CLIFTON PARK — As I attempt to hit the hovering orb, Obi-Wan Comito cheers me on with infectious enthusiasm.
My swing misses.
Our goal isn’t to destroy the Death Star, but rather to introduce me to the game of pickleball at the Southern Saratoga branch of the Capital District YMCA on a bright Thursday morning.
My mentor for the day is Susan Comito, who was recently voted as the top pickleball instructor in a Pickleball518 poll with over 350 participants. It seemed like a fun and fitting way to highlight her story by learning the game under her guidance.
That was a pickleball whizzing past me from her racket last week, while my playing partner, Jennifer Kendrick, the CDYMCA pickleball program director and Comito’s regular doubles partner, echoed Comito’s words of encouragement.
“Go for it, Mike!”
I understand.
It doesn’t take long to see why Comito is so adored as a pickleball instructor. Her 32 years of experience as a retired physical education teacher in the South Colonie School District is evident in this enlightening lesson.
As a child, I played badminton, took tennis lessons, and enjoyed ping pong during rainy vacation days at Whispering Woods on Long Lake. I’ve also played racquetball. So, I have a bit of a history with racquet sports.
Pickleball, which continues to gain popularity in the U.S. — the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) reported in 2023 that it was the fastest growing sport in the U.S. for the third consecutive year — should have been a natural fit for me. But it wasn’t.
That’s why having an excellent teacher like Comito is invaluable.
Not surprisingly, she is also a successful amateur player, having won the 2023 women’s singles senior national championship and a gold medal at the 2023 Senior Olympics. In January, she and Kendrick won a bronze medal for women’s doubles in the World Pickleball Tour Amateur Invitational Championship in Texas.
“We introduced it in our phys ed classes, using wooden paddles with countless holes in them,” she recalls after our lesson. “I enjoyed it, and so did the kids, because it’s a game that, in my opinion, anyone can play.
“After I retired and my sister passed away suddenly, I was in a sad place and decided I needed something to lift my spirits. Sports have always been my go-to in difficult times. When you have a bad day, you go to practice … it was something like that.”
Once she started taking the sport more seriously, Comito emerged as a player of national caliber.
Then, the player became the teacher, once again.
“I’ve always had a passion for teaching,” she says. “So I thought, ‘Why not teach pickleball?’ I was retired, I needed something to do, my husband was still teaching phys ed, my kids are all set.
“So I took Level I instruction and knew this wasn’t enough for me. I advanced to Level II, because that’s something I’m familiar with. Level II allows you to watch someone play, analyze their game, and break it down to the biomechanics, if necessary.”
Comito’s pickleball students come from a wide range of ages and skill levels.
In my case, she’s teaching a 62-year-old who can still move a bit, and has a certain level of confidence based on some experience with various racquets.
I miss again.
The pickleball is essentially a Wiffle Ball, the paddle is about twice the size of a ping pong paddle, the net is just 34 inches high and the small court doesn’t seem too intimidating to cover.
Until you miss. Or step into the “kitchen,” a narrow area marked by a line seven feet from the net, and attempt a slam off a volley. No slamming allowed if your feet are in the kitchen.
It takes me a while to understand how the ball bounces off the floor and the boundaries of where shots need to go, but even after I get into a bit of a rhythm, I miss shots right in front of me, or get caught out by poor footwork.
“For me, even when you first came in here, giving up at the net, I hit back and forth just to see your mechanics,” Comito says. “To see your hand-eye coordination. I was basically assessing your basic ball-hitting skills.
“And then I usually proceed from there. If you’re very good and I need to challenge you, then I’ll set up targets. So I’ll say, ‘OK, Mike. You’re really getting this serve in. You’re serving it deep. Let’s maybe try some targets.’ So I adjust my teaching to the level of my student.
“I’m comfortable in a gym. I’ve been doing it since I was 19 years old. So that’s why I feel so comfortable in here. You put me at a cash register, anywhere else … but in a gym, that’s where I feel the most comfortable.”
It’s not unusual for Kendrick to check in on Comito at home and find her tweaking a lesson.
Comito is also excited about starting an agility/strength class at the Y specifically for pickleball.
“Even in private lessons, I’ll ask my students, ‘What do you need? I will tailor my lesson around you,’” she says. “I have a template, of course, but my lesson plans — and this was how I taught, too — are always tailored to my audience.
“Even with you, let’s just do this quickly, get you out there playing, because you had some skills … you were using your wrist, you stopped doing that in the end.”
“I didn’t even notice,” I admit.
So I get a rundown of the rules from Comito and Kendrick, we hit some balls around, then we play two games, up to 11, the first of which Comito wins 11-0.
“We just got pickled,” Kendrick informs me with a cheerful grin.
We don’t get pickled a second time. But we do lose again.
Comito tells me what an honor it is to have been voted best instructor in the Pickleball518 poll, “because there are so many great coaches. And that could’ve been shared. I was honored because people believed in me, and they let me come in and teach, and I always thank them for the opportunity. That’s just who I am.
“Honestly, my most important thing is them continuing the sport. Them enjoying the sport, and laughing when they’re out there.
“I had a gentleman, his wife wants to take my classes, but he said she’s a little shy or whatever. I said, ‘Bring her. She’ll be fine with me.’ Sometimes people do need that reassurance.”
Oh, and for anyone who thinks pickleball is just a leisurely game of hitting a plastic ball, I went for a run the morning after my half-hour lesson and could still feel the effects of the pickleball in my hips and the backs of my thighs.
It felt good out there, but let’s just say I didn’t make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
Agree. Sounds like a great way to experience the excitement of pickleball without getting directly involved.
Agree. Watching from the stands allows you to appreciate the game from a different perspective and still enjoy the excitement.