Parkinson's and Pickleball

Andy Leighton and his wife Helen discuss the positive effects on living with Parkinson's and playing Pickleball since 2011.

Pittsburgh pickleball tournament attracts more than 400 players while raising money for Parkinson Foundation

Pickleball player and Parkinson’s patient Andy Leighton can attest to the sport’s benefits.

“I love the closeness of it,” Leighton says. “You’re closer to your opponents than you are in tennis, and that fosters a social relationship that you won’t get in tennis or most other sports.”

Leighton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease about six years ago. Off the court, his symptoms will flare and his body will shake. But once he has a pickleball paddle in his hand, everything changes.

“My wife took me to a tournament — entered us in a tournament — didn’t tell me a thing about the sport, and I’m a tennis player,” Leighton says. “When I tried to apply my tennis skills, you can only do so much of that, so I suffered a little bit. And then I caught on. Now I’m a monster.”

Pittsburgh City Paper (June 28, 2017) Read More

For more articles and videos regarding Pickleball and Parkinson's, check out this Port Townsend Pickleball search stream and the Gamma Pickleball Classic "Why Pickleball" page

Annie Murphy Paul: Why Teaching Someone Else is the Best Way To Learn | TIME.com

“If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it.” – Yogi Bhajan. 

“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.” –Khalil Gibran.

"For thousands of years, people have known that the best way to understand a concept is to explain it to someone else. “While we teach, we learn,” said the Roman philosopher Seneca.

Now scientists are bringing this ancient wisdom up to date, documenting exactly why teaching is such a fruitful way to learn — and designing innovative ways for young people to engage in instruction."

Read More:
Annie Murphy Paul: Why Teaching Someone Else is the Best Way To Learn | TIME.com