The Mental Side of Pickleball and an Ugly Strategy for Winning
✅Paddle
✅Shoes
✅Balls
✅Socks
❓Head
How often do you step out on the court, with the days activities still swirling around in your head? Deadlines, people, traffic, you name it, it’s churning around in there. Adding those along with the random thoughts that pop up in your head during games, can leave you ill-equipped to play your best. Specifically, for me, I find myself in the middle of a game, often wondering how am I expected to return that spin serve when I’m actually thinking about what I’ll have for dinner later or, wondering why I didn’t dink center during the last point, rather than my drive into the net. These types of distractions pull you away from your best game and no brand of paddle or shoes is going to help eliminate them.
It’s easy for me to set my focus on researching and trying paddles or shoes, as my mind enjoys being single focused on things like that. I get fully absorbed in that activity so why does my mind wander during games? The short answer is: “Because I let it”.
Now I learned many volleys ago that I could be in the middle of an intense game, focused on winning and my mind will suddenly wander and start complaining about a bad call or a car alarm going off. These random pop up thoughts would throw off my concentration and drop my level of play. I would have a steep increase in unforced errors and lose my ability to play strategically, usually leading to an easy put away for my opponent. So, what did I do to try and fix it? Funny you should ask. I did some research and found some great information to reign in my all powerful whiffle ball of a brain.
Keeping Your Head Focused on the Game
Every time I play a sport, my intent is to win, whether it’s a rec or competitive match. That being said, my approach to each game is different.
Competitive Games
Competitive games involve some scouting (if possible), a strategy, and a focus on walking away as the winner. The plan is what I focus on at the start of a game, after a missed short or bad call, and usually before each side out with my partner (if playing doubles). The plan involves: taking a breath, thinking of the next shot, whether it is a serve, a return, or I am at the net and want to poach. Focusing on that next point clears my head of noise and the previous points, and helps me focus on the game. I still have random thoughts jump in, but I can easily let them drop to the court, as my priority is the plan.
Rec Games
My approach for rec games is similar, but much simpler. During these fun games, I focus on just 3 things:
1. Shot selection
· At the start of every point, I picture one shot I want to make in the point and how I am going to set it up.
· It may be my serve, a dink, or a shot to pull my opponent off the court.
2. Foot work
· Work to have my feet in a place where I can make a quality shot every time.
3. Slowing down the point
· Dinks and resets to set the tone of the point and to look for an opportunity to attack.
Head Still Busy and Interested in Going Deeper?
The descriptions above are fairly simplistic and if you are interested in going deeper and creating your own plan, here are some more details. I have always loved watching and playing tennis and was a big fan of Brad Gilbert back in the day. He played hard, was a great competitor, but was not always the most powerful or graceful guy on the court, yet he won. My appreciation for him grew even more after reading his book Winning Ugly. It’s a quick read and it offers some great suggestions on staying focused and playing “up.”
Note: Playing “up” requires your head to be completely engaged in your game.
What I Got from Winning Ugly
Here is the short version of my approach to games after reading Winning Ugly:
· Don’t let your opponent hit the ball the way they want to, make them move and adjust
· Winning ugly is: competing, trying, paying attention to what's really happening on the court between you and your opponent.
· Fundamental tenets:
o Take note of the weaknesses as well as the strengths of your opponents
o Have a game plan
o Understand that bad calls happen
o Use mental warfare, which means:
§ Deal with gamesmanship
§ Understand the strategy behind the game
§ Understand your weakness and recognize them
· The perfect match is finding a way to win that match.
o People are so preoccupied with thinking if they make a perfect shot, they'll win more
§ This is not true. In the end, the score is what matters
My Ugly Strategy for Winning
Here is what I do now to stay focused and get out of my head and stay in the game:
· Eliminate the random mind chatter, focus on the point
· Play in the moment
· Keep your mind where your body is
o Not what’s for dinner!
o Not why is that car horn blaring!
o Not why you missed the last shot!
o Not why they call that shot out!
· Focus on the now
o This point, this shot, this time
· Turn off your mind and refocus on the task at hand
o Breath
o Imagine the point or the first few shots
o Execute
§ Rinse and repeat
Stay in focus and in control
· Understand that we do not control our random thoughts and irrational feelings, but we can ignore them and focus on the present. So:
o Don’t dwell on points past
o Play the next point, then the next
o One at a time
Get into your own head and keep the focus on the game. You spend money on your equipment, use your mind and body to get the most out of it!
Let me know your thoughts on focus and strategy. Would love to hear your personal approach.
