# Free or Paid

By [Rika](https://paragraph.com/@rikasun) · 2024-05-25

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It’s my first time play pickleball at a public court today, it is different from a private court in that -

*   It’s free and outdoor
    
*   There is a long wait, advance players wait is much shorter
    
*   Bring your own racket
    
*   You got to observe other people play while you wait and learn from them.
    

Before this I have been going to private classes, and it has been great in that -

*   No wait, in and out
    
*   Air-conditioned and nice bathroom
    
*   rackets are provided
    
*   coach encourages you all the time and you are only comparing with yourself
    

So playing in the public court is like unleash a spoiled child to the wild world and feel the competition. It motivates you. It’s nice to be good at pickleball (which I am not yet) so there is less wait and people want to play with you (so is everything else in life). But before that I would continue to go to private courts, not only because I feel too naive to be out in the wild, but also people who choose private courts and lessons actually share the same value as me.

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*Originally published on [Rika](https://paragraph.com/@rikasun/free-or-paid)*