Michael Jordan who led the Chicago Bulls to two 3 peats and is synonymous with the line, “I took it personally” was asked recently if he was still competitive. His answer was, “100%”.

While 99.9% of us will not scale the heights of MJ, we are competitive in our own way. And sports is how we push ourselves beyond our limits. It’s why our theme for April is ‘Competition’.

Timely, given the month kicked off with the Singapore Pickleball Open, saw PickleSlam 2026 become the inaugural PPA Asia 125 tournament (meaning Pro winners get PPA points towards a PPA 500 event), witnessed SG’s first in-mall competition in Acuvue Rallies and will wrap up with the EPIC Championship supported by DUPR and STB.

Of coz, the cherry on top has to be OCBC’s announcement of their OCBC-Great Eastern Pickleball Open in October which would gather 1600 participants of all levels. (Our sekret training has started!)

While these brand name competitions are setting the tone for local Pickleball, many mini-competitions and tournaments organized under the ubiquitous Reclub deserve a shout out as well. In da Club spoke to four enthusiastic organisers.

Competitions need venues and we are told, Malaysia and Vietnam have better facilities than us here in SG. What’s the skinny? We spoke to Kings Arena, Straits Pickleball and The Sports Arina In da Hood.

And since we are all about Pickleball diehards, we rounded up a few of them In da Hood to share their experiences as first time competition participants, first-time medalist, serial competitor all the way to the #1 Women’s Doubles pair in SG.

Talking about diehards, SG’s John McClane of Pickleball might be Roger Ho, the most medalled Pickleball player in SG in recent years with 115 medals and counting. We sat down with him coz he is Kind of a Big Dill.

We also spoke to Pickleballers and have compiled some pet peeves under Re-serve, and featured folks from recent competitions in Whaddaya dink?

Have a read. Subscribe (it’s free) and share (grow the community lah, don’t just look at pictures). And if you have a Pickleball story or event you’d like us to feature, email us at [email protected] or Whatsapp us at 9633 6586.

Happy Pickling (and Competing) 🏆!

To get a quick overview of SG’s competitive Pickleball landscape, you need to start with People and Places. People who enjoy the energetic atmosphere that competition brings. And places that set the stage and showcase adrenaline-pumping action. We spoke to SG’s #1 women’s pair, a serial competitor (and winner), a first-time medalist and two competition ‘virgins’. Then we spoke to 3 venue operators on how they are adding value to our Pickleball ecosystem.

Amanda: For me, I started in 2019 because my husband, Darryl started. My husband started because my mum-in-law started. She introduced Pickleball to him around 2017. So whenever he booked out from NS, he would play Pickleball. I didn’t like Pickleball then but would still go watch him play while doing my Uni homework.

I didn’t bother playing for about 2 years and then his mum wanted to play in a competition – women’s doubles – and asked me to play with her. She told me it’d be the Novice category but coz she had medalled before, we got bumped up to Intermediate category. It was very bad. We got whacked by all the aunties. I was like “Huh?” then decided to take Pickleball more seriously, playing and training (“How can let these aunties beat me?”).

Then in 2021, after COVID, Darryl and I, and some of our teammates, went to Phuket for our very first overseas competition called APO (Asia Pickleball Open) and that was the first time we met all the pro players from overseas. They were from India, Philippines, and were so good and super strong. We kena whack and came back and like, “we need to train harder”. That’s how we started to train more and enter more competitions.

Zermaine: I started like 2+ years ago. I had just graduated and had like 6 months before I started work. One day my dad had gone into one of the sports halls and watched some seniors playing Pickleball. He approached them and they introduced him to a Facebook group. He went for one of the sessions and came back all excited and told me that I have to play Pickleball coz I will love it given my table tennis background and love for racquet sports.

So there was this session at my condo and I joined in and just fell in love with Pickleball. And coz I was unemployed at that time, I played every day. It was so fun and I met a lot of people who were willing to teach me even though I was very bad at it. I improved slowly and being very competitive, decided to enter my first competition after like 2-3 months. I got third! Everyone was like “Who’s this girl?” and soon I was joining groups which were much stronger like Sharkies and then Hot Shots. They really taught me all the skills needed, all the tricks etc. 

