Jackie and Jade Kawamoto are two of the top pickleball players in the world. They’re twin sisters, have beaten the World No. 1 women’s doubles team, and somehow have time to play pro pickleball and have full-time nine to five jobs at the NCAA.

The sisters recently went on the “This Is Pickleball Podcast” and shared a bit more about their lives off the court. While many pros have quit their jobs to pursue pickleball full time Jade and Jackie believe that having a job in addition to their pickleball career keeps their mental game strong. 

“I think the full-time job actually helps my headspace. I think I’d go a little crazy if pickleball was my end all be all,” said Jackie. 

Jade and Jackie started playing pro pickleball in 2021, and they could have never imagined that the pro game would grow into what it is today.  

“We’re a little conservative by nature and we decided to keep our job but also explore the professional [pickleball tour] as we go. And as our roles got more serious at the NCAA, I really liked what I do. We just really enjoyed our roles there and never knew what to expect from pickleball. And now it’s really taken off but we’re here juggling both. But I think having these jobs does help us get away from pickleball a little bit,” said Jackie. 

“We’ve always been like that, where we like to have a variety of things to think about and not have to obsess over one thing because we’ll drive ourselves crazy. So we really like our balance right now.” said Jade. 

“We work during the week and on the weekends we focus on pickleball. That’s how we can manage it the best we can right now,” Jade added.

Though, it’s certainly not easy navigating both a full-time job at home in Indianapolis and traveling across the country for pro pickleball tournaments. 

“When I get into busy times at work, I feel like I neglect pickleball a little bit,” shared Jackie.

And for both girls with different jobs, their busy season is different. So navigating a training schedule to drill and practice together is an additional hurdle. 

“But both of our bosses and the people we work with are amazing and supportive of us in pursuing pickleball,” said Jackie.  

Additionally, Jackie shared that they’ve always been on the same page when it comes to investing more time into pickleball, or focusing more on their professional growth at the NCAA. Having that sisterly support is so important to their success on and off the court. 

“During the weekdays we drill and on the weekends we play more rec games,” said Jade. 

Because of their busy schedules, they tend to play more rec games with their community of high-level players, rather than drilling. Though they are looking to start drilling more in 2026. Either way, their strategies certainly seem to be working. 

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