Move over other racquet sports, pickleball is surging in popularity, and men everywhere are picking up the paddle and stepping out onto the court. You can improve your flexibility, hand-eye coordination, balance, muscle strength, bone health, and more. Plus, it’s a social sport where you can play and interact with friends and family.
Researchers concluded that pickleball is a moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity that increases your heart rate, promoting calorie burning and weight loss. In another interesting review of 13 studies, pickleball players report improvements in life satisfaction, general happiness, and overall well-being.
To learn more about the benefits and history of this sport with the funny-sounding name, I asked experienced player Mookie McDevitt to share his valuable insight. An avid player himself, Mookie McDevitt is the owner of Ace Pickleball Club in Houston, and he’s competed in tournaments and helped build a vast network within the pickleball community. He’s seen the increasing popularity among men and hopes to see this interest continue to rise worldwide.
Interview with the owner of Ace Pickleball Club, Mookie McDevitt
The Manual: Why and when did you first decide to play pickleball?
Mookie McDevitt: I started playing pickleball in 2019. I played a lot of basketball, volleyball, and soccer growing up, but I never quite got into racket sports. After I became a dad in 2014, finding ways to stay active became increasingly challenging. A couple of buddies who I met through my kids’ school asked me to come play pickle one day, and within about 15 minutes, I knew I’d rediscovered the joy of competing. Little did I know at the time that it would also become my career.
TM: What’s the history of this interesting sport?
Mookie McDevitt: The sport enjoyed a cult following from its inception in the ’60s until very recently. Investment in the development of the professional game has brought new attention to the sport over the last 10 years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has driven millions of people to seek new, healthy habits outside of their norm. These factors, along with the accessibility and mental and physical benefits of the sport, created a perfect storm for the explosion of pickleball that’s showing no signs of slowing down.
TM: Why is
Mookie McDevitt: Most men that I know love to compete with each other and against each other. The drive to be “the best” doesn’t leave us when we stop playing organized sports. Pickleball provides a new competitive outlet for men and women, enabling us to scratch that itch that has been present since we were little kids. Remarkably, it’s on a very short list of sports that you can improve at while your physical skills are simultaneously diminishing with age. I’m a much better player at 40 than I was at 35, and that simply isn’t the case for most sports.
TM: What’s the difference between pickleball and tennis?
Mookie McDevitt: This could be a really long answer, but to me, the most significant difference between these two games is accessibility. Becoming a world-class tennis player requires a tremendous amount of time, training, and world-class athleticism. The court is much larger, the ball moves much faster, and big overhand serves can play a massive role in the game.
By contrast, pickleball is a slower game that typically requires far less time to pick up. The ramp from beginner to intermediate and even to advanced can be significantly quicker than tennis, and people with physical limitations usually find it to be a much more enjoyable experience.
Most importantly, pickleball is an inherently social game. The dads in Bainbridge wanted to create a game that mitigates physical advantages so they could compete with and against their kids. As a result, you see people of all different ages, ability levels, and genders competing equally on the same court. You’re able to chat, laugh, and enjoy the company of the other players on the court, which creates an incredibly fun experience for everyone involved, all in the span of a game that can last less than 10 minutes.
TM: Could you share the five rules of pickleball?
Mookie McDevitt:
- Underhand serve: Served diagonally, below the waist.
- Two-bounce rule: Each side must let the ball bounce once after the serve before volleys are allowed.
- The Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone): Players are not allowed to have any part of their body touching the zone closest to the net when they hit the ball out of the air (volley). In fact, your momentum can’t even take you into the kitchen after hitting a volley, so make sure you hit the brakes.
- Only serving team scores: You can’t score on a return rally.
- Win by two: Typically to 11 in recreational play.
TM: What do you feel are the top benefits?
Mookie McDevitt: The number one benefit for me is the connections made along the way. Making friends as an adult is hard and can be awkward. Every pickleball player I know has a long list of friends that they never would have met without the game. In fact, I would argue I’ve made more friends through
TM: When did you first decide to participate in pickleball tournaments, and could you share more about that experience?
Mookie McDevitt: As I became a (marginally) better player, I decided to test my skills against players that I didn’t know in a local tournament. I figured it was time to see if I had what it takes to keep moving up to compete with the best. I’m sure I was even delusional enough, like many players I know, to think the sky was the limit for my game and that I’d be a pro in no time.
Spoiler alert: I didn’t win a game in that first tourney. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about how these tournaments were organized. Ultimately, what I realized is that my favorite tournaments are the ones where I’m playing with and against my buddies. These days, I spend the majority of my time participating in Open Play, getting my pickle fix in whenever it fits my schedule. The tourneys I enjoy the most are the ones hosted by my local club. There’s nothing better than competing for bragging rights with the same folks you lace up with every week.
TM: How do you prepare your body for a pickleball tournament for peak performance?
Mookie McDevitt: The key for me is hydration. I’m shocked by how much I sweat in a game that requires a relatively low amount of running and sprinting, but I’ve found myself on the business end of more than a few cramps during a long day of competing. Tournaments also bring a level of tension that’s transferred to the muscles, making me more sore than I am after a typical open-play session, so stretching becomes even more crucial to avoid injury and aid recovery.
TM: What are your top tips to improve pickleball performance?
Mookie McDevitt: The best strategic advice that I’ve received and often repeated is Place over Pace. There’s a reason the 65-year-old ladies at your local park are able to outplay the 20-year-old football players — they know that where they put the ball is far more important than how hard they hit it.
My game improved by watching how successful players approach the game. Whether on TV, YouTube, watching in person, or taking a beating from a player who is far superior to me, I try to incorporate things that I see the good players doing into my own game. At the end of the day, most decent athletes can execute most of the shots on a pickleball court once or twice. True improvement comes from consistency, and consistency comes from getting reps. The best players I know spend a ton of time drilling and playing the game with players who are better than they are. If you want to improve, you have to get off the couch and on the court.
