2024 Recap

And just like that, 2024 has come and gone. In that time, what started out as a casual recreational activity to spend time with my mom ended up becoming a full blown hobby that I took to a whole another level.

🎮 Games

As far as games go, I spent this year primarily playing recreational games without much regard for skill level. I did attempt a challenge court from time to time, but it was mostly just a humbling experience rather than a legitimate test of skill.

🏫 Lessons / Clinics

In terms of lessons, I started taking some 1:1 coaching sessions in order to try and speed up my growth as much as possible, but they weren't at a consistent cadence which meant their primary usefulness was the opportunity to drill with a more advanced player. This will probably be good in terms of long term growth, but at the time it wasn't as easily applicable to the rec games I played.

In contrast, I was lucky enough to fit in a class / clinic in the late fall of 2024 where I had a consistent group of classmates who I was learning with and practicing with. This proved to be a much better avenue for seeing short term improvement since the skill levels were more comparable and led to better drills and practice games.

🏓 Gear

One of my favorite parts of getting into any hobby is the gear, and oh boy does pickleball have an endless rabbit hole of gear. I haven't been able to document everything to date, but as a general overview:

• Paddles: Started with the Selkirk SLK Omega Max, upgraded to the Selkirk AMPED Pro - Invikta, and settled on the Bread & Butter Shogun.
• Balls: I've been using the Selkirk Pro S1 balls, but have heard that tournaments often use other ones, so I will probably be looking into picking up other balls to see how they feel in comparison next year.
• Training Gear: As far as this category goes, there a few things worth mentioning that I got which I've loved:
  • Qyntelix Training Padddle: Great way of training the muscle memory of striking with the sweet spot
  • Ninja Silent Pickleball: Works as advertised, and honestly great for indoor play (especially if playing with kids who don't have as much control so you're not as concerned about breaking things)
  • Titan ACE Pickleball Machine: I'll have a more thorough review next year, but this splurge was so worth the money if you struggle with finding a partner to drill with and want to get max reps in for your time on the court.
• Bags: I started with the Selkirk Pro Line Team Bag, but it was rather bulky for my tastes and I ended up settling on the CRBN Pro Team Sling Bag which I absolutely love and think it so worth the money. More on that in the future!

Final Thoughts

2024 has been a fun year as far as kicking off my adventure with pickleball. While there hasn't been much as far as official ranked / tournament games, I've thoroughly enjoyed the community aspect while just having fun with getting started with a new hobby.

Looking forward, I hope to track my games more thoroughly so I'll have more metrics for the next wrap up, but more importantly, I intend for 2025 to be the year I start entering tournaments to test my skills. It should be an exciting year.

Thanks for reading and hope to see you on the court next year!