“Pickleball, a type of sport that became known in Indonesia in 2019, will be introduced as an official extracurricular in Universitas Indonesia (UI).” This statement was conveyed by the Head of Academic Senate (SA) UI, Prof. DR. Dr. Budi Wiweko, SpOG(K), MPH, Int. Aff. RANZCOG, or more familiarly, Prof. Iko, in the Olahraga Bersama SA UI event, on Sunday, June 30, at the Depok UI campus. The Secretary General of the Indonesia Pickleball Federation (IPF), Dr. Susilo, D.Ed., was also present at the event.
According to Prof. Iko, who is the Advisor of the Pickleball UI Community, the development of the pickleball sports branch aims to improve the health of the academic community and take them to the 2024 National Sports Week (PON) held in Medan next September. “This is a new sport that is not difficult to play and is very fun. The activities and aerobics are good, not too energy-consuming, and not harmful for the elderly. In Indonesia, this sports branch has its federation and will participate in the 2024 PON exhibition. Therefore, UI certainly wants to take part in familiarizing this sport to the public,” he said.
Pickleball was popularized in Washington, the United States, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum in 1965 and began to thrive rapidly in Asia in 2010, specifically in the last five years for Indonesia. Dr. Susilo stated how this sport only acquired 25 players when it just started, but now has more than 5,000 players scattered across 34 provinces in Indonesia. “Pickleball has officially become part of the National Sports Committee of Indonesia and will take part as an exhibition branch in the 2024 PON next September,” he said.
Pickleball is a padel ball sport that combines tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements. The rules adopt the rules of the three sports, but lessen the strength and speed so it is easier and more relaxing. Pickleball rose rapidly due to the fact that this sport offers ease of playing, both in terms of physical and economic capabilities. Badminton, basketball, or an even playing field can all be used to play pickleball.
“You can play wherever, as long as the playing field is even. The cost of equipment is relatively affordable, starting from Rp200,000. The pickleball ball also has a long lifetime, around 3 to 6 months, compared to tennis balls or shuttlecocks. According to its jargon, easy and fun, this sport is easy and fun to learn,” said Dr. Susilo.
Meanwhile in Universitas Indonesia, the UI Pickleball Community was established in late 2022, starting from Handhika Suryaputra’s invitation, a Master’s student in Sports Psychology, to Prof. Hamdi Muluk, a professor of Political Psychology UI. Prof. Hamdi stated that this sport was initially done in the Sarana Olahraga (SOR) indoor field, however, because the reflectivity of the floor is not great, this sport was redirected to the basketball field at the Faculty of Psychology UI. The field was transformed into a three-plot pickleball arena with a roof and green marker lines, complete with a pickleball center which includes a gym facility, lockers, and a pickleball simulation wall.
According to Prof. Hamdi, pickleball reminds him of tennis because it uses a net. While the size of the field is the same as a badminton field, this sport uses a paddle that is smaller and lighter than the tennis racket, so it feels easier to control. Compared to a tennis or ping pong ball, the ball used in pickleball is round with a perforated surface and is made from plastic, generating lower reflection and slower movements. “This makes pickleball an ideal sport for every age, including ones only starting sports,” he said.
Currently, the number of UI Pickleball Community members reaches 140 which continues to increase. This community creates new motivation to stay fit through fun and minimal-risk sports in the academic community. For that, training is held routinely, three times a week, namely on Wednesday morning, Friday morning, and Saturday evening. For those without equipment, the community provides paddles and balls they can use for free. Shortly, the UI Cup Academic Senate Pickleball Tournament will be held on July 26 to 28, 2024.
