The courts near me (Burnsed Rec Center) are often empty in the afternoons/early evenings...

Go to a beginner (NOT advanced beginner) open play. When you are better than most of the other players, try out advanced beginner. If you can hold your own, play there until you are better than most and try moving up to intermediate. If at any point you move up and find that you are the worst player and can't hold your own, you're not ready for that level, so move back down to the prior level and play until you get better.

Taking the Next Step is a combination of muscle memory (drills), learning where to be on the court, and what should your response be to the opponent's action (game strategy).

Unguided practice will probably not cause a person to improve. Doing the wrong thing many times just strengthens the bad habit. First you need to know what the correct action is and then practice that.


Getting quality instruction is the fastest and surest path to improvement. The PCVG offers several good courses. I teach in a group of instructors that offer two of them. We have a waiting list every week - even in the winter when they are offered weekly. BUT....that 2 hour block of instruction in a 4 person group is only a good start. Getting private instruction over a several concurrent weeks is a much better plan of action.

Continue taking the classes and repeat the Non valley zone, full court and strategies with instructors so you’ll learn new things and stop bad habits. Note that in 10 days these three free advance classes are offered every week.
Every rec center should have the October schedule out now.

But still have play with open players eventually. Too bad all don’t have that in mind I wouldn’t have to weight to get my exercise.

Mulberry south side. If you want to play advance beginner times you have to travel to different rec centers (look in rec center guide for times). Most all rec enter courts (6 or more) have times 10 to noon for beginner and advance beginner and some in afternoons. What I had to do for couple months or so till I got fundaments down. Courts are open play ever day of week from 8 (sunrise?) to 10 AM. Which means players can’t hog courts, they have to fall in line to like everyone. Some places some players think they are special and try to HOG courts during open play times.

Thank you so much for posting this information. I am new to The Villages and looking forward to starting up Pickleball lessons.

Many years ago, I enjoyed tennis and played regularly, and I’m hoping now, in my 60s, I can learn pickle ball with relative ease.

I have been poring over the schedule of events at The Villages website, and it is a maze of information for a neophyte like me.

Thank you again!

This comment is five months old. Is this still accurate?

I’d love to hear more!

Unless it PCVG (Pickleball Community Volunteer Group) expect fee for private lessons.

[QUOTE=Topspinmo;2289045]Unless it PCVG (Pickleball Community Volunteer Group) expect fee for private lessons.[/QUO

You are correct, of course. There are no private lessons taught by PCVG. We do teach some excellent lessons - usually to groups of 4. Drill and play groups will often be 2 instructors and 24 players.

I sent a PM.