Z: I met Amanda when I joined Hot Shots. There were people who thought we suited each other’s playing style.

A: I’m a more cautious player while Zermaine is more aggressive so the partnership works.

Z: When we started playing, I was like this is what real synergy feels like because Amanda is a control player while I’m good with the killer shots. It works, and I'm very grateful to have Amanda as a partner because I feel like we grow together. Every time we play, I learn more about her style, and I'm quite happy when I get to predict correctly what she’s going to do. When I see the ball going towards her, I can get ready for the next shot. It’s continuous learning and it’s good.

A: SG had the most courts in the region at one point. But then, like two years ago, Malaysia and Vietnam expanded really quickly, so I think they have overtaken us in terms of venues, facilities, opportunities to train… To me, Vietnam is #1 in the region followed by Malaysia. We are similar in levels with Thailand and Philippines.

A: Sometimes we try and watch YouTube videos of our opponents from their past tournaments. Try and analyse and see if we can work out a strategy. Other than that, we train by ourselves and with our team. Sometimes we try new places and try playing new players to get more exposure. I mean if would be great if we had a professional coach to guide us as opposed to one-off coaching sessions that don’t do much.

Z: In terms of dealing with losses…it happens. Part of the game. We don’t obsess with the result but would certainly discuss what didn't go so well, then just work on it for the next time. 

A: I want to definitely improve but most importantly, I want to enjoy the sport. I mean if Pickleball is my job, it’d be a different story. But as of now, I think as long as I’m happy playing, it’s fine. I’d like to start a family at some point as well.

Z: I like being able to say we played our best, rather than trying to win. Like if we meet a very strong opponent, we will try to win, but even if we don't win, we will treat it as success if we manage to give them a good game. We once had a close match against a top Malaysian pair… the whole game was like one hour+. I was getting leg cramps. We lost but we know we played at a high level that day.

A/Z: We do hope Pickleball gets bigger in SG and more sponsors can support the local talents. A lot of players in Malaysia and Vietnam are sponsored by big brands. Maybe the SG market is too small but Pickleball is a sport that Singaporeans can do well in. It could make the SEA Games. The grassroots are there. There are more and more amateur competitions now. Why not set up a SG national team? It would get more players to train harder, aim higher…

1) Who is more competitive?

Zermaine: We are both competitive in a good way
Amanda: Points to Zermaine

Amanda/Zermaine: We are both quite camera shy so none.
(Amanda: Maybe my husband!)

Amanda: Erne

Zermaine: ATP!

Zermaine: Hotpot
Amanda: Korean fried chicken

Amanda: We both like Blind box. If we win a competition we’d buy.
Zermaine: We also like strategy board games, like Ticket to Ride.

Actually, it's the funny story. I was on holiday with my friend Ross (her of the Blazing Sevens feature in In da Club) in Ho Chi Minh City. We walked past a couple of courts, and we were like, what's this…and we just tried it and I realized that my god, it's so cool. Very different from tennis (the game I played in Marymount and RP). So when we came back to SG, we explored venues like public HDB courts, and joined some Reclub games. That was in late 2024. I played for a month and decided to play my first competition and ended up finishing second!

I had a back injury from tennis which stopped my competitive track. Pickleball, in contrast, had less impact on my back (as I discovered during my first competition) and still gave me the edge to compete and have that fire so I stuck with it.

I took a six-month break after my graduation and signed a sponsorship contract with a team in Thailand (they approached me after watching me at a competition – me and my $20 Shopee paddle). I was based there and flew back and forth between SG and Thailand. They covered my tournament costs and some of the stay but since I still wanted to explore the country, I stayed in different areas of Thailand, sometimes by myself, sometimes with my team, to train, to explore, and...I just put in the work. I told myself, the goal is to get into the Top 10 ranks, which I thankfully did, within 3 months into the 6 months. 

One of the big challenges I realised playing in Thailand/around the region was that the gap between Intermediate and Advanced is pretty big. I have friends in Bangkok who have been playing for like 10 years! They’d been focused solely on Pickleball training/playing for 10 years vs me and my tennis strokes. 

Thailand’s #1 women’s player was in the same team as me and…flew down specially for last year’s PickleSlam to play with me. She self-funded her flight and everything. I was so touched that she came all the way for me. Winning two silvers and a bronze in the competition was the icing on the cake.

