DALLAS, TX – Austin is a professional pickleball hub in the Lone Star State. 

Top players like Ben and Collin Johns, Lina Padegimaite, Vivienne David, and Dekel Bar all reside in the city to hone their craft together as training partners.

Bar, who hails from Israel, was drawn to the state capital from the start.

“I really liked the city and I came here a couple of times to visit before I moved,” he shared. “Myself, Rob Nunnery, and Vivienne went to Steve Kuhn and he brought us to Deamland. He gave us a place to stay and train.”

Dreamland is a pickleball event space complete with a restaurant, bar, mini golf, and live music located in nearby Dripping Springs, TX, just 30 minutes outside of town.

“Dreamland was close enough to Austin, and we just really liked the area, so we had a good setup there. Slowly, more and more players moved to Austin and it became this hub,” explained Bar. “It's a cool, fun, young city with lots to do and lots of players to train with. I think we have the most players, especially guys. There’s probably like 10 to 15 high-level guys to practice with, and other lower-level pros, like 5.0 players, are in the area, too. We have four or five top girls here as well, so it makes it a lot easier for practice.”

Practice makes perfect, of course, and Bar loves hitting the court on a daily basis. 

He takes full advantage of the outstanding talent nearby.

“Having high-level reps is very important. You can see it with everybody who’s in those good pickleball spots, like in South Florida, Austin, Utah, and Arizona,” noted Bar. “You can see the people who are in those good spots improve faster.”

With that in mind, the 30-year-old couldn't be happier with his living situation.

“It’s great playing with the other pros,” said Bar. “I’m good friends with Ben and Collin, so I drill with them a good amount, and lots of others, too. It’s nice to have the high-level reps and get good variety as well. It’s definitely helpful to be sharp for tournaments.”

As expected, Bar does plenty of training off the court as well.

“I go to the gym and do a little bit of weights. I have a trainer that helps me with movement, strength work, some yoga, stretching, and unfortunately running,” he added with a laugh.

Given his status in the pickleball scene, the move to Austin has clearly paid dividends.