WHY READY SET PICKLE
We’re Building More Than Pickleball Players.
Ready Set Pickle started with a simple belief:
youth sports can teach kids far more than how to play a game.
We use pickleball to help kids build confidence, learn how to work with others, handle challenges, complete with respect, and discover what they’re capable of.
OUR STORY
It Started With the Kids.
Ready Set Pickle wasn’t created because Tucson needed another pickleball program.
It started because I saw what could happen when kids were given a place to play, compete, make mistakes, encourage each other, and keep trying.
What began as a small afterschool program grew quickly. But as more kids joined, the goal never changed.
We’re a small afterschool program with a big ambition and one goal: helping kids become great people and great pickleball players.
— Frank, Founder
THE VEHICLE
Why Pickleball?
Pickleball gives kids constant opportunities to make decisions.
They have to communicate with their partner. Recover after losing a point. Control their emotions. Encourage a teammate. Adjust when something isn’t working. Compete without disrespecting the person across the net.
Those moments matter to us just as much as learning a serve, dink, or third-shot drop.
The game gives us opportunities to coach the person playing it.
MORE THAN OPEN PLAY
We Take Development Seriously.
Caring about kids doesn’t mean lowering the bar. We want them to learn, improve, compete, and understand what they’re working toward.
That’s why every Ready Set Pickle student follows our Player Development Pathway, with clear expectations for pickleball skills, game understanding, movement, communication, character, and coachability.
Kids Remember
How You Coach Them.
Our coaches are expected to teach, encourage, correct, challenge, and pay attention.
We want kids to know when they’ve done something well and understand what they can do better. We don’t coach through embarrassment or disrespect. We create an environment where kids can make mistakes, learn from them, and keep going.
Pickleball ability matters.
The kind of person standing on the other side of the net matters more.
SAFETY & TRUST
The Standard We Set for Our Coaches
Your child’s safety and well-being matter. We hold our coaches to a high standard, on and off the court.
Background Checked
Coaches working with our students complete required screening.
IVP Fingerprint Clearance
Required where applicable for school-based programming.
SafeSport Training
Coaches are trained around appropriate interactions and athletic safety.
Prepared to Coach Kids
Our expectations go beyond knowing how to hit a pickleball.
Kids. Progress. A Stronger Community.
THIS IS READY SET PICKLE
Kids learning. Kids Competing. Kids laughing.
Kids getting frustrated and trying again.
Coaches who know their names and care whether they come back next week a little better than they were before.
That’s what we’re building.