Talking Pickleball with Rocket!

What do you do when you have a pickleball question? Our guess is that you ask a friend or your coach!

We went to our Pro Rocket from Pickleball Rocks with some questions to share with you.

Rocket and his family founded Pickleball Rocks, the world’s largest pickleball apparel brand in 2009. Besides running this apparel brand, Rocket continues to coach and share the incredible sport of pickleball!

But how did Rocket get started with pickleball?

“I was a local tennis coach living in the small town of Brookville, Indiana. Two couples brought pickleball back from their winter vacation and got it started in our town. They asked me to try it and I was instantly hooked.”

In fact, he enjoyed it so much that it wasn’t long before he began coaching new pickleball players and had his family just as excited as he was about pickleball!

What is your favorite thing about coaching?

“To see that tiny lightbulb moment when something you said or suggested really clicks with the student. But also I love that I can have almost anybody of any age or skill level up and playing in only 30 minutes time.”

What words of encouragement do you give most often to people just learning pickleball?

“I say this at most beginner clinics I run: “This will be the most frustrating day you’ll ever have in pickleball”. And it always is, but it is so easy to improve that it simply becomes fun seeing how much you can improve literally from day to day.”

What is the most common mistake you see in beginners?

“Most beginners take their paddle way back further than they need to before hitting the ball. The shorter your back swing, the easier it is to consistently get the ball over the net and in play.”

What is the most important piece of pickleball equipment?

“Well, you can’t play without a paddle, so I’d say a pickleball paddle. Is this a trick question???”

Well, it would also look pretty funny playing without a ball....of course that’s why we sell more than just paddles!

What is the most common misconception about pickleball?

“Many people will see pickleball being played at a high level on Youtube and believe that they could never play. That is so untrue. Literally I can have anyone playing and really enjoying the sport very quickly. It is great for all ages and all ability levels. I recently played a tournament with my 7 year old grandson and we had a blast.”

So there you have it. We hope you enjoyed learning more about pickleball and hearing some of Rocket’s story!