There's nothing more disappointing than poor weather putting your pickleball match on hold.

Dark clouds and precipitation, among other adverse conditions, are the furthest thing from a player's best friend, of course, but I still wanted to find out if you could actually play in the rain. 

My mom and I kicked our shoes off, grabbed some paddles, and started dinking around. We both wanted to play so badly that we needed to get creative and gut it out. 

While the rain kept coming, we purposefully kept things light by using one half of the court to practice our soft game and holding umbrellas with our non-dominant hands. 

It was a surprisingly effective drilling session, and the ball even bounced almost like it does without the rain.

However, Mother Nature was feeling rather feisty that day and a torrential downpour eventually began. And with the crack of lighting, we called it quits and went back inside. 

I don't recommend playing pickleball in the rain for liability reasons.

Lots of things can go wrong, but if you proceed, here are some important tips. 

Tip #1 – Beware of slippery courts

I’ve always heard that tennis and pickleball courts are extremely slippery when wet, but since I didn’t grow up playing tennis, I assumed it was nothing but talk. Boy, was I wrong.

Pickleball courts get so slick after rain. It’s incredibly easy to slip and fall. At best, you get humbled and suffer a bruise or two. At worst, you break a bone. And then you can’t play pickleball for however many weeks the doctor says you're on the sidelines. So, be very cautious.

I think we should invent anti-slip paint that makes the courts dry wonderfully fast after a sudden storm. 

Tip #2 – Beware of lightning 

This might be extremely obvious, but sometimes we all make bad decisions, especially when it comes to pickleball. We can become so obsessed with the sport that our right- thinking goes out the window. 

So, be on the lookout for thunder and lightning, especially if you're dinking while holding umbrellas. Just be smart. You can always set up your pickleball net in the garage or even in your kitchen. Crazier ideas have been attempted.

Tip #3 – Don’t play, just drill

This was an excellent strategy for us. Eager to play pickleball with safety in mind, we decided to just dink and practice our backhands instead of playing a full game. That way, there’s minimal movement in terms of running, lunging, and sliding to get the ball, so we could avoid falling.

Also, skip the shoes. Those rubber-soled court shoes are game-changers on a dry court, and slippery hazards on a wet court. Your feet actually have much better grip than your shoes, by the way, and it's fun to set them aside sometimes.

You now playing pickleball in the rain, so give it a shot.

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