I have a ‘glass half full’ mentality so when it comes to losses, the only way to improve is to reflect back on the points you lost and see the gap you have with your opponents. It’s hard to accept losses when you're on a good track. Like I’m working hard so why am I losing? But soon you realise it's just part of the process. 

When I first started there weren’t many competitions locally except for the two organised by SPA (Novice & SG Open) and those by PickleGo. That’s why Reclub is good. It’s a great stepping stone for people who are just getting into the competition scene. I played in a couple of the competitions, those with a DUPR cap or combined DUPRs and I realised many are really well organized (see our feature on Reclub competitions under In da Club). A lot of them are about passion more than profit. You have to get sponsorships, order the jerseys, answer many questions from participants etc…there’s bound to be hiccups. I’ve seen people bitching about getting one t-shirt even though they signed up for many categories…I mean, you have one body. How many t-shirts do you need? 

I’m an Enabler so I encourage everyone to take part in competitions. What do you have to lose? Go for early bird entry fees and you get to play with people of different levels. You’re better for the experience especially, mentality-wise. Pickleball has a low entry barrier (compared to golf which is so technical) so once you start playing, competitions help you improve.

One of the basic mistakes a lot of recreational players make is not warming up enough. They get on court, dink for a few minutes and that’s it. There’s no stretching, no light jogging, no proper warm-up routine. It’s really important coz you can pull a muscle and get injured. Plus if you’re only dinking during warm up, what about all the other strokes you’re neglecting like drives, volleys etc A lot of beginners also obsess about lost points i.e. “Why can’t I do it right?”. Internalise it and reflect after the match. Don’t beat yourself up during the game.

The other thing recreational players obsess over is Pickleball gear and equipment. They think they’d play better with a more expensive paddle. If you’re trying to improve your level, don’t keep changing paddles. Find a paddle you like and stick to it till you see improvements. (My first paddle was a $20 Shopee paddle btw!)

I see myself playing Pickleball for the rest of my life. I'll just cut down to focus on other things, like going back into the workforce, you know like corporate scene. For now, it's quite flexible. I’m enjoying my life now.

Receiver calling a ball in/out has to go. I mean if it’s up to me as a receiver, I will call it to my advantage so I think it’s not really fair.

C’mon. I hear it everywhere I go.

The serve. It’s the only shot you can control. 

YES, YES, YES. Like every point. Enough already. 

I don’t usually notice these things. The Pickleball girls dress quite well at Expo. Padel girls tend to look more put together but can often be skimpy as well.

People would find this weird but I have to drink two sips of 100PLUS and one sip of water before I start a match. The ratio has to be 2 to 1. It’s been like this since I started playing Pickleball. 

I literally jumped into the air for joy…caught on video…was a mix of relief and the whopping high of the win. 

It was the S’pore Pickleball Association’s Novice competition…being the unsuspecting true novice, I enthusiastically entered for team, senior WD and senior MXD not realizing that for each category it would be a half day affair and in the case of the MXD event over 2 weekends! 

Playing the team event on the first day of the competition was good preparation for the individual events as I got to experience the court, the lighting and the overall vibe of the competition. This helped inject some calmness of mind going into the MXD qualifiers the next day.. The following weekend was again a half day affair for the senior Women’s Doubles which led to my first medal with my rock star partner Tania Lim. She is the calming quotient in our partnership, always unfazed and never critical even when I went crazy with my shots. 

The competition was also the culmination of my first year into Pickleball. I started playing at NUSS PB section – got hooked despite advice from other addicts. NUSS was where my game improved with constant pointers, encouragement and coaching from my teammates. Participation in the Lion City League for the NUSS team also gave me the courage to give the Novice Competition a try. The result of double gold was beyond my imagination.

Definitely this point during the MXD finals. My partner Kim Hwee had mistimed a return. We stood watching the ball fly up heading into the net but it miraculously crossed the net…just barely…I shouted “play on” and the opposing male player stretched and hit an amazing shot past me… I turned ran with my back to the net and instinctively threw my paddle up without sight of the ball…the ball flew back but the opponent managed to return again but they were probably shocked too. I pounced on it and nailed the point! It was an adrenaline-packed moment for us. 

