New to pickleball? Thinking of learning the sport? Or have you taken a few lessons and now it is time to practice! The Tourna Mini Pickleball Caddy is here to make learning the sport of pickleball easier, quicker and just more enjoyable.
Learning a new sport can be frustrating and the old adage that practice makes perfect definitely applies. As my friends and I are learning pickleball this little caddy has become a very useful tool and worth the assembly effort (see below on assembly!) But wait, what is pickleball?
The Popularity Of Pickleball
The sport is over 50 years old, but has taken off in growth in recent years. The Sports & Industry Fitness Association (SIFA) reports a 21.3% increase in participation for 2020.
A mix between tennis, badminton, ping pong is a general description on a court which resembles a tennis court but is much smaller. The paddle does not have strings like a tennis racquet and is closer to a ping pong paddle in size. Take a peek at the video below for a quick overview of the sport.
Assembly Challenges
It was a challenge to assemble the Pickleball Caddy! The reviews for this product were correct so you are forewarned. I had read the customer reviews which stated:
1. The directions were very poor. Correct!
2. It was difficult and time consuming to assemble. Correct!
3. The directions stated a 10 minute assembly and the reviewers absolutely disagreed. Correct!
4. Once the caddy is assembled, the product works great. Correct!
5. Even though the product was very frustrating to assemble, no regrets on the purchase. Correct!
The caddy arrives in pieces in a flat box. Keep the box! the directions are very poor (even for the most handy), but the photos of the assembled caddy on the box are helpful to assist with visualizing your goal of a completed caddy.
Patience and perseverance are handy when attempting to assemble the caddy.
Practical Pickleball Caddy
The mini caddy holds about 20 outdoor balls or 24 indoor balls. Favorite outdoor ball is the Onyx for crisp and responsive pickleball play.
Once assembled this caddy is very easy to use and very useful for a beginner player. The caddy works like a traditional tennis hopper. The balls are collected by placing the hopper over the ball (or 2 balls) and pressing down on the hopper with a slight pressure so the balls will enter the caddy.
The caddy can then be flipped to stand upright on the court for a waist high basket of pickleballs for easy practicing. Beginner pickleball players can spend a significant time gathering the practice balls and this caddy speeds up the process and saves the back from constantly bending over to pick up practice balls.
The mini caddy is slim and a space saver. It is light weight and can be easily stored in the trunk or interior of the car.
Recommendation
Despite the challenging assembly - once the caddy is assembled- the reviews are very positive for a practical caddy and an affordable price point. If you are learning the game or just like to practice with a basket of balls the caddy is a recommended purchase.
Interesting. I have never heard of pickleball until now. I've played ping-pong and badminton in the past. Never learned tennis.
ReplyDeleteI have never played pickleball before, but it looks like a game I would love since I enjoy ping-pong. It would definitely be a great way to add enjoyable exercise to my life. I need to research if we have a pickleball court nearby since this is a sport my husband and I could play together. The caddy seems like the perfect way to learn and get practice too before actually engaging in a game. I'm wondering if I can get a net, set it up in my own backyard and use the caddy to learn before I show up in public to play.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who loves playing pickleball! It does seem to have become quite popular in recent years. It’s good to know that, despite the poor directions for caddy assembly and the challenge of putting it together, this caddy is worth the time and effort required.
ReplyDeleteWe have pickleball courts just down the street from our house. We haven't ever played but it sure does look like fun and great exercise. Every time we go by the courts they are always busy. In fact I think you have to reserve a time. Seems like the caddy would be perfect, I'm going to look to see if anybody has one when we go by the courts again.
ReplyDeleteI first heard about Pickleball in South Carolina on our way home from Florida. There were a whole bunch of people at the hotel that were part of a Pickleball Tournament. I was interested then and found that we also have these tournaments in Canada as well. Many play indoors as our weather can be less than perfect for this sport all year around. I did write a post about it back in 2017! https://www.reviewthisreviews.com/2017/11/have-you-heard-of-newest-fitness-craze.html
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I've every heard of Pickleball but it looks like great fun! We used to have a game with a rubber ball and paddles, the object was just to keep the ball in the air. Pickleball looks a bit more complicated but fun. I can see why the caddy would be useful.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I have heard of Pickleball but it sounds fun!! I can understand why a caddy would be useful, the assembly of it sounds challenging but good to hear it works great, is lightweight,stores easily and is very useful.
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