DALLAS, TX – Pickleball is widely regarded as one of the most inclusive sports.

And after speaking with Taylor Nichols, who’s focused on incorporating adaptive pickleball into tournaments, it’s even clearer that pickleball is truly a sport for all. 

Nichols is adamant that an adaptive and/or wheelchair division makes perfect sense.  

“As soon as I started playing pickleball, I was surprised it wasn’t more popular in the adaptive sports world. Pickleball is one of the easiest sports to learn and master, but you also don’t have to be a super athlete to play,” he explained. “This could be the sport for people who have a disability or are in a wheelchair to get out in their community and be more active.”

Nichols envisions pickleball as the next big wheelchair sport. 

“I tell everybody that wheelchair sports are like playing basketball with bumper cars. You’re banging chairs around,” he said. “Not everybody wants to play like that, but pickleball is more approachable and appealing for people to go out and play.”

Not only is pickleball's accessibilty factor exceptionally high, the rules work well in the adaptive model as well.

“There are two rule differences with wheelchair pickleball and standing pickleball. The wheelchair player gets two bounces to give the player a little more time to get to the ball. And with the kitchen and baseline rules, the smaller wheels are able to get into the line, but as soon as your big wheels cross the line, it’s a fault,” noted Nichols. “Other than that, it’s still pickleball.”

Nichols is also particularly fond of a hybrid pickleball game.

“What I love about pickleball is the hybrid aspect. You can easily have one wheelchair player and one standing player,” he mentioned. “I go to my local courts and I’m the only wheelchair user there and we can all play together.” 

There's so much room for inclusion. Whether its adaptive divisions in singles, doubles, or hybrid, Nichols sees how easy it can be to involve everyone. 

After beginning as a brand ambassador for Chicken N Pickle, he created “Para Pickleball Night” to foster awareness and connect with other members of the community. These event nights quickly expanded to different Chicken N Pickle locations where they offer beginner clinics and open play.

“We want people to recognize that there’s a need for an adaptive division in tournaments, but a lot of people don’t even know it exists, so awareness is key,” said Nichols. 

Things are definitely looking up, though, as the demand increases.

“At the end of the day, we’re all human. We want to provide the best experience for everybody to get out there and still live a fulfilling life,” concluded Nichols.

I look forward to seeing this particular aspect of the sport grow.