I absolutely believe that players that don’t come from A tennis background have just as much of an opportunity to rise to the top of the game in the future. I know of a few off the top of my head that are professional players, but may not be as well known due to the fact that they don’t travel like the rest of us. Tennis players have the strokes, court awareness, footwork, and some basic strategies that do give them a leg up when starting out the game. I think an athlete that has amazing hand eye coordination, sound footwork, and a strategic mind will have the ability to learn the game of pickleball and over time use all of their assets to climb the ranks and challenge those at the top. One of the most overlooked strengths to have in this game in my opinion is having sound footwork. Those that come from soccer or basketball tend to be great at pickleball because their footwork is phenomenal.
NOICE catch! Now you need to start a new thread and post all your skateboarding videos! 
Since COVID hit with it came the drought of great pickelball content on Instagram, I have a new favorite account that I’m following… brings back mems of my days as a skateboard poser.
Thank you Tony Hawk Pro Skater (N64) for making me think I could be a skater!
But watch the real stuff… It’s unreal what skaters can do on those boards! 
Nice!!! A sponsored skateboarder?! Wow! I am terrified of skateboarding lol. I love that you don’t have any racquet sport background! I came from the world of soccer, and soccer only, so it’s super encouraging when I see awesome players, like you, who don’t have the racquet sport background succeeding and achieving great feats! 
Jonny, I really love your post! I totally agree 
. Having played soccer for so many years when I was growing up, it has given me a strong athletic edge. Though, funny enough, I have actually had to learn how to use that athleticism as a strength rather than a weakness. I have found myself often going on an all-out sprint to get to a ball, only to overrun it and find myself wildly off the court or hitting it way too early 
. Pickleball is teaching me patience and how to use my athletic background in a more finesse-oriented way rather than an all-out brute strength kind-of way. I think people with varied sport backgrounds each bring unique strengths to the game (like you said by using soccer and basketball as an example! ), and that is what makes pickleball so beautiful- the great diversity of style of play and execution!
Yes, Jonny you hit this right on the head. I am a prime example of what you are exactly talking about. I come from no tennis background or racquet background in general, but have been able to make it to the 5.0 level and become very successful in the Midwest. Coming from a multi-sport background mainly basketball and baseball, speed, footwork and angles have always have always been a priority to me due to my challenging height (I’m 5’8" challenging but not terrible)… These attributes along with blessed hand eye coordination and the ability to mimic things I see from videos, has helped my transition to pickleball greatly. When I first started playing since I had no racquet background I never felt as if I could overpower anyone or “bang” through anyone, which made me go down a rabbit hole on YouTube of the strategy of pickleball. Within the first week of playing pickleball I was already trying to hit a third shot drop and develop my soft game. I feel this accelerated my game quickly because I wasn’t spending a large amount of time, like many new players do just trying to crush the ball. Not having traditional tennis strokes I believed helped me a little. So can a non-tennis player become a high level player? I believe yes, but it takes an unbelievable amount of work, attention to detail, practice, and dedication.
The best pickleball player in my area is a former volleyball player. She was a defensive specialist (she is 5’1). I love playing with her because she communicates so well “you, me, out” I wish everyone I played with communicated like that! You former volleyball players tend to make great partners!
I saw this on @Dayne Facebook today. I think it totally relates to this topic.
Past statistics are trends, not laws!
Too many athletes believe (X) can’t be achieved because many people failed, prior to them.
This type of thinking is why so many outcomes remain the same - athletes believe nothing can change … so it doesn’t.
Until someone says, “Screw it! I don’t believe in past statistics” and breaks through, most sit and wait.
If you pay attention to history, the moment someone proves (X) CAN be accomplished, others follow behind and begin accomplishing (X), as well.
So, for you personally … will you be the athlete who waits for someone else to break through, or will you be the one?
Past statistics aren’t proof that (X) goals can’t be achieved, they only prove that players in the past weren’t strong enough to achieve them.
It’s a belief game!
I know a lot of people who play either both tennis and pickleball, or transitioned from tennis to pickleball. However, my background wasn’t from tennis.
I used to play table tennis quite often, so I was already accustomed to putting spin on the ball; however, it obviously took me a bit to better my volleying. I actually do grip my paddle with my pointer finger on the rim, and hit practically every shot I know one-handed (forehand or backhand). Hasn’t slowed me down at all. I feel like the biggest impact its had on me has been that I can hit topspin shots accurately from almost anywhere on the court, just clearing the net, a skill I definitely developed playing table tennis.
My father who also plays pickleball, came from a different racket sport: racquetball. He, also, was no stranger to spin. He uses less fast shots like I do, but has deadly accuracy, and that accuracy plus wicked spin is something that is hard to face without experience. He grips his paddle with his pinky finger under the pommel (end-of-handle), which certainly allows him to get more chopping motions out of his shots.
I do have a pretty extensive background in one other sport as well, though… Soccer; specifically, as a goalkeeper. Won multiple championships with travel teams as a goalkeeper in soccer, and I think that is part of the reason I do quick blocking shots at the NVZ, even from difficult hits. The downside to that though, is that just because I “block” it doesn’t mean it clears the net, so that’s something I have had to change and get used to.
In the end, though, I feel like a developed understanding of the game, drills and hard practice, and playing countless games will over-time (with the right approach) make anyone as deadly of a player as anyone.