Why Choose Spec Over Pickleball? Pickleball is a good sport for some. Spec Tennis is a good sport for others. How do you decide what s best for you? Here are some factors that might lead one to favor Spec. Level of Difficulty: Spec is more challenging than pickleball but easier to play than tennis. Have you ever tried something and instantly been really good at it? When you re really good at something right away, it may be fun at first, but then it becomes dull, because there isn t much room to improve. I find this is often the case in pickleball. Players can reach their maximum potential within the first few months of playing the sport. Spec Tennis is in the middle of the spectrum. Have you ever witnessed two beginning players playing tennis?
There isn t much success the majority of the practice is retrieving the balls that go over the fence or in the net. Put these same two players in Spec Tennis and there is a lot more success right away, but with plenty of room for improvement still. Better Workout: Not too many quick bursts are required in pickleball, it s more static, especially when players get up to the kitchen and dink the ball back and forth. Spec can be compared to interval training while pickleball could be thought of as a light jog with a lot of breaks. 3) This is not to say that players with movement limitations can t play Spec because they can. It s just that athletes are rewarded in Spec, but not as much so in pickleball. Transition Out of Tennis, Into Tennis, or Supplement Current Tennis Tennis players that have aged and are slowing down on the tennis court, can t achieve the same level of enjoyment they used to. Problem solved: Spec uses the same strokes and strategies as tennis, and with less court to cover they can play at a higher level than on a regular tennis court. Pickleball is popular among the senior population, but you can t play it the same way you would play tennis.
New tennis players can build a racquet sports foundation by starting with Spec, and then later transitioning to tennis if they want, using the foundation they have built. This will take away a lot of the frustration a player might experience with regular tennis in the first couple years Many current tennis players enjoy Spec as a supplement. They still play tennis regularly and add Spec in maybe once or twice a week because it offers something fresh. Players that only play doubles tennis often find that they enjoy Spec singles and visa versa. Also player levels can be mixed and still have fun, whereas in tennis, a 4.0 level player might not enjoy playing with a 3.0 level player. More Strategies & Variety Available: In Spec, one strategy is to work the point until your opponent hits short and then attack and finish the point with a volley. This is not possible in pickleball, because once you attack a short ball, you can t step into the kitchen (the area of the court that extends 7 feet from the net) unless the ball bounces first so in essence, the other team is off the hook after your attack shot, if they can simply make their return land in your kitchen. You can hit topspin and slice in Spec, but can t effectively hit these in pickleball. Singles is Uncommon in Pickleball:
Singles (1 vs. 1) is very uncommon in pickleball, except at the pro levels. In Spec, singles is very common and most players enjoy playing both singles and doubles. Less Noise: Spec creates a level of noise similar to tennis, so you re not going to be getting noise complaints from the neighbors like in pickleball. If you aren t familiar with the controversy associated with the noise that a pickleball creates, here s a great article: https://www.pickleballportal.com/blog/pickleball-noise-quietpaddles/ Clay Courts,Windy Conditions: Spec can be played on clay courts. Pickleball is harder because the ball bounces even less than it does on a hard court. Spec can be played in windy conditions. Pickleball is very difficult when it s windy because the ball is so light that it blows around and is hard to control. Demographics: You might be more inclined to play with people your age.
According to a study done by the USAPA, 75% of pickleball players are age 55 & over. Only 5.5% are ages 18-34 Spec Tennis has fewer players in the 65+ age range and more players in the 25-55 age range. Source: https://www.usapa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/2017- Pickleball-Fact-Sheet-1.pdf 2018 SpecTennis.com