The Day I Discovered Pickleball in LA | From a Shocking Encounter on My Alma Mater's Campus to Starting a Business in Japan

"What's the most impactful sports experience you've had?" If anyone ever asked me that, I wouldn't hesitate to answer: pickleball, which I discovered at my alma mater in Los Angeles in 2026.

I've played tennis for 15 years and am a former world championship skier. Given my significant "sports experience," why did I feel compelled to "dedicate my life" to an unknown sport? Today, I'll share that story with you, in a slightly more personal way than usual.

The "plink" sound I heard on my alma mater's campus

In 2026, I was visiting Los Angeles with my family. I wanted to visit friends I had made during my 15 years living in LA and show my children "where Dad spent his youth"—so we were strolling around my alma mater's campus.

Summers in LA are truly wonderful. It was nearly 35 degrees Celsius, but the humidity was low, and the palm tree shadows stretched long in the evening. As I was passing by a tennis court, I heard a different kind of sound.

"Plink!" "Plink!" "Plink!" "Thwack!" "Thwack!" "Thwack!"

It wasn't the "thump" of a tennis ball or the "clack-clack" of table tennis. It was a dry, yet solid, unique sound. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw four people on a court smaller than a tennis court, hitting something with racket-like tools.

"What sport is that?"

That was my first contact with pickleball.

"Wanna give it a try?" changed my life

As I got closer, a man in his 60s who was playing noticed me and called out.

"Hey, you wanna give it a try?"

His casualness in handing me a paddle, despite my being dressed like a complete tourist—that also symbolized the LA vibe.

"I play tennis," I replied, and he laughed, saying, "Then you'll get it in a minute."

Honestly, I underestimated it. I thought, there's no way someone with 15 years of tennis experience would struggle with a sport on such a small court.

—Five minutes later, I was completely flustered.

The shock of tennis instincts being "completely useless"

I realized it within the first few shots: tennis common sense didn't apply.

• The court is too small: About one-third the size of a tennis court. The feeling of hitting from the baseline is completely different.
• The ball isn't fast: But while slower than tennis, I thought it would be "easy," only to find that if you don't control it, it goes out.
• Net play tactics: Different from tennis net play, it's a precision battle with a unique shot called a "dink."
• The kitchen (NVZ - Non-Volley Zone) rule: The 2.1m area near the net is a non-volley zone. The battle in this area is the core of the sport.

My body, conditioned by 15 years of tennis, was completely unsuited for pickleball. Initially, I thought I'd go easy on the older gentlemen, but after five minutes, I realized I had to play seriously to score points.

And that was incredibly fun.

After returning home, pickleball was all I could think about

That day, I played with the LA gentlemen for about an hour. I was unusually happy when they said, "You're learning fast for a tennis guy."

Even after returning to Tokyo, pickleball wouldn't leave my mind. During tennis lessons, I'd suddenly wonder, "What if I did this move in pickleball?" At night, after my children were asleep, I'd scour YouTube for professional pickleball videos.

And then, one day, I realized something.

Pickleball is still hardly popular in Japan

While there is a Japan Pickleball Association (JPA), the number of players is still limited. There must be many people who want to transition from tennis, but there are almost no places to buy optimal paddles. The options were extremely limited: either buy used parallel imports at double the market price or buy imported paddles of unknown quality.

"This might be a job I need to do."

The alignment of "Tennis Coach × LA Experience × Japanese Market"

When starting a business, I'm conscious of my "unique position." In my case:

• 15 years of tennis experience → Can provide technical guidance for racket sports.
• 15 years living in LA → Experienced American pickleball culture firsthand.
• World championship skiing experience → Knows the rigor of competitive sports.
• Based in Japan → Deeply rooted in the Japanese market and culture.

There are very few people in the Japanese pickleball industry who possess all four of these qualities. It would be a waste not to leverage this alignment.

Specific actions began:

Step 1: Approaching paddle brands

Using my English skills from my LA days, I contacted the headquarters of Engage Pickleball (a pickleball-exclusive manufacturer based in Oxford, Florida) and Six Zero (an emerging brand from Australia).

Step 2: Exclusive authorized dealer agreement in Japan

After numerous emails and phone calls, I finally signed an agreement to become the exclusive authorized dealer in Japan for Engage Pickleball. While Chinese manufacturing is mainstream, Engage assembles and quality controls its products in the US, and I became the window to deliver their quality products to Japan through official channels. I subsequently signed an authorized dealer agreement with Six Zero.

Step 3: Launching Pickleball Lab

I launched Pickleball Lab with the goal of creating "a place where Japanese pickleball players can confidently choose a paddle." Over 100 paddle demos, guides for tennis players, and demo reviews from a coach's perspective—I made it a place where I could fully invest my experience.

What I think now

Only a few months have passed since I first held a paddle on the LA campus. But my life has clearly changed.

• Tennis court lessons have changed to content that consciously approaches pickleball.
• Over 80% of my work has shifted to pickleball-related activities.
• Most importantly, every day I feel a sense of absorption so profound that I think, "Maybe I was born to do this."

After 15 years as a sports coach, I've realized that it's rare in life to find a sport where "fun" and "desire to improve" coexist. For me, pickleball has become that rare sport.

I want to share the same "discovery" with many people

Pickleball Lab is a place to share my personal "discovery experience" with many people.

• No confusion about equipment: A coach who has tested over 100 paddles will recommend based on playing style.
• Peace of mind with genuine products: Protects against quality issues and counterfeit risks of parallel imports.
• Bridging for tennis players: As someone who transitioned from tennis, I provide information to help them adapt as quickly as possible.
• Fostering a community: To help Japanese pickleball evolve from "something for a select few" to "something for everyone."

Just as the 60-year-old man on my alma mater's campus in LA called out, "Hey, you wanna give it a try?" I want to continue calling out to sports enthusiasts, beginners, and pickleball players in Japan, "Why not give it a try?"

To everyone interested in pickleball

Finally, to everyone who has read this far, here's my message.

Pickleball is a sport that enriches life.

• No age limit: People in their 70s can seriously enjoy it.
• Tennis, table tennis, and badminton experience is an asset: It's not starting from scratch.
• Friendly community: A culture where beginners are quickly welcomed.
• Simple equipment: You can start with just one paddle and a ball.

If you're interested but wondering where to start, feel free to send me a message on LINE. I (Yoshi Coach) will personally answer your questions about demo consultations, paddle selection, and finding courts.

I want to pay forward the "Hey, you wanna give it a try?" I received in LA, here in Japan.

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• Engage vs Six Zero: An authorized dealer's thorough comparison of the two major brands — Practical guide to choosing a brand.
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