When you first want to take up pickleball, the reliable sources of information in Japan have so far centered on YouTube, blogs, and word of mouth at trial sessions. Now a new option is joining that mix: a book. Around July 13, 2026, Kojinsha will release the introductory title "Hajimete Miyou! Pickleball" (Let's Try Pickleball). It's an A5-size, 152-page volume priced at 1,800 yen (before tax). Covering everything from illustrated rules to how to hit a dink and eight practice drills in a single book, it finally gives beginners who have taught themselves by following videos a "textbook" they can keep at hand.
著者は元テニスコーチの上野風太氏、7月13日頃発売予定
刊行するのは京都に本社を置く出版社・虹有社。著者は上野風太氏で、スポーツマネジメント企業の創業メンバーを経てテニスコーチとして指導にあたり、現在はピックルボールの普及とコーチングに取り組む。ISBNは978-4-7709-0081-4、発行日は7月10日で、書店・オンライン書店への並びは7月13日頃を見込む。
本の構成は6章立てになっている。第1章でスポーツとしての成り立ちを押さえ、第2章でルール、第3章で始め方、第4章で「初心者がうまくなるための10のポイント」、第5章で練習法、第6章で健康面へと進む。サーブやリターン、グラウンドストローク、ボレー、そしてピックルボール特有のディンクまで、ショットごとに「コツ」と打ち方をイラストで解説する。ネット際でボールを浮かせて崩し合うディンクは、テニス経験者ほど力んで浮かせてしまいがちな技術で、静止画で軌道を確認できる紙の強みが出やすい領域である。
Why a print introductory book now?
日本でピックルボールが話題に上りはじめたのは、この1〜2年のことだ。書籍は企画から刊行まで半年から1年のリードタイムがかかるため、競技の急拡大に出版が追いついていなかった。日本語で読める本格的な紙の入門書はこれまでほぼ存在せず、初心者は英語のルールブックや個々の動画を継ぎ接ぎして学ぶしかなかった。今回の1冊は、その空白を埋める国内初クラスの本格入門書という位置づけになる。
Video has the strength of being able to show "movement," but it isn't well suited to covering the necessary items systematically and in order. Which shot to learn first, and which drills to lock it in with — laying out that learning path as a single line is the role of a book. Someone who has tried a rally once at a trial session reviews the rules and etiquette at home the next day. A print manual fits neatly into that "before and after the video" use.
The techniques and drills it covers
Organizing the elements the book covers brings the full picture of the learning into view.
| Domain | How the book treats it |
|---|---|
| Rules | Illustrated diagrams of the two-bounce rule, the non-volley zone, and more |
| Getting Started | How to find trial sessions, points for choosing gear, and on-court etiquette |
| Shot technique | The knack for seven types of shots including serve, return, groundstroke, volley, and dink |
| Practice methods | Eight drills including serve target drills, dink games, and skinny singles |
| Health side | The sport's characteristics that make it enjoyable regardless of age or fitness, and how easy it is to keep up |
The way "getting started" even includes how to find trial sessions and how to choose gear is especially practical. Paddles vary widely in both price and feel, and many beginners struggle to pick their first one. Combined with a place to demo paddles, this creates a flow where you learn the criteria from the book, then compare grips in person at the store.A specialty shop in Shibuya where you can demo 300 kinds of paddlesThe growing number of places like this also encourages the move to "study up with a book before choosing."
How players and instructors are receiving it
初心者を教える側からは、共通言語ができることを利点とする向きがある。体験会のたびに口頭でルールを説明していた指導者にとって、「この本の第2章を読んできて」と渡せる1冊は準備の負担を軽くする。
テニスや卓球からの転向組にとっても、活字で読める意味は小さくない。似て非なる競技だからこそ、既存スポーツの感覚をどう調整するかを落ち着いて確認できる媒体が求められてきた。一方で、実際のボールスピードやフットワークは静止画で伝わりにくく、動画との併用が現実的という見方もある。書籍と動画は競合ではなく、役割の異なる補完材と受け止める向きが多い。
As the base of the sport widens, YouTube-originated learning content is also lively.A YouTube project pairing a comedian with a playerのように動画側の入口が増えるほど、次に「体系的にまとめて学びたい」という需要が生まれ、紙の教本の居場所も広がる可能性がある。
How players in Japan can use it
The book's practical value lies with both self-learners and beginner communities. Someone starting on their own can read through the rules and etiquette before heading to a trial session and jump into a rally from the first time without inconveniencing those around them. Someone launching a circle or a workplace club can use it as a "shared text" to hand out to participants, cutting down on the effort of explaining while getting everyone on the same page.
If you're unsure of the order to learn things, first nail down the rules in Chapter 2 and how to get started in Chapter 3, then, once you're on the court, come back to the 10 points in Chapter 4 and the drills in Chapter 5 — this back-and-forth boosts the efficiency of self-study. Subtle techniques that decide wins and losses, like the dink and the third shot, tend to stick better if you understand the theory from a book first and then try it out with your body, rather than mimicking a video cold.
What it means to have an introductory book, and its ripple into the market
As the playing population grows, it's a natural flow for the learning infrastructure to diversify from a video-heavy layout into books, trial sessions, and specialty shops. Once a single print manual is out, there's room for a second and third book, and instructor-oriented texts, to follow on its foundation. As Japan's grassroots infrastructure comes together,The Japan federation's JSPO approvalProgress on the institutional side like this, advancing at the same time as a richer learning side in the form of books, thickens the foundation that lets beginners enter the sport with confidence.
The very fact that a pickleball book sits on the general shelves of a bookstore is itself a step in shifting the sport's image from a "passing boom" to a "sport you can keep learning." If a path forms that leads readers to trial sessions and stores, publishing works as a gateway to wider adoption.
Practical Information and Related Links
"Hajimete Miyou! Pickleball" is published by Kojinsha, A5 size, 152 pages, 1,800 yen (before tax). The ISBN is 978-4-7709-0081-4, and it is expected to be available at bookstores and online retailers nationwide from around July 13, 2026. It suits not only those about to start, but also those who have tried it once at a trial session and reached the point of wanting to know more.
活用のポイント
動画頼みだった国内の学習環境に、体系立てて読める1冊が加わった。独学派は発売後に1冊を手元に置き、第2章・第3章を通読してから最寄りの体験会を探すことが可能になる。仲間と始める人は、共通テキストとして配ることを検討したい。パドル選びで迷うなら、本で基準を学んだうえで試打できる専門店で握り比べるのが失敗の少ない進め方である。
