, where you going. What want to do.

I have the privilege of meeting pickleball players from all walks of life, from beginners, who have never held a paddle, to 5.0 expert players whose life revolves around tournaments, ranking points and game play so competitive, it makes you dizzy.

As an observer, and active participant, I have a few points to make for people who are new to pickleball and don’t know where to start their pickleball journey.

Find somebody, anybody, and go to a court, a public court is fine, even a tennis court not marked for pickleball. They’re all over the city. Costco sells a decent set of two paddles and a ball for $100 bucks. Bargain. 

Go to the court, when there is no one else around so you can experiment without distractions. Find the half court marking on the court and the Service Box in the court. Stay in it, initially, until you get comfortable with the early motion of hitting the ball over the net. Which is several inches higher in tennis, but, again, don’t worry about it.

Don’t think about how you look hitting the ball. Don’t worry about technique, or the grip. Don’t even think about the rules, yet. Just focus on hitting the ball, back and forth for 30 minutes. 

That’s all there is to it. 

Feel how the paddle feels in your hand. How the balls flies with velocity when hit correctly, or flutters like a wounded duck with a mis-hit. Take underhand serves to your partner. Return their serves. Hit from the backhand side, notice how it’s easy to hit when you move your feet to get in a position to hit the ball, with a contact point in front of your body. Get under the ball and lift it over the net using a compact swing. Very little backswing, but follow through, high through the ball.

Feel the sensation of hitting the ball when it connects with the paddle face. The sweet spot. Try for control, and use co-operative play to make it easy for your partner to return the ball. So you’re not running all over the court, picking up errand balls.

See, it’s easy. Nothing to it. 

Now the backhand. 

Now, take 10-20 volleys, hitting the ball before it bounces. See if you can hit it back and forth to your partner 10 times. 

Celebrate the accomplishment. You have now officially joined the club of happy pickleball players. 

There is lots more to see and do on your pickleball journey, and we’ll get to all that in future blogs. 

But I want to end here by extending you a virtual fist bump with the words, “Good on you. And best of luck with your new journey. I’d love to hear about it.”

Order on the Court. Be careful out there, and remember to have fun.