2 Ways to Ensure You Have Fun on the Pickleball Court Every Time

This weekend was the most fun I have ever had playing pickleball. Based on how much fun I had, you would think I went undefeated and won gold in both men’s and mixed doubles, but that wasn’t the case.

In the men's doubles, we got blown out in the first game. We won the second and third games and then came back from a 1-8 deficit to lose 11-13. Finally, in the last game, we lost in a back and forth game of 10-12.

In between games, I had the opportunity to watch one of my friends play. In terms of wins/losses, they finished higher than us but after the tournament he said, “Man, I had zero fun playing today.”

So… why did I have so much fun playing pickleball this weekend even though I didn't place first in my division?

1: Partner Chemistry

My partner and I have known each other for a while. We know each other's strengths/weaknesses and as a result, we know our roles the court. We focused on playing loose and having fun. We stayed positive and played our game when we were down big and when we were up big. This partnership is what allowed us to stay in the games and pull off some big runs and comebacks.

On the other hand, my friend had never met his partner. While I was watching, I could tell their chemistry was off. Afterward, he told me his partner's comments and negativity didn’t allow him to have fun and play his best.

Think back to all of the coaches you’ve had. There are some that come to mind that you loved playing for and others, not so much… It is different for everyone. Thinking back to my football days, some of my teammates played better after the coach got in their face and some ended up playing more tense leading to more mistakes.

The same goes for a pickleball partner. Play with people that pick you up, bring out your best, and love to compete. And same goes for you… try to be a positive, encouraging partner.

2: Focus on Competing vs .Winning 

I have been guilty of this in the past... It was either win or lose in my mind. This is something I can’t control. In doubles, there are 3 other people that contribute to winning or losing. It caused me to play tense and defensive rather than loose and offensive.

This weekend I focused on competing every point. Regardless of the score, we were on offense.

People seemed shocked that I was as happy as I was after a 11-13 loss and a 10-12 loss but I knew we gave it all we had. The games could’ve gone either way; we just made a few more mistakes than our opponent. But it felt good to lose from offense mistakes vs playing tense and defensive… we went down swinging.