By Neil Freidenberg
I recently coached a 3 & Me pickleball session that I am pretty sure doubled as a live episode of Parenting in Public.
The goal of the session was simple. Communication, court awareness, and most importantly, who takes the middle ball in certain situations. You know, the kind of stuff that prevents chaos. Or in this case, paddle on paddle assault. Because about five minutes in, it started happening. Clank. Two players. One ball. Both charging the middle.
No big deal. It happens once in a while. We talked through it. Reset. Alright, let’s have a plan for who owns the middle depending on the situation.
Two points later… Clank. Again. And again.
At some point it stopped being a pickleball issue and started feeling very familiar. You know that moment as a parent when your kids are bickering and you do not even realize it is happening until the words come flying out of your mouth? “Guys. Cmon! Stop it!” The court went silent…
And then it hit me.
I did not just correct two grown adults on a pickleball court. I Dad’d them. Full Dinking Dad mode took over. Same tone. Same energy. Same “I have explained this already and I do not know how else to say it” delivery I use when my boys are arguing over little, meaningless shit.
The best part was everyone immediately cracked up.
I looked at them and said, “I think I just talked to you like I do to my boys when they are bickering!”
Laughter all around. Tension gone. Lesson absorbed. And honestly, the paddles stopped clanking.
Because here is the thing. Some days you bring your home life to work. And when your work involves coaching, teaching, and herding pickleballers, those parenting instincts kick in whether you want them to or not. Communication matters. Having a plan matters. And sometimes hearing “Guys, stop” in a dad voice is exactly what gets the message across.
So, if you ever hear me raise my voice on the court, just know it is not anger. It is experience. And possibly the same voice I use when someone takes the last brownie.
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Watch Neil’s Autumn Athletes Not Done Yet full interview here: https://youtu.be/Rt6tVPSeRz8
