INSTRUCTION
Too Fast and Too Furious : Pickleball Patrol
Your engine ’ s burning hot . You ’ ve been revving around that track for hours , days , years . I got news for you : Your car is starting to fall apart , like the entire “ Fast and Furious : Tokyo Drift ” sequel .
Pickleball is so much fun and so addictive . I admit , I ’ m an addict and have learned my own painful lesson about going too fast and too furious . And because of this , I decided I need to downshift . I can ’ t play every day . I wish I could ! But I ’ m in my 50s and I have consciously chosen something else — delayed gratification . And it ’ s not easy ! It takes willpower .
In the famous 1972 Stanford marshmallow experiment , the researchers offered a child a choice between one small , immediate treat , or two small treats if the child waited for a period of time . Years later , follow-up studies revealed that the children who were able to wait longer for their treats had better life outcomes .
For me , a better life outcome would be the physical ability to play pickleball into my 80s , maybe even my 90s . That would be my definition of delayed gratification . And I honestly believe that if I played every day now , as hard as I do , I ’ d never come close to those decades .
One of the other things that happens when we play every day is we get lazy and neglect the cross-training we need to do in order to keep our bodies fit ( and away from the surgeons ): weights , Pilates , bicycling , yoga , or tai chi on my VR goggles ( true story ). Balance ! Everything in moderation — remember that ?
OK , so what is pickleball doing to our brains that makes it so darn addictive ? It should be noted I am not a psychologist ; I only play one in print . But my theory is that the speed of the game enables us to go beyond our busy , worried , and censored adult minds and tap into the magic of the child . Yes , we are all children , once again , on the pickleball court . We don ’ t want it to end , we don ’ t want to go home , and we can ’ t wait to get back
By Rick Cipes
there the next day and play with our friends . “ I ’ m an adult and I get to do that ?” I ’ m grateful !
Why not stay grateful for as long as you can ? Play the long game . And don ’ t succumb to rocker Neil Young ’ s “ It ’ s better to burn out than to fade away .” I ’ d prefer to fade away singing a happy pickleball tune , not some piece of junk from “ Fast and Furious : Part Whatever .” •
Rick Cipes has written for more than 40 outlets including ESPN Magazine and the L . A . Times . Check out his website for game tips , videos , and the coolest pickleball swag around , at
innergameofpickleball . com .