There’s No Mystery Why Pickleball is the World’s Fastest-Growing Sport
With Coach Dylan
Pickleball is America’s fastest growing sport, and there’s little mystery why. It’s addicting. While it’s been around since the 60s, pickleball has experienced its massive growth these past ten years.
Court 16 was one of the first clubs in the Big Apple to introduce pickleball to New Yorkers, first providing court rentals, paddles, and balls for those interested in playing before introducing expert pickleball programming.
Court 16 Coach Dylan first joined the club as a tennis coach when the LIC club opened. Since then, he’s become a pickleball savant and natural leader of its pickleball programming. See below for his thoughts on the pickleball revolution and how Court 16 stands out in the sport.
Q: Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role at Court 16?
Dylan DeBiase: My name is Dylan DeBiase. I’m a HeadCoach at our Court 16 club in LIC and lead our pickleball programming across all our clubs.
Q: When did you start playing tennis?
DD: I’ve been pretty obsessed with playing sports since I was very young and luckily showed a lot of athletic promise. I first got into basketball and soccer before getting hooked on tennis when I was about 11 years old. The rest is history!
Q: How has tennis played a role in your life - both as a junior and in your adult life?
DD: I think the best thing tennis has given me is the gift of connecting with people - I’ve had the chance to meet an incredibly diverse group of people through my time playing and coaching the sport. Some of my best friends as well as biggest role models and mentors in life are from my junior tennis days.
To this day, I still draw upon many of theirphilosophies and teachings from my junior coaches and incorporate them into my own coaching. It’s awesome to be able to pass down the valuable thingsthey’ve taught me and see it have such a positive impact on others.
Q: How long have you been coaching? How long have you been with Court 16? What is one of your favorite things about coaching?
DD: I’ve been coaching for 14 years, seven of which have been with Court 16. Tennis is a very nuanced, complicated sport that takes a combination of technical skill, athleticism, and mental strength to succeed. A lot of my job is being able to translate these complicated skills into ways that players can understand. I love being able to identify a specific instruction or metaphor that turns a complicated concept into a simple practice. It’s so cool to watch things click for people!
Q: What is your favorite tip/piece of advice to kidslearning tennis? What about adult beginners learning tennis?
DD: The first big milestone for kids and adult beginners alike is to get rallying because this is when tennis actually starts getting fun. My biggest piece of advice to get players rallying as quickly as possible is to shorten their backswing. By just focusing on the forward swing at first, players can practice timing and controlling the ball.
Q: What’s one of your favorite Court 16 memories?
DD: It has to be playing soccer tennis with Carlos Alcaraz. He stopped by our LIC club during the 2022 US Open for the global launch of the Babolat Aero. I couldn’t stop smiling, and the kids loved it.
Q: You’ve been at the forefront of Court 16’s pickleball programming since joining Court 16. What first drew you to pickleball?
DD: I was always a very tactical tennis player, and I was immediately attracted to how strategy-based pickleball is. I got very invested in pickleball a numberof years ago when visiting my family in Florida. It’s been amazing to introduce the sport to people here in New York and see them fall in love with it.
Q: Why do you think pickleball has become so popular?
DD: The beauty of pickleball is how easy to learn and accessible it is for anyone - whether you’re incredibly athletic and competitive, looking for a fun social game with friends, or both! People are always smiling andlaughing when they're playing pickleball.
Q: What’s some of your best advice to beginners interested in learning pickleball?
DD: Pickleball is all about touch, feel, and patience versus power. I teach a lot of my beginners to prioritize placement of their shots over how hard they can hit the ball.
Q: What’s some of the differences between learning pickleball and learning tennis as an adult?
DD: Tennis requires a lot more consistent technical focus and is truthfully a lot more difficult to learn as an adult. However, I always tell my students that even if it takes them two dedicated years to become decent in tennis, it's a sport they can play until they're 80 years old. It’s a great way to stay active and practice hand-eye coordination into your older years. Plus, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a crisply struck tennis ball!
Pickleball, on the other hand, has a lower barrier toentry. It’s easier to pick up and become decent but requires a lot of dedication to become a strong pickleball player. The strategy of the sport is very different from tennis. As you advance, you realize there is less overlap than you’d think!
Q: What do you think Court 16 in particular offers that other places in the city don’t when it comes to pickleball?
DD: Court 16 is unique in two ways. We have the most knowledgeable coaching staff in pickleball as well as the nicest pickleball courts I've seen in the city. Check them out at all our clubs!