Pickleball's three major leagues
The pickleball pro scene is made up mainly of three big tours and leagues: the APP (Association of Pickleball Professionals), the PPA (Professional Pickleball Association), and MLP (Major League Pickleball). Each has different features and enlivens the pickleball competitive scene from multiple angles.
| League | Format | Features |
|---|---|---|
| APP | Centered on individual competition (pro-am mixed) | More than 20 tournaments a year. Pros and amateurs can compete in the same place |
| PPA | Individual competition, pros only | The highest prize money and high-quality video broadcasts |
| MLP | Team vs team | Highly entertaining with the draft and DreamBreaker |
The PPA Tour and MLP integrated under a holding company in 2024, but their respective brands and match formats are maintained. The current form is a calendar where individual competition (PPA) and team competition (MLP) are combined throughout the year. The APP has also added team-format tournaments from 2024, broadening the range of formats.
The APP Tour
The APP Tour is a pro tour that holds more than 20 tournaments a year across the US. It accepts a wide range of participants, from pro categories to amateur categories, and a hallmark is that pros and amateurs can compete at the same event.
The total prize money is also increasing year by year, driving the expansion of the pickleball competitive scene. Tournaments are held in four categories: men's doubles, women's doubles, mixed doubles, and singles. Because pros and amateurs can compete at the same venue, the appeal unique to the APP is that when you go to watch, you feel a closeness that makes you think "someday I want to try entering too." With a tour format that circles various locations, the ease of spectating also spreads region by region.
PPA Tour
The PPA Tour is the pinnacle pro tour of the pickleball world. World top-ranked players compete, and the prize money is at the highest level among the tours. TV broadcast contracts are also well developed, raising pickleball's value as a "sport to watch."
The PPA's features are strict participation standards that only allow pro players and high production-quality video streaming. Match broadcasts with commentary are ideal for deepening your understanding of tactics. The camerawork and slow-motion replays are also well developed, letting you check top players' shot precision in fine detail. Because world top-ranked players gather, if you want to see high-level rally exchanges, PPA matches are the first recommendation.
MLP (Major League Pickleball)
MLP is a team-vs-team league, a format different from traditional tournaments. It's characterized by highly entertaining operation with a draft system, team ownership, and rally-point scoring. The tiebreak method called the DreamBreaker is MLP's showcase that most excites the crowd. The flow of teams splitting up men's and women's singles and doubles and finally settling it with a tiebreak creates a sense of unity unique to team competition. Even for people watching a sport for the first time, MLP's appeal is that it's easy to get into with the feeling of rooting for a team.
Introducing the world's top players
Ben Johns（Ben Johns）
The absolute king of the pickleball world, ranked No. 1 in the world. The first player in history to simultaneously hold the No. 1 ranking in all categories (singles, doubles, and mixed doubles). Also known for his contract with JOOLA, the perfection of his technique and the precision of his tactics are such that he's likened to "Picasso."
Anna Leigh Waters（Anna Leigh Waters）
The queen of women's pickleball. Appearing on the pro scene as a teenager, she continues to reign at the top of the women's singles and doubles rankings with overwhelming strength. Her doubles team with her mother, Leigh Waters, is one of the most successful pairings in pickleball history.
Tyson McGuffin
A top pro known for a powerful style. A former tennis player, his forte is a fierce drive and aggressive net play.SelkirkHe also thrives as an ambassador for. His flashy style that gets the crowd going is a figure that symbolizes pickleball's "show" side.
Catherine Parenteau
A French-Canadian player who is always in the mix at the top of the women's pro ranks. Her soft-game precision is extremely high, and her patience and accuracy in dink rallies stand head and shoulders above the rest. Her style of breaking down opponents with control rather than pushing with power is a player with much to learn from for those aiming to improve.
Editor's Note
If you're watching for the first time, start with a match between Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters. Just watching the top players' dink exchanges and third-shot precision conveys pickleball's depth all at once.
Other players to watch
There are others, too: Jay Devilliers, popular for his powerful play, and Federico Staksrud, who rose to prominence young — distinctive top pros enliven each league. Once you find a favorite player, watching instantly becomes more fun. Following the SNS of a player you want to root for also makes it easier to keep up with information on the tournaments they enter.
How to enjoy spectating
Focus on tactics
When watching pro matches, focus on shot selection and shot-placement patterns. In what situations they hit a drop, the timing of using a lob, the criteria for deciding on a poach — it's packed with hints you can directly apply to your own play.
Positioning
Pro players' on-court positioning is textbook. When you watch mindful of positioning — their stance at the kitchen line, the distance from their partner, transition movement — the learning deepens.
How to watch
Many APP and PPA matches have highlights and full matches available on YouTube. MLP matches are also streamed, so you can watch from Japan in real time or from the archive. English commentary is standard, but just watching the play is plenty enjoyable. Watching at reduced playback speed makes it easier to follow top players' fine racket work and steps.
Tips to enjoy your first spectating more
Until you get used to it, there tends to be too much information and it's confusing. Keeping the following points in mind makes spectating even more fun.
