Wheelbarrow.Redacción.07.02.24.
For a few months now we have been dealing with the curious and modern sport of “Pickleball”, a type of tennis-paddle-badminton that has the particularity of being a game suitable for all ages, easy to practice and an opportunity to improve the health by favoring the body dynamics of those who practice it
Our regular collaborator in another section of Carriola de Marín,José Carlos Otero, is the president of the association called APIGA that tries to progressively implement this game-sport with magnificent results due to the advantage it has of not needing more than a smooth surface and the delimitation of the playing field that, in the majority In most cases, the players themselves carry material with them to place it in any appropriate place.
Two-month course at UNED
And José Carlos Otero López himself tells us that, at this moment there is a magnificent possibility of understanding the reason and advantages of pickeball and learning its techniques through an “online” or “in-person” university extension course implemented by the UNED of Pontevedra between the 19th of this month and next April 15th. It consists of a theoretical part of twenty hours and another practical part of five so that attendees will be able to leave with perfect mastery of their practice.
Interested people must register at the UNED of Pontevedra but, below, we are going to recover the information that Otero López sent us months ago about the sport of pickleball so that our followers have a more precise idea of it
El Pickleball It is coming to stay and will settle definitively in our environment because it is a sport modality, invented by an American congressman already in 1965, it has recently appeared in Spain as a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, paddle tennis, badminton and ping pong. In the USA it already has more than five million players and an increase rate of 650% in just six years and since 2014, an average of almost 200 pickleball courts have opened monthly continuously. The phenomenon has been driven by the simplicity of carrying out the installation, because it only requires a smooth surface and the delimitation of the field, since the players themselves usually carry the nets, which are portable.
Already extended in many countries with implantation in Spain
Carlos Otero assures that, despite having so little seniority, “The International Pickleball Federation currently has 57 member countries. In the United States, where the USAPA is the federation that governs pickleball, it has more than 30,000 members registered and has even built a professional circuit that tours the country and even organizes international tournaments, such as the Spanish Open. And in Spain, for more than a decade, it has also sought to expand, trying to find a space among people who want to practice sports without serious risks of injury and become the new social phenomenon that succeeds padel. He also adds that “At the moment, the mass of pickleball players in Spain is not too high, although it already exceeds a thousand, basically concentrating in Madrid, Barcelona, Cadiz, Seville, Cáceres, Albacete, Alicante, Málaga, Ciudad Real, Canary Islands and Guipuzcoa, but Madrid has bet very heavily on this type of sport and has made a large investment in the creation of tracks in different places in the city to include it in its sports offer, also organizing open days, competitions and training programs with monitor courses.”
Trying to create the Pickleball federation
The National Association is currently in talks with the Higher Sports Council for this sport to be classified as federated, although it must first meet certain entry requirements (practitioners, clubs and associations) that they hope to be able to meet soon in order to become a Federation and thus qualify for subsidies and expand the rise of this sport and its president confirms that “Currently, APIGA’s mission is to support and promote this sport among people of all ages throughout Spain, organizing official tournaments, exhibitions, training, verifying the use of the official rules of the IFP (International Federation Pickleball) and developing infrastructure. places where you can play pickleball. Although at the moment there is no federation as such in Spain, the Spanish Association tries to increase the number of groups in different Autonomous Communities in order to create the national federation, with the commitment to participate in projects co-financed by the European Union.
In Spain it is being implemented with energy
The Spanish Pickleball Open broke a record in 2019 with almost 200 participants, with the presence of players of up to 15 different nationalities. Currently, Carlos Alberto Pérez is one of the most recognized athletes in Spain in this discipline. There are also established Rankings or classifications of Pickleball players according to the results obtained in various tournaments organized by any official Pickleball entity. In Andalusia, for example, the results obtained in tournaments held in the last 56 weeks (13 months) are counted.
The classification, by levels and categories, is based on the results of the matches, which gives players points per match won. In no case is there a penalty for lost games. In this way, any player can enjoy competing without fear of a loss of points that will penalize them in the general classification. Players, both in open matches and in championships, must identify with this classification in order to play equally.
Galicia signs up for the implementation of Pickleball
Galicia also wants to join the emergence of this sport, already having the Galicia Pickleball Association (APIGA), with registration number in the Xunta de Galicia 2022/25007-1, with qualified teachers to teach open days and courses for make this sport known and encourage its practice from a very early age, focusing attention on educational centers as an integral content of Physical Education classes to promote the physical, mental, social and intellectual development of the students and also in paddle tennis and tennis clubs, as well as in social communities and leisure centers that wish to expand their sports offer.
The Soutomaior city council is a pioneer in the construction of the first public court for this sport, which indicates that APIGA is not alone in this attempt to socialize Pickleball since there are other entrepreneurial ideas, although at the moment timid, interested in the practice of this sport. .
Very simple rules of the game for an inclusive sport
Carlos Otero when referring to the rules of the Pickleball game, highlights its simplicity, “They are very simple and the game is easy to learn for beginner players, where one of the main attractions is the long, leisurely rallies, although it can also become a competitive, high-paced sport for more experienced players. It is almost always played in doubles, although it can also be played individually, especially for those looking for a greater challenge.”
He stresses, on the other hand, the president of APIGA that “The dynamics of the game and hitting technique are similar to that of tennis or paddle tennis, however, it requires less physical and technical demand. In addition, it does not require much experience, which makes it more suitable for all audiences, regardless of age or physical condition, being even very suitable for people with reduced mobility, and can even be played in wheelchairs, which also makes it in an inclusive sport, with some adaptations according to the degree of disability or reduced mobility”.
A fun game for all audiences
The audience for this game/sport covers a wide spectrum of fans, ranging from tennis and paddle tennis players or players from other sports who find in Pickleball a new practice in which they feel competitive quickly, to people of any age with little or no previous experience in competition who are looking for a sport in which they can enter and have fun quickly and with little risk of injury. For Carlos Otero, “One of the greatest reasons for fun attributed to this sport is that the slowness of the ball forces us to use positional strategy more than in other similar sports. That is to say, it is a very tactical game with long points. And that is an added value that makes the most novice player enjoy, feeling fit for the game from the beginning. On the other hand, more experienced pickleball players may enjoy the fast-paced, competitive and strategic challenge that this activity can also offer.”
Simplicity and economy in track installation
Another of the great advantages of this sport is that the installation of courts is very simple and does not require a large investment, since you only need a smooth and rigid surface, and portable nets that the players themselves can carry. The playing field has dimensions of 13.41 meters long and 6.1 meters wide.
summarizing
The president of the association highlights in summary the many reasons why pickleball is becoming a popular and inclusive sport:
More direct information
APIGA offers those who want to learn more about the secrets of Pickleball all kinds of information and possibilities to organize open days (4 hours) or a training course (12 hours on weekends). Those interested can contact the Pickleball Association of Galicia (APIGA), either by regular mail to PO Box nº 456.- 36080 PONTEVEDRA, by email: [email protected] or by phone 629-83.49.33 .
Carlos Otero is committed to Wheelbarrow to keep us informed of the progression of this interesting sport in our environment, taking into account that Marín is one of the municipalities where APIGA intends to make this unique and emerging sporting specialty very visible.
2024-02-06 23:21:01
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