Cowichan Lake Pickleball Club recently welcomed a group of young, aspiring pickleball players to their outdoor courts following an inquiry from Cowichan Lake Community Services Society (CLCSS), who run a summer kids program. CLCSS wanted to provide children aged 8–11 with an introduction to pickleball, and reached out to the Club to coordinate a visit to the courts.
Photos
The visit began with introductions and a discussion of the children’s previous experiences with racquet sports. Activities started with ball-bouncing exercises to get a feel for weight, followed by underhand throws into a bucket. Participants were then shown how to grip a racquet, bounce the ball on the paddle, and alternate between ground bounces with hands positioned up and down to mimic forehand and backhand motions.
Photos: Cowichan Lake Pickleball Club
Working in pairs, the children rallied back and forth from a white line to practice dinking. They were then moved to the net for dinking, while being introduced to the non-volley zone (“the kitchen”). Two types of serves were demonstrated, as well as some informal scoring and basic court movement.
“We spent about 1.5 hours with the kids,” said Cowichan Lake Pickleball Club’s Debbie Tatham. “They were very attentive throughout, and so enthusiastic. It was very hot, so we took several breaks.”
Five Cowichan Lake Pickleball Club volunteers were on hand throughout the afternoon, including Latham, who coordinated the activities and led instruction. Other volunteers demonstrated drills and serves, working with individuals, pairs, and small groups.
“Promoting the game to kids and younger players is important to our club as well as giving back to our community,” added Tatham. “The kids were all grateful and very polite. We all enjoyed our time coaching them, and hope to see them on the courts in the future.”
To learn more about Cowichan Lake Pickleball Club, visit cowichanlakepickleball.ca.
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