| Status: | Active, full but can join waiting list |
| Leader: | |
| When: | On Monday afternoons 3:00 pm-5:00 pm |
| Venue: | HLC - Hart Leisure Centre |
| 2025/26 meetings | |||||
| Sep 15, 22, 29 | Oct 6, 13, 20, 27 | Nov 3, 10, 17, 24 | Dec 1, 8 | Jan 12, 19, 26 | Feb 2, 9, 16, 23 |
| Mar 2, 9, 16, 23 | Apr 13, 20, 27 | May 4, 11 , 18, 25 | Jun 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 | Jul | Aug |
Pickleball is a fast-growing sport, founded in California in 1965 and really taking off in the UK since about 2018. Our u3a group was started in September 2023 and we now have over 40 members. The game is a cross between many racket and ball games,
played with a paddle (like a large table tennis bat) and a hollow plastic ball. The court is the same size as a badminton court but with a lower net. It is an easy game to pick up and relies more on quick reactions and tactics rather than power.
We play from 3:00 to 5:00 pm on Mondays at Hart Leisure Centre and run occasional taster sessions so that new players can try the game before committing to payment of term fees. We try to hire enough courts to allow players to rest for about one third of the time during sessions. Court costs are shared among the playing members rather than paying the usual u3a venue fees. Typically term fees, paid at the start of each term, work out at around £5 per session.
Beginners need some training before they can join the main group. We organise taster sessions to meet this need and it also gives prospective members the chance to find out if they like the game before committing to a term's fees.
Pickleball is a relatively new ball sport in the UK. It fosters mobility, fitness and good health; it can be competitive .. and is always fun! It was developed in the US and is played either indoors or outdoors as singles or doubles. It’s played on a court similar in size and markings to a badminton court but players often use an actual badminton court or mark out pickleball lines on a tennis court. Players hit a light plastic ball across a net which is similar in height to a tennis net using lightweight “paddles" roughly double the size of table tennis bats.
The rules have been evolved to limit aggressive play and to encourage position and tactics above strength and power. This makes the game perfectly suited to any age group but particularly for older players since it can be learned quickly, games last minutes rather than hours and skill is the winning weapon. It is most suited to people who have played racquet sports or table tennis.
For a quick intro to the game - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTvPYdKZqO0
For more information - From the u3a national website https://www.u3a.org.uk/learning/subjects/pickleball
This longer and more detailed video also discusses scoring https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vk-c8TdC28
Please note that we use a different scoring system for group sessions from that described in most videos on Pickleball. This allows us to better control the length of games and give everyone equal playing time. Full details on request.