Pickleball On Ice

Besides coming to Pickleball Strategy to get some, well, strategy, a lot of you come here for the unusual material. Well here you go: Pickleball on ice, recently filmed in Ontario, Canada. Click the picture below, it’s a link to a YouTube video.

Taking it seriously, as only your author can do, it seems that playing on roller skates or rollerblades would be quite similar, although, what would be the point? However, if you do want to play pickleball on some type of skates, here are some strategies:

1. Notice that the skaters usually have a wide stance, so that they can quickly move from side to side without slipping. On skates one of the best ways to accelerate forward and back is to start from a wide stance, so you can press off sideways.

2. Notice too, that everyone has bent knees, even more so than is usually necessary in ordinary pickleball. On skates, you want to keep your center of gravity low.

3. Avoid accelerating toward the net unless you know how to stop. You probably won’t get hurt, but sliding into the net so hard that you push it across the ice (or pavement) will be embarrassing and may damage the net.

4. Wear knee pads, and possibly other protection, so you won’t waste mental and physical energy in trying to avoid falling.

5. If you don’t already know how, learn to skate backward. Unlike normal pickleball, where running backward is dangerous, you can easily, and fairly safely skate backward to respond to lobs or to get back to the baseline after a rally. First lesson in skating backward: Place your feet at an angle so your toes are closer together than your heels. Shift your weight from one foot to the other, and you’ll automatically start gliding backward.

Pickleball on ice in Ontario, Canada
Click the picture to watch the video