I work 3 days a week and prior to Pickleball addiction, I had a regime of gym, yoga, dance fitness classes and regular badminton sessions with my kakis. With the Pickleball competition and finite non-working days, I had to sadly sacrifice my badminton sessions and dance classes. Time permits only one love. Training regime? Almost every other day! 

Never expected it as I used to think of Pickleball as my retirement alternative to badminton. I did joke with my boss that I would retire to play Pickleball full time if I won the novice medal. Let’s see. Will take the next year to see my progress, maybe play some Open cat competitions and hopefully still keep my dignity.

Franco: It all started when I got invited by a friend for a friendly game last August. It was easy to pick up and soon I found myself asking for more games. I started to join Reclub games and the addiction brought me a step further. I became a host with another partner of mine and we started to co-host from end Oct 2025, from 2 games per week to 8 to 14 games per week now.

Eileen: My first touch of the Pickleball paddle was in last June when some church mates asked if I would like to play as they managed to book courts. While I took a liking to game, courts were hard to come by and we played sporadically. Someone then introduced me to Reclub over CNY and I started joining games nearer where I live from February this year.

F: No thoughts about joining a competition at all! Friends and fellow players have asked several times, but I preferred social play. This first competition wasn’t planned. It was a spontaneous agreement following an invite from a fellow player who has turned into my partner in this competition! And so here we are, putting ourselves in this first competition without much preparation! We decided to go in for the experience and the exposure.

E: An invitation to consider being a part of a team earlier this month sparked the thought “well, no harm trying”, as I have always enjoyed team sports since young.

F: It was an extremely last minute decision! With just a week to the competition, we only managed to have 2 drills with all the team members! We decided we’d try our best and see where it takes us!

E: Team was newly formed. We only played together twice. We’d give it our best.

F: For me, it’s about the journey from strangers to teammates, building friendships along the way. And the best part was the bonding, the fighting spirit, the support and laughter that makes it all worthwhile.

E: New friends, a chance to play one of my favourite team sport with familiar faces and put my skills to the test. It will be a first and I am sure it will be great experience. Nothing to lose, only calories, haha!

F: Big yes for me! It certainly pushed me to be more confident and take my love for Pickleball to another level!

E: if time permits, absolutely! It motivates me to train more and improve my game.

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SG is seeing more brand name Pickleball competitions popping up but what many people don’t see are the mini competitions organised by passionate Pickleball players at the grassroots level under Reclub. We spoke to 4 such people and you can sense their energy and enthusiasm. We wish them continued success 💪🏼

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I started my Pickleball journey in December 2021 which was immediately after my retirement at 58 (extended from the usual 55). It was introduced to me by my mentor. I had been a Physical Training Instructor (PTI) in the army which means I participated in all sorts of sports, coached sports and trained soldiers in sports as well. It helped that I was a squash player who played at a high level, the A grade (just below the national team). I also played tennis, table tennis…almost all the racquet games. So the transition to Pickleball was quite easy and seamless. Strokes were almost the same. I just needed to adjust to how Pickleball is played strategically e.g. ‘Serve & Stay’, ‘Return & Run’ etc.

I didn’t get much social play in 2021 as we were still in COVID restrictions. Couldn’t book any indoor courts. So we played in outdoor badminton courts (people used to watch and wonder what we were up to). I started off by playing Singles, 2 to a court before slowly progressing to Doubles with 4 to a court. 

4 months into 2022, COVID rules were eased and competitions started and I took part in the Singapore Novice Championships in April and won 3 medals – Gold in the Men’s Doubles, Silver in Mixed Doubles and Bronze in Men’s Singles. After that was the Pesta Sukan in August 2022. I got a Gold and Silver playing in the 50/55+ categories. This motivated me to play overseas.

The first competition was the World Pickleball Championships in Bali in September 2022. The age criteria was by year of birth not by month which was untung (of benefit) for me. And even though I was still 59 (Dec baby), they allowed me to play in the 60 category. That’s where I won 3 Gold medals in Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles…called the Triple Crown. It was at the Intermediate level even though I was playing as a Novice (less than a year in the game).

