Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 3

Hello, and welcome to Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 3!

In this issue of APU you will find:

• Play Pickleball in Austin - South Austin Rec Center (SARC)

• APU Paddle Demo Event Recap

• Upcoming Tournaments

• Pickleball Strategy 101

• Community News

• Austin Pickleball Update Social Groups

We love to hear feedback from the Austin pickleball community! If you ever have any suggestions, comments, or new courts/clubs you want us to cover for the newsletter, send us a note at [email protected]. 

Interested in renting one of our paddles before the next APU demo event? Check out our paddle rental program here for more information.

Play Pickleball in Austin - South Austin Rec Center

South Austin Rec Center, or SARC for short, is a public pickleball court located in South Austin. The rec center itself is located right off the street, and pickleball courts are located behind the building via a path on the left side of the rec center.

Fun fact, SARC is where I first learned and started to play pickleball regularly as a novice in April 2023, and I still play there nearly every week.

How to Play Pickleball at SARC

SARC has two permanent pickleball nets/courts, and court space for four additional pop-up nets, totaling six courts spaces available to play. 

The permanent nets are challenge courts, also known as kings courts. These courts are first come first serve, and whoever arrives next then stacks (lines up) their paddles (or paddle covers) in-line with the net in order to play for the next game. 

When a game finishes, the winners (kings) stay on the court, and the next stacked paddles then get a quick warm up on the court before playing the winners of the previous game. This process then repeats, with the winners of the match staying on the court and the losers cycling off so that the next set of players can join. 

The four additional court spaces require a portable pickleball net to play on, and are also on a first come, first serve basis. The difference with these, however, is that once a net is set up on these courts, there is no timeline for when the players using the court need to leave. When people show up and claim one of the four open court spaces, they usually play anywhere from one to three hours before vacating the court. If you are considering purchasing your own net, I started with this net and still use it weekly 8 months later.

About two-thirds of the people who play at SARC show up with a partner to play doubles, and the remaining one-third show up as a single player. If you’re a single player, you can still stack your single paddle in line to play on the challenge courts. When another single player shows up (or someone else who wants to jump in with you), they will put their paddle/paddle cover on top of yours, indicating that they wish to join you when it is your turn to play on the challenge courts.

The challenge courts can be intimidating, especially if the skill level of the current players are high. I always encourage any singles or doubles players who might not feel up to playing on the challenge courts to walk around to the pop-up courts and see if anyone needs an extra player or wants to play a game together. That said, playing on the challenge courts is a ton of fun, and a great way to meet and connect with new people to play with in the future. If you’re a single player looking to play at SARC, you can also use APU’s WhatsApp Group to find a partner to play with. 

SARC is definitely a pickleball hotspot in Austin, and probably the best place to play if you want to learn the ropes and rapidly progress your pickleball game. Player skill levels range from beginner (usually playing with friends on a pop-up net) to around the 4.0 and sometimes even 4.5+ level on the challenge courts. 

Additionally, one of the best parts about SARC is that, weather permitting, there are nearly always people playing pickleball every day of the week. From Monday to Friday, the courts get busy and fill up around 3-5pm, with people usually playing until around 9-10pm (until the lights turn off). On Saturdays and Sundays, courts are most busy in the morning. Play starts early around 7-8am, and you’ll find people playing well into the afternoon and sometimes evening.

If you’re in Austin looking for a great place to play pickleball, meet new people, and uplevel your game, I highly recommend getting out to SARC. 

APU Paddle Demo Event Recap

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about pickleball players (ourselves included), it’s that people are always excited to try out the latest and greatest in paddle technology. Most players have one specific paddle that they use consistently, and while using a single paddle is the best way to improve your pickleball game, there comes a point where you want to try out new paddle types and brands to see which ones fit your playstyle best. 

Knowing that the paddle ordering, demoing, and return process is rather cumbersome, APU decided to host our first ever paddle demo events this past Saturday (12/16) and Sunday (12/17) at the South Austin Rec Center (SARC). The goal of the event was to provide high-level pickleball paddles for players to try out in real time. 

We were on site with eight different paddles for community members to demo and play with, and the reception from attendees was nothing short of stellar, as we engaged with over 100 people across both days. 

It was amazing seeing how many people were interested in learning about the different paddle brands, types, and playstyles. Of the eight paddles we had available to demo, the most well received paddles were the Selkirk LUXX, Selkirk Vanguard Power Air Invikta, and the Six Zero Double Black Diamond Control.

We even had a few players who were able to try all of our paddles and were kind enough to provide an overview of their impressions with each one. Watch our video below with Chris and Darshan as they recap their APU paddle demo experience.

We also want to share a special thank you to local Austin pickleball coach Jim Kochanski for supporting our demo day. Jim offers lessons, clinics, and coaching for beginner to advanced skill levels. Check him out on Instagram, @jimkochanskipickleball.

Thank you again to everyone who came out to SARC for our paddle demo day this past weekend! Stay tuned to Austin Pickleball Update for information on when and where our next paddle demo event will be taking place in Austin.

Check out our paddle rental program here if you're interested in renting one of our paddles before the next APU demo event.

