Introducing UMICH Pickleball Club’s Michael Kaye

Michael went on to play tennis at Grand Valley State University and earned his undergraduate degree in business. He says he was an average college-level tennis player that played with a big serve and massive forehand. After graduating, Michael played volleyball for fun and exercise but ended up hurting his knee. In a bid to continue exercising, a buddy of his prompted him to play pickleball, thinking it would be a temporary hobby that wouldn’t be too high-impact on his knee. Before they knew it, Michael and his friend were playing three to four times a week, signed up for a 4.0 tournament, and won.

 Michael standing in the center of the back row. SOURCE: UOFMPICKLEBALLCLUB/INSTAGRAM

Michael’s pickleball playstyle shows some clear carryover from his big serve, big forehand tennis days. Never have I before seen a player whack a pickleball so hard and so fast. Not even kidding, the first time I’d ever played Michael, the pace he put on the ball was so surprising that I served, he returned, and the ball hit me in the leg. Michael says he’s not sure how he developed such a wicked fast forehand, but thinks it could be related to his hours of practice hitting off baseball tees as a child, where rotating the hips to generate torque and create power is reinforced. And this training worked: Michael’s first ever hit as a high schooler was a home run. As a pickleballer, Michael enjoys moving up to the net and being in the finishing position, where he can use his power to hit kill shots. Areas he wants to improve in include general fitness and movement as well as his patience in waiting for good finishing opportunities.

Currently, Michael is in the process of completing a Master’s in Biostatistics and Data Science at the University of Michigan and plans on working on the business side of data science upon graduating. He joined the pickleball team in fall of 2023 and has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity, looking back especially fondly on memories like the National Collegiate Tournament in Georgia, where he remarked some of the energy was reminiscent of that of his old college tennis days. Michael currently sits at a 4.577 DUPR rating and plans to continue playing in the future, hoping to expand his play from vast-majority doubles to some more singles action.

Michael lets loose one of his signature forehands SOURCE: UOFMPICKLEBALLCLUB/INSTAGRAM

Michael’s journey from baseball to tennis to pickleball has shown his passion for sports and ability to master new challenges, and he’s developed an ever-positive, super-friendly demeanor along the way. Being teammates with Michael is awesome – as long as his forehand isn’t aimed my way.