“I’m just not playing well today.” “Sorry, I keep messing up.” “I just can’t play well in this wind.”
“My game is off.”
Any of those sound familiar? I’d wager that you’ve probably said at least one of these statements at some point in your pickleball career, and you’ve likely heard them a multitude of times from different partners.
I can talk all day long about proper body mechanics, technique, positioning, strength, and flexibility, but few things will truly have as great of an impact on your day-to-day games and ability to advance than your perspective and mental perseverance.
Next time you’re waiting for a court to open up, pay attention to the mental game that happens out there. In a game of fairly evenly matched players, the competitors with greater mental fortitude will usually walk away with victory. You’ll even see turnarounds where people will snatch victory after being down 1-10 just because they picked up a couple of points and got into their opponents heads.
The list of what exactly happens regarding a player’s mental game is probably longer than I can type about, but logically a few key things happen when players begin to ‘defeat themselves.’
Patience and shot selection. Patience is one of the most critical attributes a player can demonstrate. The more mental pressure there is during a game, the more likely a player is to make unforced errors as they seek quick and often risky ways to end the rally in their favor.
Paddle grip. A cool, calm, and collected player is usually going to have a pretty easy time maintaining a light grip on their paddle, which is critical for performing effective drops and dinks. A player who’s in their own head is going to be more likely to default to gripping their paddle tightly, resulting in more popped balls and overall worse ‘finesse’ shots.
Coordination: When one or both players on one side are beginning to lose their moxie, coordination has a tendency to fall apart. People often start to poach shots that they shouldn’t, and you’ll find that players can start to get in each other’s way more often. Lower confidence in one’s game also will likely lead to players performing key tasks such as getting to the kitchen more slowly and uncertainly.
Teamwork: Not long ago, I reviewed a very interesting research study on teamwork and wins. Players who praised each other and engaged in touch activity (such as a paddle tap) were more likely to win games! This type of communication and interaction is much more likely to happen between players who are calm and level headed.
There are certainly more things that impact a player who begins to adopt a more ‘defeatist’ perspective on their game, but I think you get the general idea!
When in doubt, it’s always to your benefit to put things into perspective. Win or lose, the only way you won’t become a better player is if you give up or keep yourself rooted in place. The point that’s in the past is done and over with, but the next one is still on the table.
Keeping your cool under pressure is such a critical skill to have not only for pickleball, but, well… for everything else you could possibly want to do in life. Going back to my own field of work, perspective and psychology have a huge impact on pain, injury recovery, and overall physical function.
So get out there and win some games, and lose some games. Just make sure that the person you’re losing to is never you.
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As the owner of Serendipity Physical Therapy and Wellness, I’m an avid pickleball addict in Naples, Florida, with a goal of keeping pickleball players moving at their best and injury free. I work with players for anything ranging from reducing various pains, weakness, or tightness, to helping with injury prevention, proper conditioning, and good technique.
If you’re new, you can check out more of my advice and content here: https://www.serendipityptw.com/blog.
If there is anything I can help you with or you have questions, please give me a call at (239) 232-8155, or send me an email at Contact@SerendipityPTW.com. I would love to see how I can help get you moving at your best!
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