FIRST PROGRESSIVE ADULT BEGINNERS PICKLEBALL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

FIRST PROGRESSIVE ADULT BEGINNERS PICKLEBALL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM COMING TO WHITE MARSH PICKLEBALL

Many· Current adult beginners pickleball instruction classes are not producing players with the fundamental skill sets or basic game knowledge necessary to participate in Open Play Pickleball Venues.

· Often new players go directly to Open Play Venues without any training or game knowledge. They cause excessive delays of game, due to frequently hitting the ball out of bounds and violating rules that know nothing about.

These new players disrupt the order of play not knowing which skill level group to play with. This causes excessive between game waiting time for experienced players, and missed opportunities to play with other experience like-skilled players.

This creates contention among experienced players who come to play, but now are stuck with trying to teach newbies how to play during scheduled open play time.

This is denying experienced player the opportunity to play with like-skilled players. As court time becomes more scarce, experienced players want to be challenged in their play, and not having to educate inexperienced players on the basic fundamentals of the game.     It can also be intimating for new players who find themselves in way over their heads. Many new players who decide for themselves that they are ready for Open Play without completing a Beginners Instruction Course, will pick up a lot of bad habits in trying to emulate some of the better players.

Playing skills are different than teaching skills, A great player does not necessarily make a great instructor.  Great instructors are not necessarily great players. Look at the Head Coaches in the NFL. Many of them never played professional football. But they have the instructional skills to get their teams to the Super Bowl. 

The IPTPA does not necessarily condone  the theory that in order to become a better player you have to play with and against better players.  In part this is true.  But a new player must first learn the correct mechanics of  fundamental stroke development, shot execution, shot selection, basic game strategy and the rules and scoring protocols of the game.  Once a new players learns the technical and tactical fundamentals of the game, then they can continue to improve their play by competing against better players.

· Now many Open Play venues require participants to attend a certified Beginners Pickleball Class and achieve the minimum skill sets of a 2.0 rated player ( see Annex A) before they can participate.

· Another missing component of the Pickleball Education Process are local classes for experienced players to improve their skill sets beyond the beginners level.

· A certified professional pickleball coaching course would attract players these and other experienced players who want to continue to improve their play.