Is it safe to play pickleball during the Coronavirus outbreak?

I swear, we are living in the weirdest time any of us will ever experience! Who would have thought that just as the weather was warming up and we were all getting excited to play pickleball outside again that we’d be stuck at home having our pickleball chats on Zoom and Facebook instead of the court.

But here we are, and it’s so important that we all stay home and keep each other safe. My sister is a nurse and told me from the get-go that just washing our hands wasn’t going to be enough.

Lots of folks are wondering if they can continue playing pickleball during these tough times. After all, it offers so many physical and mental health benefits for players of all ages! Here’s everything you need to know about recreational pickleball, Coronavirus and social distancing – most importantly, how you can keep playing pickleball during the Coronavirus outbreak.

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Being a little cautious playing pickleball at public courts during the Coronavirus outbreak

When our Governor first announced all of the social distancing rules, it wasn’t really clear what that meant for pickleball. After all, you and your opponent shouldn’t be anywhere near 6 feet from each other!

Unfortunately, we got the clarification we needed pretty fast. We aren’t supposed to do anything that involves sharing equipment, even as small as a pickleball. All of our courts in the area are closed because they don’t want people picking up the virus from touching the gates, fences and nets let alone their own balls. I’ve heard that some private courts in other parts of the country are opening back up, but we still wouldn’t go use them until this virus is under control.

It’s a bummer, but we hope that it’s just for a short time and we’re trying to do our part to keep others in our community safe. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop playing completely! We just have to get a little more creative.

Read more: My best pickleball tips for beginners

Make sure to keep up your pickleball skills at home

There are a few different equipment set up options for practicing your pickleball game at home while can’t go play at the local court.

If you have a sturdy wall and lots of space in your basement or garage, you can treat it like a racquetball court and just hit the ball into it. Of course, make sure it’s not a nice wall so you don’t damage it.

A better option might be one of these great rebounders. You can set it up in the garage and then wheel it outside in the nice weather. You can serve right at the target and the ball will come back to you! Check the latest prices here and see if they’re back in stock.

This training net isn’t as fancy, but it’ll get the job down and is nice and light to move around. It’s also a heck of a lot less expensive! Instead of rebounding the ball to you, it’ll catch the balls in the pocket near the bottom. So make sure you’re stocked up on your pickleball balls. Check the latest prices here.

Both of those options are great ways to practice your skills and you can use them on your own. They’re wonderful choices if you’re self-quarantining or sheltering in place alone. But thankfully social distancing doesn’t include our spouses!

I’m lucky that my husband loves playing pickleball almost as much as I do. We just got one of these wonderful portable pickleball nets to use at home while our local courts are closed. For now we set it up in the basement, but we’ll move it to the lawn once the weather gets better. If it looks like it’ll rain, it’s easy to take down and store in the garage for a day. Be sure to measure your space before you order so that you get the right size. I’m so glad they even have one with red trim to match the umbrella on our patio table! Check out all the options here.

I’ve found some great pickleball drills and challenges online to keep practicing with my paddle and also work on my fitness. This one from Glen is a great place to start!

If you need any new equipment, have it delivered

If you need a new paddle or more balls, this isn’t the time to run over to Dick’s to get them. Your best choice is to order them online and wait patiently if need be. Staying home is the best way to slow the spread of the virus and obey local laws that don’t allow non-essential trips out of the house.

The good news is that you can get everything you need online these days! Lots of stores are even offering free shipping. Here are some places to get the pickleball essentials you need right now:

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