Pickleball
Believe it or not, Pickleball has more to do with tennis than it does with pickles!
If you’re an avid Pickleball player or recently hooked on this fun paddle sport, come on over to the Summit YMCA & Berkeley Heights YMCA to enjoy a competitive game in a social atmosphere while learning new strategies to better your play. Never played Pickleball before? You may be surprised by how quickly you catch on to the the fastest growing sport in America! It’s a great sport for all ages and abilities that provides not only healthy exercise and activity, but also allows for positive social interaction.
The Summit Area YMCA offers both instructional pickleball sessions, instructed by a USA Pickleball Ambassador, and open-play pickleball pick-up game options for beginners and advanced players! Pickleball is available almost everyday at the Y and equipment is provided. Explore schedules online or the SAY Mobile app to reserve your spot for open-play pick-up games.
gym schedules
Pickleball is a paddle sport created over 50 years ago by three dads trying to keep their kids occupied during the dog days of summer. Today Pickleball is played by more than 2.5 million people in the United States according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, said to be the fastest growing sport in America.
Pickleball, was created for all skill levels, combining the elements of tennis, ping pong and badminton. The rules are simple, the game is easy to learn, it's tons of fun and a decent workout.
While Pickleball can be a competitive workout, it’s easy to learn and play! Pickleball is played on a court smaller than a tennis court with a net, a paddle and a ball similar to that of a wiffle ball. You can play inside or outside or even create your own makeshift court. You can play singles or doubles and the scoring and rules are easy to follow. To learn the rules of Pickleball and more about the sport, visit: www.usapa.org.
OPEN PLAY
Subject to change, please check schedules online prior to visiting the Y. View division definitions here.
SUMMIT YMCA
ADVANCED bEGINNERS
Mondays, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Free to members. Open to guests as per the Summit Area YMCA Guest Pass Policy of $20 per day pass.
Berkeley Heights YMCA
ADVANCED bEGINNERS
Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 PM, 1:00-2:00 PM
Wednesdays, 12:00:1:30 PM, 1:30-3:00 PM
iNTERMEDIATE
Thursdays, 12:00:1:30 PM, 1:30-3:00 PM
Sundays, 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
FAMILY (AGES 8+)
Fridays, 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Sundays, 2:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Free to members. Open to guests as per the Summit Area YMCA Guest Pass Policy of $20 per day pass.
INSTRUCTIONAL CLINICS
Join us for Pickleball instructional clinics to improve your pickleball game! Enjoy fun drills and games with our very own USA Pickleball Ambassador as we work on shot selection, dinking, lobs, overheads, net play, working with your partner and court positioning.
SUMMIT YMCA
Berkeley Heights YMCA
PICKLEBALL DIVISION
BEGINNER
• Brand new to the game.
ADVANCED BEGINNER
• Moves around the court in a balanced and safe manner.
• Gets some serves “in”.
• Understands aspects of scorekeeping, rules, and where to stand on the court during serve, receive of serve, and general play.
• Has some basic stroke skills, backhand, forehand, volley but has obvious weaknesses.
• Familiar with where to stand in doubles play.
• Demonstrates a broad knowledge of the rules of the game.
• Gets high majority of serves “in”.
• Able to serve and return serve deep.
• Hits to the weak side of opponent often.
• Demonstrates more strategic playing during games.
• Works better with partners in communicating, covering court, and moving to net.
• With varying consistency executes lobs, forehand/backhand ground strokes, overheads, net volleys, and sustained dinking.
• Starting to use drop shots to get to the net.
• Knows when to make some specific placed shots in the game.
• Working on mixing up soft shots with power shots to create an advantage.
• Hits fewer balls out of bounds or in the net.
• Dinks mostly in opponents' kitchen and dinks lower over the net.
• Able to sustain dinking in the game.
• Has a moderate number of unforced errors.
FIVE FUN FACTS ABOUT PICKLEBALL
Courtesy of https://sundialresort.com/blog/10-facts-didnt-know-pickleball/
1. Pickleball was invented more than 50 years ago in the summer of 1965 by three dads from Washington State to keep their bored kids busy.
2. It has nothing to do with pickles! It got its name from one of its founder’s dogs – a cocker spaniel named Pickles who chased the ball while its owner played the game. However, there has been some debate on how the name was originated.
3. It’s a sport that everybody can play -- for all levels, ages and abilities. In fact, there’s even rules for wheelchair adaptability.
4. To be “pickled” means you scored no points in the whole game. For example, if you lose 11-0, you’ve been pickled!
5. The "kitchen" is not a place for eating pickles! It’s a slang term for the non-volley zone.
QUESTIONS?
For questions about participation policies and/or registration, please contact Allison Zeimann at (908) 273-3330 Ext. 1196 or Allison.Zeimann@thesay.org.
The Summit Area YMCA builds stronger communities with programs and services that help all individuals learn, grow, and thrive in a welcoming, inclusive environment. In fact, the Y offers activities and programs for everyone -- every day! Find the program that’s right for you.
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