A few days ago I was playing pickleball and some new faces showed up at our courts. A pair of curly haired sisters who showed up with their brand new JOOLAs and had the air that they were going to be really good. They looked like the family that travels across the country to compete in PPA Tournaments and they take their game extremely seriously. 

As luck would have it, I ended up on the court with them and my women’s dubs partner. The girls were perfectly friendly as we dinked across the court to warm up, and it seemed like we were in for a nice, friendly game of rec pickleball. 

I called “0-0, 2” and the game began.

All of the sudden, the returner thwacked the ball with such incredible aggression right down the middle, I barely had time to react. My partner and I missed the third shot because we were so stunned at the sudden intensity, but the game continued. 

The next few points, my partner and I made it up to the net and we quickly realized – oh no. We’re playing against bangers. Genuine. Unavoidable. Bangers. 

Bangers are a term in pickleball where the player is all about power. They hit every shot as a drive, no matter the court positioning. And if you’re really unlucky, the banger will aim at your body and you’ll walk away with a nasty bruise and look at investing in Kitchen Blockers. 

What began as a fun game, quickly turned into a fight for my life when playing against bangers. For me, they truly took all the fun out of the game. The soft game and warm up dinks were clearly just for show because as soon as we started keeping score, it was time to drive for your life. 

Our banger opponents were playing like they were across the court from Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright on Championship Sunday. But instead, they’re across from Emily and I who are purely here to have fun and are more excited about getting mimosas after the game today.  

The only thing my partner and I could do was get out of the way of the ricocheting ball or hold our paddles up to block our faces like a shield. It was so unenjoyable. 

Of course, there’s a time and place for a powerful drive in rec pickleball. There’s nothing I love more than exquisitely driving the ball down the line for a winner. There’s no greater elation in pickleball than that.

But driving every single shot and aiming for your opponent’s head? It’s no longer fun. At best, it’s annoying. And at worst, someone can get seriously hurt. 

So, having never encountered bangers of this caliber, my dubs partner and I tried to get the game over with as quickly as possible so we can play literally against anyone else at the courts. And after the paddle tap, we were just glad to make it out alive without any serious ailments. 

When playing pickleball, you can encounter all kinds of different personalities and skill sets. But I personally think that bangers are the worst people to play pickleball with. 

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