I then played the Taiwan Open in December 2022. At that time, there was no DUPR rating system so I did my own self-evaluation and pushed myself up to 3.5 and still got to the podium, winning 2 Golds and 4 Silvers. After that I upgraded myself again to 4.0 in 2023 and continued to play overseas in many tournaments like the Thailand Open, doing so at an Advanced or Advanced+ level.

After that I decided to challenge myself and play in the Open category which is for 5.0 DUPR and above which meant the second World Championships, again in Bali, was much harder. I still won 4 Bronzes but it was a drastic change from winning 3 Golds the year before. I accepted it and decided to work and train harder. And hit my peak in 2024 where I sapu-ed (swiped/won) everything! 

I have two sons and a Godson. We had discussed setting up a Pickleball space.

We looked around and saw that there are a lot of warehouses which can be converted but URA said ‘No’, SLA said ‘No’ because warehouses were not meant for recreational, entertainment or sports purposes.

We then tried industrial estates. Also rejected.

Then we came across this space. My two sons are into fishing and have canoes parked here at Tee Side Chalet. They have to walk past this empty plot to their canoes. One day they came across school students assembling here for their CCAs (canoeing, fishing, taekwondo etc).

My sons asked me if there’s a possibility of converting the empty space into a Pickleball venue. I said there’s a good chance coz this was a privatised chalet. I suggested that they and my Godson speak to the boss. The boss agreed provided the CCA assembly arrangement for school students stood…which was fine by us coz that would be in the mornings and afternoons while our peak period would be in the evenings. And there are no students and CCA on weekends.

We opened in December 2024. I wanted a place for people to socialiZe. We provide paddles* and balls for them to utiliZe. Our coaches must be available for players to capitaliZe. My medals and trophies would be on display for people to dream and realiZe. And everything added up to PickleliZe with the trademark ‘Z’ which is a little different. It came from my wife actually! (laughs)

*PicklieliZe represents Pibola, a custom made paddle range (‘Pi’ is short for Pickleball and ‘bola’ is ball in Malay).

When we first started this, east side had no courts. We were the first. As you know ActiveSG is not easy to book. I know PickleliZe is far but I told my sons, our courts have to be first class, otherwise nobody would come. I told them our courts must be better than most if not all the others in SG. Having played overseas, I had good contacts so I passed them to my sons and we made sure the surface is the best, the bounce is consistent, there’s space for people to sit and watch, there’s easy parking right next to the courts, shower facilities and MRT to come. And while we first started as a manned sports venue, we soon became automated with CCTVs and a system based on integrity/trust. This is SG, after all.

We target and serve people in the east and continue to build relationships with clients and our students. We have a VIP membership and enough people are willing to pay monthly fees for priority bookings, guaranteed hours and other perks which says something.

I’d say with coaching, clinics, corporate events, open play, competitions and, equipment/apparel, PickleliZe offers what most Pickleball players want.

Pickleball is not like tennis where even after one year, you may not be able to play a proper game. Pickleball is easy to pick up (you can even play at walking pace), has a low entry barrier, is inviting to people of all levels. Example my wife. Badminton, no! Squash, no! Table tennis, no! But addicted to Pickleball.

Once you start playing, nobody wants to stay put at their level. Everyone wants to improve and play better, even socially. This is where Coaching comes in.

I do 1 on 1 coaching, 2 to 1 to a max of 4 to 1 coz you can have 4 players on court. I do 2 hours with them. I don’t believe in 1 hour sessions then letting people go and train on their own. They say ‘practice makes perfect’. I say “No, correct practice makes perfect”. You must learn the basics and fundamentals first coz when you’re out there, you can practice all you want but you can’t see if it’s right or wrong.

With me, the first hour is Coaching and the second hour is game situation so I can see a player’s weakness and focus on what needs to be fixed. Like Dinking. People dink and dink and dink (especially during warm ups) but when it comes to game play, they hardly dink. So they need to know the correct footwork, where to stand and when to dink when the opportunity arises.

Away from commercial coaching, I believe in giving back to the community (it’s my SAF breeding). I started a Top Pro community at Serangoon North 546. As it was a free venue, I ran coaching clinics for as little as $20 per person with each session being 2 hours long. I want as many people to play Pickleball and for as many seniors to be active and healthy. We still have 1,600 members in our Top Pro community despite moving from Serangoon North to Hougang St 51.

