If you have ever watched a seven-year-old try to learn tennis, you know it can look less like recreation and more like a character-building exercise no one signed up for.
The court is enormous. The racket is unwieldy. The ball keeps sailing past them.
Pickleball gives kids something other sports often do not: the feeling of success almost immediately.
This week, I spoke with Megan Fudge, the APP Tour’s all-time career medals leader, about why she believes pickleball should not be the sport people turn to after everything else.
It should be an entry sport.
Megan and her husband, fellow pro Ryler DeHeart, have raised their children around the game—traveling the tournament circuit together, homeschooling from an RV and letting Lily and JR compete in amateur divisions right alongside the adults.
And they are not just being handed participation trophies.
Lily recently played mixed doubles with her father and came home with a bronze medal. JR has already worked his way into the 4.0 and 4.5 adult divisions.
In this episode, you’ll hear
Why pickleball gives children a faster feeling of accomplishment than many traditional sports
How playing with adults helps kids develop confidence, communication and resilience
Why the sport naturally connects children, parents and grandparents
How Megan’s kids balance pickleball with tennis, badminton and other activities
Why getting children onto the court may also help get them off their screens
What makes pickleball unusually welcoming to beginners of every age
Megan’s point is not that every child should be groomed to become the next professional pickleball superstar.
It is that pickleball teaches children how to move, compete, cooperate, handle disappointment and enjoy being active without requiring years of frustration before they can actually return the ball.
The smaller court, lighter paddle and slower ball allow children to participate almost immediately.
They hear that satisfying pop.
They make contact.
They think, “I can do this.”
And that feeling may lead them deeper into pickleball, into another sport or simply into a lifetime of being active and confident.
The big takeaway:
Kids do not need to be exceptional athletes to start playing pickleball.
They just need a paddle, a little encouragement and someone willing to invite them onto the court.
As Megan says, go out, introduce yourself and give it a try. You may be surprised by who picks you up and welcomes you into the game.
Share this with a parent or grandparent whose favorite child could use a little less screen time and a lot more moving, laughing, and playing outside and tell them to SUBSCRIBE.
Short, practical insights for recreational players who want answers.
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