Watch "one rally" deeply rather than a whole match
Watching a whole match from the start makes it hard to keep your focus. First focus on one rally, and watching while thinking "why did they hit to that spot?" reveals the intent behind the tactics.
Look for scenes close to your own level
Not only the top players' superhuman play, but also focusing on recovering from mistakes and the basics of serve and return makes it applicable to your own play. For those who want to know the stages of skill,the differences from tennisgrasping this together deepens your understanding.
Summary
Watching pro pickleball contributes greatly not only as entertainment but also to improving your own play. Because the APP, PPA, and MLP each have different formats, a recommended way is to compare them — pure ability battles in the individual-competition PPA, and the elation of rooting for a team in the team-competition MLP.
First, start by watching matches of top players like Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters on YouTube. Just following the gamesmanship of one rally will surely convey pickleball's depth and excitement. Once you find a favorite player, following the tournaments they enter is the surest way to enjoy spectating for the long haul.
You can enjoy spectating even without knowing the rules
You may think "I can't enjoy it unless I know the detailed rules," but there's no need. If you grasp at minimum the following three things, you can follow the match flow even at your first spectating.
| Points to grasp | Details |
|---|---|
| Kitchen (non-volley zone) | You can't hit without a bounce in the area near the net |
| dink | The gamesmanship of softly dropping shots at each other along the kitchen edge |
| How points are scored | Depending on the league, it differs whether a point is scored on every rally or only by the serving side |
Just being mindful of these three reveals "why they slow down the speed here" and "why they push forward."the differences from tennisGrasping this in advance makes the narrowness of the court and the meaning of the kitchen sink in even more.
How to follow your favorite player and tournament schedules
A tip for enjoying spectating for the long haul is to decide on one player to root for. Once you have a favorite, you'll care about that player's wins and losses and naturally want to follow their matches.
Following the player's SNS (especially Instagram) will bring you their tournament entries and how they're preparing. Tournament schedules can be checked on the PPA Tour's official schedule, and the streaming URLs can be traced from there too. Watching aimed at the events your favorite player enters keeps your spectating motivation going.
Frequent words flying around during spectating
Even in matches with English commentary, knowing a few terms makes the flow instantly easier to understand. We've compiled the words worth grasping before spectating.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dink | A shot softly dropped along the kitchen edge |
| the third shot drop, | The starting point of a development that sinks the third shot to the net |
| ATP (Around the Post) | A flashy shot that curves around the outside of the net post and into the court |
| Erne | A technique of moving around beside the kitchen and striking first at the net |
| Poach | A volley that steps in front of your partner and intercepts |
When these come up in the commentary and you can tell "that was an Erne," the awesomeness of top play is conveyed in a hands-on way. For those who want to know more terms,the differences from tennisreading this together deepens your understanding right down to the background of the court and shots.
Three ways of watching to apply spectating to your own play
Rather than just gazing, just changing your way of watching a little turns spectating into "teaching material for improvement."
1. Watch the feet, not the ball
You tend to follow the flying ball with your eyes, but the hints for improvement are in the top players' footwork and speed of recovery. Just imitating the movement of returning to a neutral position right after hitting changes the stability of your rallies.
2. Focus on the battle of patience in front of the kitchen
The higher the level of a match, the longer the dink exchange along the kitchen edge continues. Following the gamesmanship of that "battle of patience" — who first creates an opening to attack — reveals the importance of the soft game.
3. Rewind the scenes where the score moved
Looking back at the few shots just before a point was scored reveals "why it broke down." With a streaming archive you can rewind and check, so it's perfect for practicing putting scoring patterns into words.
FAQ
Where can I watch the pickleball pro leagues?
APP and PPA matches have highlights and full matches available on YouTube, and MLP also has streaming. You can watch from Japan in real time or from the archive; English commentary is standard, but just watching the play is enjoyable.
What's the difference between the APP, PPA, and MLP?
The APP is pro-am mixed and centered on individual competition, the PPA is pros only with the highest prize money and high-quality broadcasts, and MLP is characterized by team-vs-team entertainment. In 2024 the PPA and MLP integrated under a holding company, but the brands and formats are maintained.
Who is the No. 1 pickleball player in the world?
On the men's side it's Ben Johns, the first player in history to simultaneously hold world No. 1 in all categories. On the women's side, Anna Leigh Waters has long reigned at the top.
What should I focus on when spectating to help me improve?
Focusing on shot selection and shot placement, positioning at the kitchen line, and the timing of using drops and lobs lets you directly apply it to your own play.
Can I watch pro pickleball tournaments in Japan?
The major leagues are centered on North America, but you can watch from Japan via streaming. The official channels of MLP, the PPA, and the APP, and YouTube archives, are the entry points.
Related Articles Worth Reading
- What Is MLP (Major League Pickleball)? The League's Structure and Players to Watch
- The Pickleball Scene in Canada | The State and Growth Background of North America's No. 2 Market
- The State of Pickleball in India | Potential in a 1.3-Billion-Person Market and Key Players
- The State of Pickleball in the UK | An Analysis of the Boom in a Tennis Powerhouse
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