But first, back in 1967, two men in Washington State wanted to create a game that their families could all enjoy together.

So they combined elements of tennis, ping pong, and badminton to create pickleball.

The low-impact nature of the sport has made it appealing to all ages, and it's slowly spread across the country until in the last few years when it has exploded in popularity.

Now, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America, and Kentucky is no exception to that.

Just last year, a study even found that Louisville Just last year, a study even found that Louisville has the most pickleball courts per capita in the entire country.

There are more than 750 courts all across the Commonwealth, with more being built.

So I decided to get in on the action and learn a thing or two about the game with some Kentucky experts.

At parks around the state, you can hear that now-familiar sound of pickleball.

To see what all the hype was about, I decided to meet up with pickleball coach, Larry Roberts.

Now, at 80 years old, he holds national championships in singles, doubles, and even mixed doubles pickleball.

I'm hoping he can train me to face some professional competition, but maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

Larry, how big is pickleball in Kentucky right now?

What are you seeing?

It's huge here.

It's overwhelmingly huge.

We've got players that can't get on the courts now.

We're in the Wild West, basically, because everything's building, and there's not enough courts.

We've got three different private companies coming in to build pickleball courts in Lexington, because it's a happening.

So they're meeting the market need, basically.

Yeah, and I think those guys who invest that kind of money know what's coming, so I think it's going to be huge.

Why the appeal of pickleball?

Why do you think so many folks are really enjoying it?

Because they can adapt to it faster, and they can hit the ball hard, and you get a lot of balls coming back and forth, and that's fun.

That's fun for people.

So the action's fast.

Yes, much faster.

So I like to get out and hack around on the weekends with some guys I went to college with.

You think you could help me improve my game?

Sure.

Let's give it a shot, okay?

All right.

Let's do it.

Okay.

█ █ █ █ What is the one thing most people who first start playing pickleball do wrong, and how do they correct it?

All right, they do this.

They bend that elbow, and they flip it up in the air.

So nothing out of the elbow?

No, keep it straight, just like you're playing cornhole.

It's push the ball.

Okay.

Then you want to clear it about here.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay, so that it will drop in the kitchen and make me hit up.

All right.

█ █ █ █ Aha!

So you changed your stroke totally.

That's a very difficult shot, and nobody does it.

Even the pros don't do that.

Oh, wow.

Larry was determined I would hit like the pros, too, or at least not hit like that.

Oh, you got to get rid of that shot.

There's that silly cut.

[laughter] Yeah, you love that shot.

I do love that shot.

[laughs] You're hitting just like that, and you're trying to cut the piece, the ball in half.

Don't do that.

Turn it like this.

Okay.

and hit it Flat Got it.

The angle of the paddle makes it go up.

Now, see, you're cutting right under it.

I'm still, yeah.

Get it flatter.

So it's angled up.

Now all you do is push forward.

Okay.

█ █ █ █ That's the shot.

Got it.

That's perfect.

Larry, that was fun.

Now I'm headed to meet former University of Louisville tennis player, Mari Humberg.

Now, she made the switch to pickleball a couple of years ago, and now she plays it professionally.

When you found out about pickleball, what'd you think about it?

I thought it was a joke, as a lot of people do, right?

I mean, you see, like, the news about, you know, older people playing it, but I didn't realize how much fun I could have competing again.

That's really what I missed.

So, funny story, the first time I went out and played, I lost to some ladies that are a bit older than me, and I was really mad.

[laughs] So from that day on, I actually didn't stop playing.

When you say a little bit older, what are we talking about?

50 plus.

50 plus.

Okay.

Okay.

And it really is a social sport.

There's much more of a social aspect to this than I see in other things that you can go out and do.

Absolutely.

As an adult, I think it's something that we, you know, we have our friends from college, we have our friends from church or whatever else it might be, but this is a really great way to meet people.

The amount of people that I've met through this sport that are going to be friends forever is incredible.

And there's a little bit more of that community aspect to, like, clinics.

You take a clinic with people, you get their numbers after so you can play with them.

Or you go to a park, and I used to hang out at the parks for hours at a time, right?

So you just get to know people, and I've met incredible friends through the sport.

Now I thought I'd test my skills with a professional.

What's the worst that can happen?

So in pickleball, you play till 11, right?

Yes.

Yes.

So let's you and I play.

Okay.

And I'm going to guess, if you go full tilt on me in about three minutes, you're going to take me to 11.

What do you think the over-under is on that?

In three minutes?

Yes.

I mean, how fast are we going to pick up the ball?

[laughs] I think it's going to be quick, it's going to be ugly, but it's going to be fun.

How about that?

We'll make it happen.

They say the Kentucky Derby is the fastest two minutes in sports, but this game might just give it a run for its money.

█ █ █ █ [Laugh] I was that close.

[Laugh] █ █ █ █ [Laugh] █ █ █ █ Get over it.

This is killing me.

Match point.

Ah!

█ █ █ █ ahh █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ You're amazing.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

That was a lot of fun.

Sorry about that.

I didn't give you one.

[laughs] Clocking in at a little over two-and-a-half minutes, well, I guess I need a little more practice before I get to the professional level.

So I'll see you out there on the courts.

█ █ █ █