Beyond the Baseline: Why Community is the Secret Ingredient to Our Game

I’ve been playing pickleball for about 5 years and working behind the scenes for Better Pickleball for four.  Thanks to CJ and The Pickleball System, I have a good understanding of the game.

Full disclosure: Getting my body to actually execute the shots my brain is calling for is still a major work in progress! 😄

As I sat debating whether to go to the meeting, I realized I’d fallen into the trap of thinking our pickleball community was strictly about the “curriculum,” forgetting that this journey is about so much more than skills and drills. Truly, the pickleball community helps shape this experience beyond just technical growth.

And then something from my past came to mind. I remembered my days in Young Life and a word we used often back then: Fellowship. It reminded me of how important being part of a pickleball community is for growing as a player.

 

More Than Just a Drill

Of course, I love learning strategy and getting better. I’m always trying to improve my drops, my dinks, my positioning — all of it.

But pickleball is about so much more than the mechanics. It’s about the electric energy of humans sharing a journey.

Even when we are playing with strangers, the second we step onto that court, we aren’t strangers anymore. We are family. We get to feel what makes the pickleball community truly unique.

We need to be around people who share our specific brand of dreams and frustrations. We need people who understand why we’re obsessing over a soft game at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday. When we fellowship with our “family of players,” we do three vital things:

1. Refill our hearts with the joy of connection.
2. Reset our minds by stepping away from daily stresses.
3. Renew our spirits through shared laughter and growth.

There’s something special about being on this journey together.

When we spend time with other players who share the same ups and downs, whether it is on the court or in a book club, it fills us back up — mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually.

 

A Lesson in Humility (and Gravity)

If you ever wonder if you’re “good enough” or “serious enough” or have time to be part of this community, let me share a quick story of what happened to me on the court recently.

I was in the middle of a rally, feeling pretty good about my playing. I swung, made contact, and then… the ball vanished. I looked across the net. Nothing. I looked at the sidelines. Nothing. I completely stopped playing, arms outspread, and genuinely asked my partners:

“Wait, where is the ball? Where did it go?”

The words had barely left my mouth when THUNK. The ball, which I had apparently sent into orbit, landed directly on top of my head.

My partners lost it. I lost it. In that moment, nobody made me feel bad or embarrassed. I was just a person having a hilarious, human moment with my friends. That is the magic of this community. We are all one “ball to the head” away from a shared laugh.

 

Why I Keep Coming Back

I may not always play the way I want to play.

Some days my shots feel great. Other days… not so much.

But I keep showing up because of the people.

I keep showing up because of the encouragement.

I keep showing up because the time I spend time with other players — whether on the court or in our community — I leave feeling better than when I arrived.

It reminds me why I started playing in the first place. Above all, the pickleball community gives me a sense of belonging.

If you ever find yourself debating whether to go to a meeting, show up to play, or join in with the community — even when you’re tired or not playing your best — I hope you’ll go.

Come for the tips but stay for the fellowship. Your heart (and your game) will be better for it.

And who knows… you might even walk away with a funny story of your own (hopefully without getting bonked on the head like I did 😉).

See you on the courts,
A Fellow Better Pickleball Player 💙