Article Written By Naizar
Hi friends! I’m Naizar, and I play pickleball at my school. We must play this game because it is the focus of our physical education (PE) course subject this semester, which is necessary for me to complete my bachelor’s degree. I am not a sporty person, to be honest, and I really don’t like playing any physical games at all, especially doing things that make me sweat and make me feel exhausted.
Pickleball is great for people who don’t play sports!
I don’t usually like playing games that include ball because I’m terrified of being struck by it. So at first, when we are introduced to pickleball, thinking that it includes ball I spontaneously think that I’m not into it and it seems like I might fail my PE subject because I don’t really like it.
I’m not sure how I have been traumatized like this because I remember when I was just in elementary school, I do enjoy playing sports and some other local games like “Patintero” and “Tumbang preso” together with my peers and classmates. The last time I played basketball is when I was in elementary school, playing together with my classmates and enjoying my childhood moments.
I think the first time I started to dislike sports was when I accidentally got hit in the face by a volleyball while watching a volleyball game in our neighborhood. I was so hurt at the time, and at the same time, I felt extremely embarrassed because I felt like such a nincompoop for not seeing the ball coming toward me. On top of that, I received so many facial blows that I don’t remember the details.
I didn’t really like playing sports but Pickleball was part of my school lessons
Hence, starting on that day and so on, I don’t want to engage myself in any physical activities at all and I never wanted to watch any sports events up close again. Even while I occasionally watch television, I don’t do it as often in person. My panic grew as I continued to hear the ball’s loud hit sound.
Unsurprisingly, I didn’t participate in any ball-related games even after I graduated from elementary school.
However, upon entering high school, most of my friends do play basketball and I don’t. So sometimes I felt jealous of them like I hope I wasn’t like this, a weak one. I was thinking of joining them but I felt so awkward and I can’t because I already established an image that I’m not that such type of person and also to the fact that I never played sports for how many years already. And besides, I still find playing basketball to be unpleasant because getting struck still hurts.
I had never played Pickleball before
Back to pickleball, playing this game is very new to us. We had never played this before. It has just been introduced in our university and it is the first time in our city. When it was first introduced by our PE instructor, I was very happy when our PE teacher first showed us the ball since, contrary to what I had anticipated, it was not as large as I expect unlike those which are used in volleyball and basketball, and was also quite light!
So in my head, I was thinking that I know I can easily pass the subject because I know I’m not going to have any trouble in playing it since the ball is very easy to handle and also the thing even if you’ll be hit by the ball you won’t get hurt.
Consequently, our instructor discussed the story of pickleball how and why it was named like that or what is the motivation behind it. He explained to us how the game was created by the three dads and how a woman came up with the name. Furthermore, He also explained to us how the game would be set up and what the game court would look like. Unsurprisingly, I found that it is the same as a badminton court with the kitchen inside, often known as the no-volley zone.
I wondered why it’s called a kitchen in Pickleball
I actually wondered why it was called kitchen because it was so silly to have that odd name for such a very good sport, so I did some research and found out that there are several theories why it was named like that, and one of those is just the fact that it was thought up by three dads and so for that reason, silly names are more likely chosen.
Of course, our instructor showed us the correct way to play, as well as the guidelines for scoring, and other aspects of the game. I started to adore this game since I think playing it is a lot of fun, and even if I get struck a lot, I am not hurt. In pickleball, the players weren’t as agile as those in badminton, volleyball, and other sports of a like nature.
I enjoy playing this because it allows me to socialize with my peers and fellow students, especially when we play doubles. Even though I don’t often enjoy playing sports, when this pickleball was introduced, I somehow revived the sporty spirit within me. I know it’s hilarious to say this but I believe it is the truth and it is somewhat what myself is telling myself. This is such an enjoyable game and I started loving this game to the degree that I wanted to play it even though it’s not required for our performance task anymore.
Pickleball is fun
Before, I always hate having a PE subject but now I am keen, I feel and I wanted to play more like ever before, and actually, I wanted to buy my own pickleball paddle. It is just been more than three months that I have been playing this game but now I wanted to introduce it to my community as well because I believe it is very interesting to play and I know they will have fun playing it.
I think having this as a recreational activity is a lot of fun, and I hope that by the following year’s university intramurals, this game will already be available. Although I am only a beginner and not a particularly skilled player, I am very eager to play this game and have plans to practice more and improve my skills quickly. I am very happy for myself because I found the game that most closely matches my interests.
So much for everything, thank you for having the time to read my story. I hope you’ll love pickleball too.
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