VIDEO: Warm free pickleball class for autistic and mentally disabled children

(NLDO) - Every Friday at 4 p.m., young people with autism, intellectual disabilities and Down syndrome can come to learn pickleball for free at Pickoball Saigon Club.

This is a class organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Sports Training and Competition Center in collaboration with Pickoball Saigon Club (An Lac Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), aiming to provide training and comprehensive development opportunities for young people with autism, intellectual disabilities and Down syndrome.

Ho Chi Minh City Sports Training and Competition Center in collaboration with Pickoball Saigon Club organized the first free pickleball class in Ho Chi Minh City.

VIDEO : The first free pickleball class in Ho Chi Minh City

Coach Ngo Hung Thuan is the one who directly guides students with a special approach. This method helps everyone, from children to adults and people with disabilities, to easily access and practice, creating the most favorable conditions for the process of getting acquainted with this sport.

"The curriculum is designed to be simple, without using a racket right away, but focusing on letting students throw the ball back and forth with their hands to get used to the ball" - Mr. Thuan shared.

"The first time I taught these special students, I was surprised by their determination. They just need to be active and positive to be able to practice Pickleball" - Mr. Hung Thuan shared.

Ms. Quach My Oanh, Head of the Executive Board of the Vietnam Disabled Sports Community, said that free pickleball classes help people with autism, intellectual disabilities, and Down syndrome practice concentration, motor skills, and especially communication skills.

Analyzing the benefits of Pickleball, Ms. Oanh, Head of the Executive Board of the Vietnamese Disabled Sports Community, said that this sport requires high concentration, coordination between hands, feet, eyes and whole body movements, thereby consuming a lot of energy. As an organizer of the disabled sports community, Ms. Oanh recognized the potential of Pickleball and the humanity in supporting disabled children to practice. The enthusiasm and understanding of the difficulties in motor skills of the coaching team also contributed to creating an ideal learning environment.

The class is held every Friday, from 4pm to 6pm, with 20 students registered through the Disabled Sports Community and the Ho Chi Minh City Sports Training Center. Ms. My Oanh hopes to expand the class size, welcome more students and find more coaches to meet the demand. In particular, she hopes that Pickleball will soon be officially included in sports competitions for people with disabilities.

Mr. Le Minh Quang, 30 years old, one of the students in the class, although he has learned basketball, swimming, athletics and soccer, Quang still finds Pickleball an easy subject for him: "The first time I came here, I was very happy, and I could play, I could hit, today learning Pickleball is not difficult, it is easy for me".

Currently and in the near future, the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City organizes free sports classes for people with disabilities as follows:

+ Pickleball (mobility disabilities): from April 25 to 27, 2025.

+ Judo for the blind: from May 16 to 17, 2025.

+ Archery (mobility disabilities): from May 23 to 25, 2025.

+ Boccia (cerebral palsy): from June 20 to 22, 2025.

+ Soccer (down, autism, intellectual disability): from October 17 to 19, 2025.

+ Swimming (down, autism, intellectual disability): from October 25 to 26, 2025.

+ Athletics (down syndrome, autism, intellectual disability): from October 25 to 26, 2025.

+ Bocce (down, autism, intellectual disability): from November 7 to 9, 2025.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/video-am-ap-lop-hoc-pickleball-mien-phi-cho-tre-tu-ky-khuet-tat-tri-tue-196250722162037752.htm