Ask Aaron: Fixing Your Pickleball Drama

Recently I heard someone call themselves an “OG” in pickleball… and they started playing in 2023.Listen. Calling yourself an OG after two years is like claiming you’re a gangster because you moved into the neighborhood after the Trader Joe’s opened. So today we’re setting the record straight. Did you play on gym floors where nobody could tell the difference between basketball, volleyball, and pick...

Is there someone in your pickleball circle who never organizes a game… but somehow always assumes he’s in yours? Maybe he even invites himself. If you’ve got a pickleball freeloader, a pickleball crasher, or—worst of all—both, today’s Ask Aaron episode is for you. This one is an Ask Aaron first. On our last episode, a gentleman named Han wrote in complaining about the on-court banter of his partne...

Are you playing pickleball with someone who’s really annoying on the court—and it’s starting to ruin the game for you? 😬 Today on Ask Aaron , we tackle a question from a listener named Han (could it be that Han? 🛸). Han plays rec games with a guy named Chad —a solid player, but one who delivers constant commentary like: “Nice serve!” when the serve was… not nice Over-the-top celebrations after h...

Have you ever looked at a pickleball tournament bracket and thought… “Wait. How did THAT happen?” 🤔 In today’s Ask Aaron episode, a listener writes in with a classic rec-play mystery: a “just for fun” monthly tournament where partners and brackets are supposedly random — yet the organizer and his buddies always seem to land the best partners and the cleanest draws. Coincidence? Bad luck? Or is th...

Got a pickleball hothead in your group? In today’s Ask Aaron, I break down how to deliver the classic “It’s not me, it’s you” message when a talented player turns every rec session into a miserable experience. This episode comes from a listener (“Sad Panda at Rec Play”) who plays with a guy that:Throws paddlesYells at partnersLoses his temper when he’s losingTurns fun rec play into something that...

A charity pickleball tournament was supposed to be fun… until the ending turned into a full-blown train wreck. A loyal Ask Aaron listener witnessed the awkward aftermath of a charity tournament with a small cash prize and sent in the question:What happens when players win a cash prize — but the charity expected them to give it back? In this episode, Aaron Trost breaks it all down:Why players who w...

On a frigid Kansas City day, we dive into a smokin’ hot pickleball dilemma sent in by listener Jason. His once-fun co-ed pickleball group has been hijacked by dating drama after a new guy joins… and won’t take a hint. After asking one woman out and getting rejected, “Dave” keeps showing up — flirting, dominating conversations, and making the entire group uncomfortable. Sound familiar? In this epis...

Ever line up a pickleball drill session, clear your schedule, grab a bucket of balls… and then get hit with: “My parents are in town.” “My shoulder’s acting up.” “My boss gave me a hard deadline.” In this holiday edition of Ask Aaron , listener Bill shares a frustrating dilemma: a player keeps agreeing to drill — and then cancels at the last minute. Again. And again. So what’s really going on? In...

In today’s episode, we tackle a question that hit close to home for a lot of players:👉 Is it ever okay to loudly celebrate your opponent’s unforced errors in an amateur pickleball tournament? One listener recently played in a local tournament where a player celebrated every missed dink, third shot, or unforced error with a loud “SEEEEE!” — complete with a stare-down. Some called it passion. Other...

Ever get sold a “great deal” on a used pickleball paddle… only to realize later it might be illegal, damaged, or basically a lemon? 🍋 In this episode of Ask Aaron: Fixing Your Pickleball Drama , Aaron Trost breaks down a listener question from Skeeter , who bought a used Gearbox Pro Power Elongated paddle from a familiar court character — Larry , the wheeling-and-dealing used paddle guy. After th...

Ever gotten ghosted in pickleball? We all know it happens. 😳In this episode of Ask Aaron: Fixing Your Pickleball Drama, we break down what happens when a pickleball partner you ghosted comes back to haunt you — and how to handle it. In today’s question, a player:Ghosts a potential tourney partnerGets called out for itAnd things get dramatic! Aaron breaks down pickleball ghosting👻✔️ What “pickleb...

Today’s episode of Ask Aaron breaks down a real pickleball mess: the court next door was a disaster — loud players, constant distractions, bad etiquette, and chaos that ruined the flow of the game. If you’ve ever dealt with:✔ Excessive stray balls on your court✔ Too many interruptions ✔ Poor etiquette✔ Singles players being annoying…this episode is for you. I’ll break down this situation and provi...

A pickleball group has leveled up, but their organizer hasn’t — and now the players are caught between better games and the unspoken relationship tension that’s starting to complicate everything. Aaron breaks down the real issue here: group dynamics, honest communication, and what to do when pickleball skills and personal feelings don’t match up. Have your own pickleball or relationship drama? Ask...

A player wins a mixed doubles tournament using a fake, illegal and overly powerful paddle. Was it cheating? Was it ignorance? And what should you do when someone’s gear crosses the line? In this Dear-Abby-meets-pickleball advice episode, Aaron puts on the ref jersey and breaks down:-When to confront a player at a tourney-The right way to escalate paddle issues-The USA Pickleball rules on illegal p...