Are Some Pickleball Players Too Competitive?


That has become a commonly asked question.

But, that question seems to assume that pickleball should not be competitive. 

And I think the real issue is that different players have different goals with pickleball.

Some just want a fun, social experience several days per week.

Others want to play hard and strive to improve their game each month if not each week.

Neither is right or wrong.

They are just different.

And there is nothing wrong with the differences.

The problems occur when both types of people try to play together.

That commonly occurs on public courts that try to be all inclusive and insist that all players on the courts have to let other players rotate in with them regardless of skill level.

The recreational, social player doesn't like being picked on by the higher skill level players. They also don't like losing over and over as a result of playing higher skill level players.

The competitive players don't like being repeatedly paired with a lower skill level player. Invariably, the lower skill level players pop up lots of balls that get the higher skill level players slammed repeatedly.   

Then, no one is reaching his/her goal.

And no one is enjoying it.

The recreational players then say they just don't understand why the competitive player can't "tone it down" a little for one or two games.

The problem is that it often isn't just one or two games. When it's crowded at the public courts, it could be every game over a two hour period. 

So, competitive players migrate to times at public courts when fewer lower skill players are there. That way they can just play with their group of four to eight competitive players.

Or, the competitive players migrate to facilities that allow for court reservations.  That way, they don't have to let lower skill level players rotate in with them.  

They can count on a scheduled court time with players of their own choosing.    

Even among the competitive players, there are differing levels of skill. And the better players prefer similar higher skill level players. 

One proposed solution is to have public courts labeled as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. 

Some public facilities have done that.  However, you can imagine that hasn't pleased everyone.  And who enforces the rules?

This article won't solve the problems either.

But having been a beginner in the past and now being at a higher skill level, I can see both sides of this argument.

I was fortunate that higher skill level players were willing to be patient with me when I was learning.  

But, they also knew I wasn't just there to be social.  They could tell by my steady improvement. 

While I was still working a full-time job, I had limited time available for pickleball. 

Yet, as my skills improved, when I only had two hours two nights per week available to play pickleball, I wanted to play with players who challenged me so that my time helped me reach my goals.

I needed to count on those two hours being competitive so I could continue to improve my skill level.

Playing beginners or much lower skill level players didn't fit the goals for my limited time availability.  

Does that sound arrogant, elitist, or selfish?  

That's what my wife and I and our preferred pickleball opponents have been called. 

But that is the situation for lots of players.

Limited time with big goals!

And when a nearby tournament date approaches, those competitive players are even more selfish with who they play during their available time. 

Whether we like it or not, those are the realities of most local public pickleball court dynamics and players' personalities. 

Again, these issues are because different players have different goals.

And it's alright to have different goals.

But in pickleball, much like many other aspects of life, people mix in better with others sharing similar goals.

What have you witnessed in your city?

Do you have solutions you have seen work well?

​Please let me hear from you!