I think coaching is in my DNA (38 years 10 months as a PTI). I hardly take a day off.

On a personal level, there were no top tier coaches when I started competing overseas. I had to train myself, do trial and error myself. Imagine if people like me and Elaine Yong had a proper US coach.

On the rise of Pickleball venues > Everyone is building courts but they don’t have the players in mind. They want to make money and maximise profit. The courts are squeezy (no run off space, no room for ATP), not many have proper dividers, many have low ceilings…it’s irritating but the operators don’t care. These venues are okay for beginners and social play but no way for intermediate players and definitely not for competitions. Why do you think the PPA or WPC have not had competitions in SG? We just don’t have the courts like Malaysia and Vietnam where they have everything from competitive courts to luxurious venues. Look at how many PPA/WPC competitions the two countries have hosted. I’m hoping the upcoming venue at Piccadilly/Seletar would change things.

On growing the Pickleball community > Look at how hard it is to book courts through ActiveSG even SAFRA and you’d know how popular is Pickleball. Let’s not put up hurdles for people to join us. Don’t make people audition or do trials to play Pickleball lah. Include everyone who wants to play and grow the community. Every professional was once an amateur.

In terms of keeping Pickleball affordable, ActiveSG can help. There are quite a few CCs and schools that don’t allow Pickleball. Why not? Won’t you rather people be active? Sports for all, Health for all. Schools can definitely help with their multi-purpose halls (away from HDB estates) like they do with football. The game has to take root in the schools for us to develop the game competitively. Look at Floorball. It started as a niche sport. The schools embraced it and in 2025 our women won the World Floorball Championship so it’s all about development.

Reclub is another great platform for the Pickleball community. You can play with your regular kakis or with new people. I’m okay with people using our venue for their Reclub games and making some money. Coz it brings people together…they talk in-between games about where they play, would like to play etc. It’s nice.

Questions for Pickleball leadership in SG > SPA (SG Pickleball Association) wants you to become a member. What do they offer? Discounts for their tournaments which are only two, the Novice and Open competitions. Pesta Sukan is not their money, or venue. It’s by SportsSG. They only provide referees.

Who’s your national player? Who’s your national coach? You’re an association. How do you build your coaches? Why are you not bringing in IPTPA (International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association)? You can get funding from the Development Fund. I know as Vice President of the SG Handball Association.

What qualifications do your referees have? Locals teaching locals? Get certified by USAPA lah. SPA says it has its own plans but nothing happens. I’m an international umpire for table tennis so I know what I’m talking about.

Go overseas! Like I said, SG has no coaches. Look at our top players like Jih Shian...he plays in the US and Australia. SG is not a place to train.

Look at Vietnam. Just one person, Quong Duong, influenced so many people to dream, to believe “I can do it”. They take Pickleball seriously and have high quality coaches. In fact, many Singaporeans go to Vietnam for Pickleball training. So if I see anyone who has potential to go far, I advise them to go overseas.

Look at Elise (read about her in In da Hood). Spent her own money...stayed in a one bedroom AirBnB to train. It’s crazy but no choice if you want to improve. 

Look at the local player selected by the UPA, Ryan Ng. He went to the US to train. (They used PickleliZe for their selection btw.) I hope he can go far. 

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How can an issue about ‘Competition’ not have a showdown of its own? We popped into 2 brand-name events, met some nice folks (including Mayor Denise Phua) and asked them for their verdict.

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Like we said in our last issue, we are still new to the game of Pickleball BUT dammit if we aren’t getting irked by some of the annoying things we see on court. We spoke to fellow Pickleballers and boy oh boy, do we have beef with many of you out there! (You know who you are. Behave, please!)

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We know, we know. We have had plenty of interest for our Mother’s Day event, especially the Mother-Child Pickleball competition.

It will be held at the new Sports Arina at Jalan Kayu. Indoors, air-conditioned, usual ATP touch etc. But as the venue hasn’t officially launched, we are pending confirmation of the date which, as you’d know, is critical.

Please check our IG for details and developments. They should be out soooon.

Meanwhile, thank you for your patience (we oso stressed).

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