The Weymouth Club offers cardio pickleball clinics every week at their club in Weymouth, MA. Cardio pickleball is a fast-paced style of play involving constant movement, high repetition, and minimal coaching. Jacob Zapatka, the director of pickleball at Weymouth, says that cardio pickleball clinics are a great way for the club “to make money and keep players moving and happy.”
As often happens, an innovation in another sport (tennis) has inspired a new way to play pickleball. Two years ago, Zapatka and his colleagues were looking for a more affordable pickleball event that required minimal instruction: “We were looking for clinics with a lower price point and not as much coaching.” They noticed that the tennis club at Weymouth was having success hosting cardio tennis events and decided to try the concept out in a pickleball context.
Cardio pickleball at Weymouth did not catch on initially: “No one signed up.” As time went on, however, players began to talk and ask questions about this new pickleball clinic. Zapatka and his colleagues realized they needed to put more effort into promoting their new cardio clinics via word of mouth. As they talked to their players about cardio pickleball, more and more people started to show up. Now, the instructors at Weymouth consistently fill up their cardio pickleball sessions which occur 1-3 times per week. Zapatka recommends “word of mouth” as a vital strategy for popularizing new pickleball events.
Cardio pickleball is not widely played, so many are likely wondering, what is cardio pickleball? Cardio pickleball has many different expressions. At Weymouth, players get a one-hour session of high-intensity, high-repetition pickleball with constant movement and plenty of sweating. For Zapatka, the goal of cardio pickleball is to keep the players “moving and sweating.”
A typical cardio session at Weymouth begins with a 10-minute session of “continuous feeder drills” where the coach constantly hits pickleballs at his group of rotating players. Zapatka likes to integrate music into his warm-ups and plays all kinds of music so long as it has a fast tempo. Next, players pick up the pickleballs after their water and bathroom break. The next 30 minutes are spent doing various rotating drills and playing points.
Some pickleball events are highly competitive while others are more casual and social. One special aspect of cardio pickleball is that it is geared primarily toward getting a good workout in. Zapatka comments that most players who attend cardio events “are looking for a workout.” Most other pickleball events prioritize competition and fun and offer fitness as a positive byproduct, but cardio pickleball prioritizes physical fitness while adding elements of pickleball to make it more enjoyable.
Cardio pickleball also requires little in terms of technical pickleball skill or extensive knowledge of the rules. Zapatka says that most people with some paddle/racket experience will be able to jump in right away “as long as you give them the three or four basic pickleball rules when it comes to the kitchen, out rules, and communicating with partners.” Another perk for beginners is that they don’t have to keep score in cardio pickleball.
Weymouth offers cardio events as a cheaper, more affordable way to play a quick session of pickleball. Non-members pay 15 dollars per session while members only pay 10. For Zapatka, the most important thing when running a cardio clinic is to keep people constantly moving and engaged—it has to be dynamic. Otherwise, people will get bored and may not come back.
When it comes to general pickleball club advice, Zapatka emphasizes the importance of having a proficient staff of coaches and instructors. He says, “Insure that your pros are certified. Make sure your coaches are teaching from experience.” Pickleball cardio events are an easy, affordable way to increase revenue and keep members happy and healthy.
