That’s right—for the first time ever, we are offering indoor pickleball classes! Rain or shine, we will have classes!

We are offering drop-in morning classes on Tuesdays (9:30—11 am) and Saturdays (9:30-11 am) at Dill Dinkers North Bethesda!

Taught by Coach Forrest Bankston (bio below), we’re offering classes for all levels (beginner, advanced beginner, intermediate) for 4-8 players.

About our pickleball programming:

Clinic + Guided Play:

Clinic + Guided Play pickleball classes are 1.5 hours long and provide Instruction, Drills, and Guided Play.

Class begins with technical instruction tailored to the level of the class and individual players, followed by select drills chosen to reinforce proper technique and create muscle memory.  The latter part of class provides opportunity for players to put in to practice what they have learned in actual point play.  During play, the instructor will observe all players’ technique, strategy, shot selection, movement patterns, and court positioning, intermittently stopping play to draw attention to areas of improvement appropriate to the players’ skill level (i.e. Guided Play).  Instructors will advise each player on specific areas of focus to best level up their game.

Pickleball camp:

We are also offering exclusive 2-day pickleball camps!

Our camps are 3-hours long on Saturday/Sunday for a total of 6 hours with general and individually-tailored Instruction, drills, and guided play. Players will be grouped by skill level.

Pickleball Camp for Beginners: Quick Start - Learn to Play! (for Beginners to Adv.Beginners 1.0 - 2.5), Oct. 4 & 5, 1-4 pm). This Quick Start camp is perfect for those wanting an overall introduction to the foundational skills, techniques, strategy, rules, and scoring as they explore pickleball for the first time or are early in their journey and want expert guidance to get started on the right foot for a lifetime of success.

Pickleball Camp for Intermediates: Level Up! (for Intermediates 3.0-3.5, Oct. 11 & 12 , 1pm-4pm). This camp is designed for Intermediate players looking to take their game to the next level.

For both camps, technical instruction is tailored to the level of the camp and individual players, and followed by challenging, fun, and scalable drills chosen to reinforce proper technique, create muscle memory, and set the stage to level up your game as far as you can take it.

Check back on Court Reserve every few weeks for more of these two-day camps, which Coach Forrest will be offering throughout the Fall.

Dates: Check Court Reserve for the season dates (our Tuesday/Saturday clinics will run thru late October). Classes will be held rain or shine as the courts are indoors! .

Price: $60/1.5 hour class and $375 for camps ). We unfortunately are not offering drop-in classes—yet!

-Where: Dill Dinkers North Bethesda (4942 Boiling Brook Pkwy, North Bethesda, MD)

About Coach Forrest:

Acclaimed player and coach Forrest Bankston is a certified pickleball professional rated at the highest UTRP level (P4 – Expert/Pro).  His tournament success enabled him to attain a debut world ranking near the top 100 within four months of first picking up a paddle, and has continued to include two national titles and dozens of medals in the Virginia, Maryland and DC area.  His love for playing the game is passed on to others through private lessons, clinics, camps, and programs, for which he developed a series of professionally planned specialty clinics and drills designed to develop players quickly, efficiently, and intentionally from any starting point to as high as the player strives.

Forrest’s non-pickleball background is in education, public health, and business entrepreneurship, and likes to meld these areas into pickleball by coaching others to help them level up their game (education), by sharing his enthusiasm for the sport and encouraging participation at all levels and ages towards developing habits of healthy and active lifestyles (public health), and now with us here at Lafayette Tennis Association to help lead our pickleball programming and share it throughout the community as much as possible!

As a tennis player, Forrest is also a USPTA Certified Teaching Professional and former NTRP 6.0 and Division I collegiate player and instructor with 20+ years experience, playing competitive juniors (8-18 yrs old) while maintaining high top state, regional, and national rankings in singles and doubles. He also served as a former member of the Junior Tennis Development Committee for the Georgia Tennis Association and developed multi-organizational partnerships to grow the sport of tennis through innovative programming throughout the metro-Atlanta area.