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Fast-paced action is a hallmark of pickleball.


New Ways to Court Fitness


Racquets and Paddles


Get a Sporting Makeover by Randy Kambic


Two fun ways to use tennis courts for fitness are showing big increases in popularity.


Meet the New “Pickleball”


You may not have heard of it yet, but pickleball is a mixture of tennis, squash and table tennis, and it’s one of the fastest- growing sports in the country. The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) at usapa.org estimates that 2.5 million players are active now, with the number expected to multiply to 8 mil- lion by next year.


Regulation tennis courts especially marked for pick- leball facilitate its smaller, 20-by-44-foot playing area. The need for less running about appeals to older players and others, as does the distinctive thud when the hard paddle hits the plastic ball. (Sample video at Tinyurl.com/Winning PickleballShot.)


Christine Barksdale, 48, of Vancouver, Washington,


USAPA’s managing director of competition and athlete ser- vices, played league tennis from childhood into adulthood until she transferred her passion to pickleball. She assesses that half of participants are “totally focused on pickleball,” while the rest see it as a way to improve their volleying skills for tennis. “It definitely improves reflexes. It’s easy for beginners to pick it up and have fun.” It also introduces kids to racquet sports.


20 Austin Edition AustinAwakenings.com


courtesy of USAPA/Tom Gottfried


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