Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

NOW everybody can play – pickleball that is! Players just need an open space half the size of a tennis court, a net, a hard but light plastic ball and a pair of paddles slightly larger than that a ping pong bat, and they can play for hours to get a really good sweat out.      

In America where it started in the Summer of 1965 by a man called Joel Pritchard and two friends (Bill Bell, Barney McCallum), there is already a pickleball craze embraced by millions.

One reason why millions like it is probably because it is a much kinder game than tennis or even badminton.

The non-volley zone 

For example, one pivotal rule includes a non-volley zone in the court area 7ft on both sides of the net.

Volleying is strictly prohibited within this non-volley zone. 

So, if the return ball happens to drop down near the net, you cannot walk into the zone and smash it down mercilessly with all your might against your opponent, like the fierce and barbarous killer blow behaviour of world tennis greats!   

What a pickleball looks like.

Anyway, though pickleball is already a runaway craze in the US and played in 63 countries worldwide, it is new and practically unheard of in Sabah, with no more than just dozens of interest.

The only reason I heard about it was ex-student and architect, Robert Chiang, asked if Daily Express could do a story.

So, on Nov 19, I dropped by Likas Sports Complex to check it out and saw a dozen or two people playing ‘tok-tok’ – its typical sound! 

And it looked likeable.

Engineer discovered ‘tok tok’ in Singapore

The interesting part was meeting the vibrant Penampang-hailed mechanical engineer, Julita Akabal, the founding President of Sabah Pickleball Association (Sapa), with Robert Chiang as her Deputy.

How did she first discover pickleball?

“When I was working in Singapore,” she said.  

“I discovered it during a game with my badminton group. In the middle of the game, a ‘tok-tok’ sound caught my attention, I tried to listen more attentively. 

“Finally, my curiosity got the better of me as I found myself walking towards the ‘tok-tok’ sound and found an unfamiliar sport – pickleball,” Julita recalled. 

“At that instance, it looked like tennis, badminton and ping pong, with very interesting movement and non-excessive kind of sport, I decided to find out more about it and ended up trying it,” she remembered.

Pleasant surprise 

“It was a pleasant surprise – a slow movement game yet requires very good hand control and wrist power to hit the ball, not to mention it also requires a great deal of concentration to follow that ball.” 

So what does pickleball mean to her?   

“It is a very entertaining and fun sport, it does not require vigorous athleticism as a sport, yet I benefit from the exercise,” she asserted.

Julita Akabal – President of Sapa (right) and Robert Chiang – Vice President of Sapa.

“It is also easy on the knee joints, minimising injuries, this compares favourably to my years of playing badminton which any avid badminton player can attest to,” she argued.

“Pickleball can also be played individually when you are out of court, against any building walls for stroke practices, the paddle and ball are also affordable and lasting as it does not have any string.“

Promoting game in Sabah

But more than a personal like, she is promoting the sport to Sabahans, why?

“It’s a new game and generally not many people have heard about it, what more playing it, but I found it easily interest people who want to play it. 

“I believe the main attraction is it acts like a substitute to more vigorous badminton and tennis, it is suitable for all ages and really kind to the elderly who want to take it easy,” Julita observed.

“I would also say it is a great sport to promote health and fun activity to meet more friends.”

Robert Chiang with Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia Hannah Yeoh and State Minister  Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin.

Given all these virtues, Sapa is planning to organise more games to promote the sport.

“It would be great if youngsters could take up this game and take it to the next level such as state competitions, we also have plans to introduce pickleball to primary school pupils,” she said.  

“Our greatest disadvantage at the moment is not having a stand-alone pickleball court, this means we have to turn a badminton court to a pickleball setting prior to each game, so it would be great to have our own Pickleball court in Sabah soon.”

Vice President’s Washington encounter in 1984 

Meanwhile, Robert Chiang, Vice President of Sapa, told Daily Express his pickleball journey. 

“I first encountered pickleball in 1984 in Seattle, Washington, and found it easy to play due to my active tennis background during my teenage years. So basically I am rekindling my passion for this exciting sport 39 years later.

“Upon my first pickleball experience, I was instantly captivated by its effortless nature and the shared enthusiasm of my fellow players,” he recalled.

A beginner-friendly game

“Pickleball resembles a miniature version of tennis, utilising a plaster wiffle ball and an oversize ping pong paddle made of composite fibre glass.

“Although the sport is beginner-friendly, mastering its intricacies presents a rewarding challenge,” he noted. 

“Given the recent official recognition of the Sabah Pickleball Association by the Malaysian authorities, we aspired to introduce pickleball to a broader Sabah community.” 

Planned tournament Dec 10

“Sapa has is organising the inaugural Kota Kinabalu Internal Pickleball Tournament on Dec 10, this year, at the Likas Sports Complex, we will use the covered Sepak Tekraw courts, as their dimensions align perfectly with those of a pickleball court,” Chiang noted.  

“Pickleball is suitable for all ages, our group of some 60 people include many retirees, along with a group of teenagers, we gather every Tuesday evening at Kg Likas Hall and Sunday afternoon at the Likas Sports Complex. All are welcome to join us fir this fun sport and meet some new friends while we burn some calories.”