This Strategy Changed Our Pickleball Mindset Entirely

“You don’t win matches with the shots you hit…You win matches with the puzzle you solve…It’s a puzzle out here.” That’s how Dayne Gingrich wants you to think pickleball. Instead of focusing on each shot or trying to figure out what to do next, consider the puzzle in front of you and try to solve it.

But, who is Dayne Gingrich? And what exactly is this new mindset he’s teaching pickleball players across the country? That’s what today’s article is all about.

Before we go further, though, we want to warn you. This pickleball article (and Dayne’s Facebook video) may just change how you look at pickleball forever. It certainly did that for us.

Now, for those still with us, let’s discuss who Dayne Gingrich is.

Who is Dayne Gingrich?

Dayne Gingrich is a pro pickleball player and mindset coach. He is considered one of the top pickleball pros in the senior circuit. But, perhaps he is known best through his coaching program, The 1% Mindset. 

According to his site, “The 1% program is designed to force each client out of their comfort and redefine their personal expectations. Coach Dayne will increase your rate of success by improving your mental strength, self confidence, and creating intentional winning habits.”

Dayne has a background in tennis but fell in love with pickleball back around 2018 when his stepdad introduced him to it. Since then, he’s gone on to have great success in the senior circuit and shares his passion for coaching with as many players as he can.

Pickleball is a Puzzle…Huh?

In Dayne’s video and his coaching, he mentions that players often come to him and ask questions that typically revolve around which shot is best. Such as,

“Should I drive, or should I drop?”

“Should I attack, or should I reset?”

Which he says the answer to each of those questions should always be, “It depends.” 

He goes on to talk about how every game you play and who you are playing against should be treated as a puzzle. What worked against one player may not work against another one, especially as you advance in levels and competition–where the puzzle becomes much harder to solve. Too often, he says, players are so focused on shot selection that they forget to solve the puzzle right in front of them. 

“It depends on the information we are acquiring from our opponent,” he says around the 2:16 mark of the video. 

Change Your Mindset from What to Why

“Instead of thinking what you should do. I want to change your DNA out here to why.” When players ask what they should do, they aren’t going to get an answer they like from Dayne. Instead, he’s going to ask them why they think they should do that shot or that strategy. “When you start asking yourself and your partner that question (Why?), it’s amazing the clarity that comes in.”

Putting Dayne’s Mindset Into Practice

The next time you’re on the practice courts or playing in a game, and you start focusing too much on shot selection or doing a specific thing that maybe you’ve seen before or been practicing, it’s essential for you to ask yourself, “Why do I want to do that? Or why should I do that?”

For example, let’s say that you’ve been working on a third-shot drop and want to implement it more into your match. Ask yourself if it actually makes sense to use a third-shot drop against your current opponent. It may or it may not. But, you won’t know unless you ask yourself. Perhaps you think it’s the best strategy for that match or for that particular rally because you notice that your opponent doesn’t get up to the NVZ line quickly. Or perhaps, you notice that your opponent gets to the NVZ line too quickly, and you should drive the ball instead. 

If you don’t ask yourself why you’re choosing the current strategy or shot, then you may not even notice your opponents’ weaknesses. But, by asking, you are helping your mind develop the best strategy for the match you are currently in.

Hopefully, you can see the difference in this mindset. 

Conclusion

So, what do you think? Did this shift your thoughts about pickleball and how you play your matches? We know it did for us. We look forward to hearing more from Dayne and his teachings in the coming years. 

If you’d like to see Dayne and hear his take on shifting your pickleball mindset, here is his Facebook post once again.