Vera Ilyina – Co-Founder and Coach PROpickleball

Fast and clear start

Vera does not overload a first lesson with theory. She breaks movement into understandable elements and immediately connects them to play: how to serve, where to stand, how to keep score, what to do at the kitchen line and how to work with a partner. The goal is to move to real rallies as early as possible.

Sports achievements

Vera is an active competitive player with Russian and international experience.

• August 1, 2026 — first place at First Summer Club × Winline Championship.
• Winner of HOLEY BALL CUP #2 2026 in the Advanced category in mixed doubles with Nikolay Chernyshov.
• Bronze medalist at the international Blue Bay Cup 2025 in China in mixed doubles with Nikolay Chernyshov.
• First place in the team tournament at Salyut Geraklion.
• First place among women at the Battle of the Sexes tournament at Heraklion.
• Participation in international tournaments and games in different countries
• Has a profile and rating in the international DUPR system.

Two years of individual table tennis training

Before pickleball, Vera trained in table tennis with a personal coach for two years and competed in tournaments. That background developed ball feel, coordination, contact precision, compact movement and quick hands — all especially useful in short exchanges at the net.

• Two years of individual table tennis training.
• Tournament experience in table tennis
• Background in competitive swimming.
• Choreography experience: coordination, balance and movement control.

Coaching practice

Vera is an authorized pickleball instructor and PROpickleball coach. She works both with people picking up a paddle for the first time and with players who want to become more confident in doubles and prepare for their first competitions.

• Private training.
• Two-person sessions.
• Group training.
• Master classes for adults, children and families.
• Game sessions and support for beginners in club play.
• Preparation for first matches and tournaments.

Co-founder PROpickleball

Vera is one of the two creators of PROpickleball. In the project, she is responsible not only for training but also for community, communication and the participant journey: from the first inquiry to repeat play, regular club sessions and events.

• PROpickleball co-founder together with Nikolay Chernyshov.
• Participation in strategy, marketing and development of the club community.
• Participation in creating training programs, Open Play, tournaments, master classes and events.
• Work on customer experience and the beginner's transition to regular play.
• In 2026, she said in a public interview that the sports community had grown to 750 participants.

Children, families and schools

Together with Nikolay, Vera has run master classes for schoolchildren and parents. This experience helps her lead family sessions where participants differ in age and sports background but all need an engaging and manageable game at the same time.

• Seven school master classes as part of developing PROpickleball's junior program.
• Events at Moscow schools No. 1576, No. 1355 and No. 1347.
• Experience working with children and parents at the same time.
• Adapt drills to age, coordination and sports experience.

International Practice and DUPR

Vera has played pickleball in different countries, competed in international tournaments and faced players from different schools of play. This experience helps explain the difference between relaxed club play and a match where positioning, doubles interaction and the quality of decisions under pressure matter.

Promoting pickleball

Vera represents PROpickleball at sports and educational events and helps introduce the game to people who had never heard of pickleball before.

• Presentation of pickleball at the international forum Russia — Sports Power.
• Master classes for schoolchildren, parents and university audiences.
• Participation in the development of PROpickleball's junior, family and club programs.
• Participation in international development and communications around competitions.

Media

Vera appears in the media as a coach, club co-founder and representative of the Russian pickleball community.

• Vechernyaya Moskva presented Vera as a pickleball ambassador and founder of a pickleball club.
• Komsomolskaya Pravda quoted Vera as a pickleball coach and described her table-tennis background.
• The Moscow Center for Educational Practices presented Vera and Nikolay as authorized instructors at school master classes.

Education

Vera graduated from Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Her technical education complements her coaching style: a complex movement is broken into clear steps, and the student understands not only what to do but why it matters in a rally.

Who the sessions suit

Новичкам без ракеточного опыта, детям и взрослым, семьям, игрокам после длительного перерыва и тем, кому важны спокойное объяснение, внимательная обратная связь и понятный переход от тренировки к самостоятельной игре.

Main directions

Первое знакомство с пиклболом, правила и счёт, координация и чувство мяча, положение корпуса и баланс, компактная техника, подача и приём, движение по корту, мягкая игра, линия кухни, контроль мяча, взаимодействие с партнёром, основы парной тактики, персональные и семейные занятия, игровые сессии и подготовка к первым соревнованиям.