PLAY PICKLEBALL by Sydney Steinaker is a somewhat irreverent guide to this new sports craze. He subtitles the book "From the Local Court to the Pro Circuit, An Insider's Guide to Everyone's Favorite Sport" and offers advice on type of paddle and type of ball in addition to providing an overview of the rules. Steinaker frequently shares witty and sly comments and seems to assume his readers will have some knowledge of the sport. I was expecting a much more straightforward rules based text. PLAY PICKLEBALL will likely appeal more to players with at least some experience who are looking to take their game to the next level.

Without putting down Pickleball, I think it might be difficult to produce an entirely serious, dry, dreary book on how to play. However, none of those adjectives could be used to describe Sidney Steinacker’s guide!

This is a fun, frequently jokey but still fact-laden book, written by (very definitely) an enthusiast/obsessive, that still gets its point across. You will learn everything you need to know about the game (and much, quite frankly, you didn’t) and you might even enjoy it! Now I just need to work out where my local court is...

Prior to reading this book I have never played pickleball before, but I am interested in giving it a try, so the prospect of an introduction with everything I need to know to get started made this book intriguing to me.

I found the layout and colourful illustrations of the book to be appealing, and the tone of the writing is fun and light in a way that matches the visuals appropriately.

The advice and instruction presented by the author will take you from the earliest step of choosing equipment and finding a place to play, through etiquette and training, all the way to how to pose for a photo after winning a tournament.

A fairly large amount of the book is dedicated to tournaments. Perhaps because I am more interested in just playing recreationally, I found this aspect to be overemphasized. Also, if you’ve ever played in another sports tournament before, the broad strokes are quite similar. I would have found it more useful to spend more time on rules and technique and less on the fine detail of tournament participation.

The book concludes with some advice solicited from a selection of professional pickleballers. This was a nice touch that added some different voices and perspective.

Overall, the author succeeds in sharing her enthusiasm for the sport in an accessible and practical introductory guide. For those planning to just play with friends, the half of the book that focuses on tournaments may not be so relevant to you. Regardless of your pickleball aspirations, you will learn enough to feel confident stepping onto the court for the first time.

This review is based on a pre-release copy of the book provided without charge by the publisher and NetGalley.

This book gives you all of the in's and out's of pickle ball. This includes how it is played, how it became a game and more! Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

Play Pickleball by Sydney Steinaker is a great reference for any level of pickleball player. She gives the history of the sport (who knew it has been around so long?), the rules and basics, equipment needs. There are chapters on court etiquette and how to navigate playing in tournaments. It can be confusing to remember how to call the score and Steinaker gives a concise explanation about how to do it.

A great book for any pickleball enthusiast

I’ve never heard of pickleball (am I showing my age??) so I was intrigued by it. It told me everything there is to know and sounds interesting I must say. Not sure entirely if I’ll actually play it in real life 😂 but it’s an interesting book!

If there’s anything…. I mean it, ANYTHING on Pickleball, just grab this book! Everything is there whatever you need to know about the sport.

From it’s origin and the very basic facts about the sport to the fashion/outfit designs for the sport; from the tournaments to the pros at it this book is a gem!

Love the entire book. The presentation is perfect, the pages colourful with tasteful relevant illustrations.

Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group - Rock Point, for the advance reading copy.

My husband got me pickleball paddles for Christmas. We recently hit the courts and started playing. Our friends gave us a brief description of the game, but they are by no means professionals either. I am thankful for this book as it explains the game and all the things I need to know. I enjoyed the graphics throughout and the book was well laid out. This was good to read about the basics and I will continue to use as a resource on my journey to becoming a pro at pickleball.

Thanks to Netgalley and Rock Point for a digital ARC in exchange for my review.

I have heard so much abt pickle ball and have been dying to know more, it seems it’s the new trendy thing to do so of course I along with potential readers want to know more abt it. It is a great guide to what it is…the rules, tips, ect you would need to know to be successful at pickle ball.

I have played badminton, table-tennis and occasionally tennis for most of my life. But my journey in Pickleball is just starting. This book has given me the basics I need to get started. Presented in a light, but detailed way with enough diagrams to support the text. But I will be coming back time and again as this book has all the information I need to move from beginner to experienced amateur. I don’t think I will become a National champion, who knows. But if I were then that possibility is covered too if needed. Thank you to Rock Point and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given,