Pickleball amongst many other sports, is an easy to pick up hard to master game that involves tons of action, endless footwork, and nefarious spins that will give anyone a run for their money.
However, unlike any other sport, it can also act as a social lubricant that bridges the gap between different demographics letting you connect with everyone regardless of their skillset.
All of these elements may require a considerable amount of finesse which is why most rookies that have just picked up the paddle may be wondering how long it takes to get good at pickleball.
To answer your question, I have curated this article with all the setbacks and plateaus you may face, since progress isn’t linear.
Breaking Down The Pickleball Timeline Of Road To Glory
In order to answer your query, I will be categorizing your skillset and defining how long would it take for you to get better at this game. While there isn’t a “one shoe that fits” type answer, this categorization that is defined below for reference would provide a fair glimpse of how long would it take for you to climb the ladder.
1. Beginners Or Rookie Phase
These are the sorts of individuals who have just started hearing about pickleball or barely have a clue what pickleball even means.
As a fair means of assessment, I would also assume these are people who don’t really have any sort of prior skills relating to any other form of sports and often refer to themselves as couch potatoes who want to partake in this game either for recreational purpose or simply want to get in shape.
Whatever the circumstances might be, in order to hit the beginners or be considered a rookie you would be spending a good chunk of 3 months of your life in the court.
Astoundingly enough even though pickleball is a fairly easy sport to get into, you would still need to learn the ropes and go through plenty of trials and errors. So expect around 1-3 months of active court routine.
2. Intermediate Phase
Once you have spent 3 months, moving to this phase would be pretty much a smooth sailing experience, fortunately enough you would also have plenty of muscle memory built up and have acknowledged the basics intricacies of the court.
Keep in mind it would still require you at least 2 more months, to get your shots more consistent with perfect accuracy so that you could counter lobs and execute volleys with minimal effort, so in total, it would require you to hit the 5-month mark to be considered as a player that any other teammates could rely on.
3. Advanced Phase
Reaching the advanced phase is no walk in the park, in fact, you would be training your skillsets beyond your imagination. The workout routine also has to be even more thorough and you may be required to eliminate any sort of lethargy or “excuses” you may have in mind whenever you want to skip hitting the court.
In other words, reaching the advanced phase is a long road that will require you to invest at least 12 months of your life, but trust me once you get to this part, you will virtually thank yourself for not giving up after overcoming all these hurdles.
Keep in mind that advanced phase which is also termed as becoming a professional, you would be required to spend tons of extra time in the court to prove your grit by partaking in extra drills, so 12 months is barely the tip of the iceberg.
4. Being Competitive
Being competitive means you have made it to the 1% in the pickleball community, while you may learned and practiced all sorts of strategies and techniques that are often used around the court and faced multiple foes regardless of the fact you were playing recreational, competitive or hybrid settings, staying in the top charts of the big leagues not only requires the brawns but you will also be required to be mentally sound and alert.
Winning in pickleball and staying competitive is all about overcoming your fear and out-calculating the moves of your opponent and that is only possible if you build up such a rhythm that is harder to predict.
But that’s not all, in order to remain at the top or at least reach that point, you will not only be spending tons of time in drills but discovering new techniques along the way, so expect at least 2 years to hit the mark on your competitive journey.
How To Lessen The Time Period To Get Better At Pickleball
Learning the basics and the advanced methodologies of Pickleball can sometimes be overwhelming and not everyone has the time to spend it on the court which is perfectly understandable, here is how you could cut yourself some slack and at the same time get better at pickleball.
1. Hire A Coach
As anticlimactic as it may sound, there are no shortcuts to becoming better in sports, however, you could trade off your time by spending some cash by hiring a proper coach or mentor that will eliminate all the hurdles you may possibly have to face all by yourself.
A good mentor or training coach always strives their best to provide assistance to their students so they don’t have to face the problems that the coaches had to face when they were climbing the learning curve.
Moreover, due to their extreme level of experience and certification, they have also earned enough finesse and proficiency allowing them to know tips and tricks which are hard to learn by yourself.
While some may find the idea of hiring a coach a little bit frowned upon, keep in mind that good knowledge and tactics must always be worth something tangible otherwise there is virtually no point in learning it in the first place.
In the meanwhile, a good great coach would drastically cut down the time you would need to become a professional player since they also tend to know more people in the community and have much more reach towards sponsors that you will need in the long run if you are planning for a professional career in the future.
2. Participate In Drills
Your muscle memory and hand-eye coordination in the court should be next to your skin and you should spend hours just to build enough equilibrium to stay in shape both physically and mentally that is only possible if you are practicing alone, which will allow you to understand your shortcomings, analyze your oversight and rectify your mistakes without being judged or scrutinized.
Drills and practicing sessions would also cut down months, as long as you apply yourself in the court, there is no parallel for your commitment and focus.
Final Verdict
Knowing the fact that this article will be read by players of every skill set, I tried my level best to keep it simple and straightforward so you could get a transparent idea of How long to get good at pickleball.
It goes without saying that external help such as hiring a mentor or watching videos of your professional pickleball players who have already established their place on the court always helps, if you want to pursue your career alone, you might be required to invest at least 2 years to be considered a menace in the pickleball universe.
So if you are serious and want to commit yourself to the struggle, I would suggest that you hop off the sofa and hit the court right now.
