---
title: A Peak of Pickle Players
date: 2022-03-15T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/a-peak-of-pickle-players"
section: Articles
---
# A Peak of Pickle Players

*March 15, 2022* — by [Annie Krakower](/author/annie-krakower)


> With Pingpong-Tennis-Badminton Mashup on the Upswing, Terp Pro Leads the Way

*Ben Johns paddlepose b39l9380 1920x1080 — Ben Johns ’22, a materials science and engineering student and pickleball pro, has tapped into his studies to help create his own bestselling paddle.*

A set or two of paddles, a net, a ball and somehow zero fermented cucumbers: It’s a recipe for a sport that’s becoming a real big dill … er, deal, and a Terp has made the game his bread and butter.

The sport is pickleball—a combination of pingpong, tennis and badminton—and Ben Johns ’22, a materials science and engineering student, is among the world’s best. As more people come to relish the sport—it grew 21.3% in the U.S. from 2019-20, to 4.2 million players—Johns has championed the game through high-profile victories, a [professional equipment sponsorship](https://www.forbes.com/sites/timnewcomb/2021/07/13/franklin-partners-with-usa-pickleball-sports-tech-takes-next-step/?sh=f38689462f74) and even a [vacation company](https://www.pickleballgetaways.com/) that teaches pickleball around the world.

“It’s just a sport for absolutely everybody,” Johns said. “I’ve never seen a sport where people come back for coaching and instruction over and over like this one, just because they kind of get addicted to that feeling of improvement. It’s a real phenomenon, because you really can get a lot better very quickly.”

Pickleball, played in singles or doubles matches, involves hitting a plastic whiffle ball-style ball over a net with a paddle on a badminton-sized court. Certain rules make it more of a finesse than a power sport, Johns said, like bans on serving overhand and a no-volley zone, commonly referred to as “the kitchen,” around the net.

(Oh, and about that odd name: Multiple origin stories claim to explain it, some claiming the moniker comes from the game founder’s dog, Pickles, while others think it comes from the term “pickle boat,” which carries a mismatched crew of spare rowers left over from other boats—just as pickleball adopts stray elements of other racket sports.)


*Two pickleball paddles and balls*



**Sidebar note:**

**Gear Up** Pickleball pro Ben Johns ’22 considers the following when choosing a paddle:

**Dimensions:** Johns plays with a 16.5-by-7.5-inch paddle, in between the standard 16-by-8 doubles and 17-by-7 singles models—a perfect balance for players like him, who compete in both varieties of the sport. The handle he uses measures 5.6 inches, a bit beyond the normal 4.5 to 5. “That gives the paddle more flexibility so when you hit it, it’s going to bend slightly more.”

**Width:** Johns again prefers the middle ground, playing with a 16-millimeter paddle that falls within the usual 1/2- to 3/4-inch range. “The thicker you make it, the heavier it’s going to be,” he said, “but also, the less power you have and the more solidity you have, which just means you get less inconsistent hits.”

**Core:** Most pickleball paddles, Johns said, use a polypropylene polymer honeycomb core. Polypropylene is a strong, cheap plastic, and the honeycomb shape helps maintain structural integrity. “It’s really light, because most of the core is actually air,” he said. “But you can still hit the ball hard.”

**Surface:** Johns goes with fiberglass. “It’s good because it’s springy, which gives the ball power,” he said, “but it also can be made quite rough, so that imparts spin on the ball.”





**Topics:** [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)


**Tags:** [Athletics](https://today.umd.edu/topic/athletics-tag), [Materials Science and Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/materials-science-and-engineering)


**Units:** [A. James Clark School of Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/james-clark-school-engineering), [Division of Student Affairs](https://today.umd.edu/topic/division-student-affairs), [University Recreation and Wellness](https://today.umd.edu/topic/university-recreation-and-wellness)