Mary Brascia and Maggie Brascia turned pro in 2022 and have already found significant success on tour with their father, Vinnie, coaching them from the very start.

As the Junior PPA continues to expand, he offered valuable advice for parents supporting young pickleball players.

“As a parent, you have to make sure that you keep it fun. At the end of the day, this is a sport, and sports are meant to be fun. I know they’ve become a business and there’s big money and big opportunities and things like that, but I have found in many years of my life that athletes that struggle with burnout and have trouble are the ones who lose the fun component,” said Vinnie. “Whereas the athletes who are able to get it back are the ones who go back to making it fun again.”

Vinnie advised keeping fun at the center of the game, which feels especially fitting given that the Brascias’ pickleball brand is named Fun Pickleball.

“The neat thing about pickleball, especially as it comes to juniors, is that it’s one of the few sports where, and this is probably controversial to say, but having taught and coached over 200 teams in my life, I have a lot of insight: Pickleball is unique, especially as it applies to kids, because the adults really haven’t infected the sport yet,” he explained. 

“It’s neat to see all the creativity these kids have on the courts. They’re hitting these shots that no grownup has taught them. They’re just learning that because they’re just being allowed to go out and play. That’s what I think is unlike other sports where there’s a lot more structure. This is how you learn. Keep it fun. Just try to read your kid and see what signs they’re giving you, and then come to PPA events because there’s a lot of other kids here and it’s fun for everybody.”

Vinnie also brings a unique perspective, as both of his daughters compete in pickleball.

On rare occasions, they even face each other in PPA tournaments, so here’s how he approaches those rare matchups.

“It’s not fun when that happens, but I just try to make sure I encourage them. I think they play their best when they’re able to relax on the court and not feel a lot of stress out there. It’s about keeping it fun, focusing on what they’re good at and what they can do really well, and not worry about all the other stuff,” he said. 

“When I’m coaching them during matches, I know them well enough that I can see if they get a little bit off track. They are sisters, so sometimes the sister stuff gets in the way, and they’ve had some devastating losses when the sister stuff gets in the way. But by the same token, when they’re able to get it working together, I mean there’s nothing like playing with your sister and winning.”

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