Places to Play
The Phoenix Metro has experienced some incredible growth over the last 3 years. Most of the growth has come from the public sector with courts added in Phoenix, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, and Scottsdale making the East Valley one of the largest concentrations of free public courts in the US.
Some of our favorite places include Pecos Park in Phoenix, Tempe Sports Complex in Tempe, Gilbert Regional Park in Gilbert and Dave White Park in Casa Grande.
In addition to public courts the area has seen an increase of indoor courts through recreational centers as well as a huge growth of private courts in the many adult communities and pay-to-play sites such as Pickleball Kingdom and Legacy Sports at Bell Bank Park.
Pickleball Equipment
To say there are plenty of choices for paddles, balls, and shoe would be an understatement; there are more than plenty.
To help you understand the various types of paddles we have created a document on choosing you best option.
Our favorite for the last 7 years has been Selkirk. They focus only on pickleball and do a lot of research in the technology of paddles. Bottom lie though, the right paddle is the one that fits in your hand.
Now shoes, too many to chose from so keep your focus on 2 things. Lateral Support on construction (we look for light weight, breathability, comfort). A simple go to are badminton and volleyball shoes, those sports have similar construction and lateral support as pickleball. You will find a lot of shoe manufactures placing the name 'pickleball' on tennis shoes...tennis shoes do not give adequate side support.
One shoe we really like are Acacia Sports. Their shoes are built specifically for pickleball with great side support, firm arches and are light weight. Acacia also offers a
Play Smarter
Following are links to a variety of documents and will help you become a smarter player.
The documents include a paper on selecting the right paddle, developing strategies in your game, drills and practice games, tips on skills and more.
--Strategies
--Drills