Pickleball Strategy 101 - Get to the Kitchen

For doubles play, getting to the kitchen (also known as the non-volley zone or NVZ) quickly and efficiently is one of the most important aspects of any pickleball game. Being ready and at the kitchen is an advantageous court position and provides the highest probability of allowing you and your partner to win the point. For each point you play, you and your partner should always be working to get to the kitchen line as soon as you can while keeping the point in play. 

When you are on the return serve team, you want the partner who is not returning the serve to stand at the kitchen line. It is advantageous to have this person start in the strongest court position possible versus being at the back of the court with the partner returning the serve. This is also why the serve returner should return the serve as high and deep as possible (as we mentioned in APU Volume 1), because it provides the returner with the most amount of time to get up to the kitchen line while the ball is in the air.

For the serving team, this is why the third shot drop is such an important shot to master, and why all players should be constantly working on their drop shots into the kitchen from the baseline (or anywhere on the court). Hitting a third shot drop that lands and bounces into the opponent's kitchen does not provide the opposing team the opportunity to return a strong fourth shot. It also allows the serving team to move up to their own kitchen line and match the dominant position of the defending team.

When both teams are established at the kitchen line, this is also where the point shifts into the mid-game of pickleball, where dinks, speed ups, and hand battles are common and expected. 

A great way to understand your current pickleball skill level is whether or not you’re able to make it consistently to the kitchen while the point is still live. According to USA Pickleball, a 3.5+ skill rating player “moves quickly towards the non-volley zone (kitchen) when opportunity is there.”

Upcoming Austin Area Pickleball Tournaments

CenTex Gold Cup - February 10-11, 2024

• Location - Dreamland, Dripping Springs, TX

• Overview - Round-robin play followed by brackets with a 5 game minimum, and teams advancing to the medal bracket finals competing in a best 2 of 3 set. Event is open to all levels of play from Juniors, Collegiate, and Open Series participants from 3.0-5.0.

• Price - $75

PPA Tour - March 12-17, 2024

• Location - Hills of Lakeway - Elevation Athletic Club, Lakeway, TX

• Overview - Amateur matches will be played alongside the Championship Court where the top professionals in the world compete for the biggest payouts in the sport of pickleball. Double Elimination, 5 team minimum for under 65 events, combined by skill. Round robin for divisions of 5 teams. See website for detailed tournament information. 

• Price - $140 ($95 tourney fee + $40 per event fee + $5 registration fee)

  • If you are playing in the tournament, you get a free Grounds Pass included with your registration fee, which gives you access to amateur and professional matches that are not played on Championship Court.

Greater Texas Area Tournaments - Dallas, San Antonio, Houston

World Pickleball Tour Amateur Invitational Championships - January 11-15, 2024

• Location - Oasis Pickleball Club, Rockwall, TX (outside of Dallas)

• Overview - The format for all brackets will be Round Robin followed by a single-elimination tournament.Events include Men’s Singles/Doubles, Women’s Singles/Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. Registration closes at midnight on December 31, 2023. 

• Price - $165

The DFW Amateur Open - March 2-3, 2024

• Location - Oasis Pickleball Club, Rockwall, TX (outside of Dallas)

• Overview -  Single-game round-robin played to 11, win by 2, with a 5 game minimum, and teams advancing to the medal bracket finals competing in a single game to 15, win by 2. Event is open to all levels of play 2.5-5.0 with events broken down by skill level and then age.

• Price - $65

Community News 

We want to give a special shout out Austin Pickle Ranch, who along with SweatPals successfully hosted their first-ever tournament this past weekend, the Lone Star Sweater Slam Pickleball Tournament. Check out our video below, where we caught up with Austin Pickle Ranch co-founder and Chief Fun Officer Tim Klitch at the tournament.

If you missed our feature on Austin Pickle Ranch in APU Volume 2, we called it a “stellar addition to the pickleball landscape here in Austin”, stating they “provide a great option for anyone local or visiting looking to play pickleball around the downtown Austin area.”

Check out the photos from their tournament below, and make sure you stay tuned to Austin Pickleball Update for future tournaments and events happening at Austin Pickle Ranch!

Austin Pickleball Update Sponsors

Get the edge on the pickleball court with Dr. Thomas Kolenda (DC, FASA, FICPA) of Kolenda Chiropractic in Austin, TX. With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Kolenda specializes in helping athletes of all levels excel in their game and maintain peak physical condition. If you're experiencing soreness or pain after a challenging pickleball session, don't let it hold you back. Take advantage of Dr. Kolenda's expertise and schedule your first appointment today. 1-512-231-9002, [email protected], kolendachiropractic.com.

Interested in reaching our community of hundreds of engaged pickleball players in Austin? Fill out our sponsor interest form and we’ll be in touch.

Austin Pickleball Update Social Groups

You can follow APU on Instagram, join our Facebook group to learn about upcoming paddle demo days, or find local players in our 200+ WhatsApp group.

Subscribe to Austin Pickleball Update

Reading this issue on our website and want to get new issues of Austin Pickleball Update sent directly to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter below!

2023 has been a phenomenal year for pickleball in Austin, and we are so grateful to this community for the love and support.

We are stoked for everything coming in 2024! Look out for Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 4 on Thursday, January 4th, 2024!

See you on the courts!

Phillip & Kylee Klugman - Austin Pickleball Update