One thing I know is that many (or most) of the things you learn can help you understand, do better with, or improve upon something else. So bear with me if this sounds a bit crazy. ​​

I took a break from my current writing project—an update of The Art of Pickleball--and headed to the living room. I'm not much on watching lots of TV, but I adore Shark Tank. (If you haven't watched this program, I urge you to give it a try.) I like the original sharks, but one of my other favorites is Chris Sacca, an investor in major online platforms, such as Twitter, Uber, Instagram, and Kickstarter; he also owns & operates Lowercase Capital, a venture capital fund.

Many of us get caught up in the idea that there’s a right and a wrong way to do things, and that includes playing pickleball. Since you're reading this post, I would guess that you'd like to find that "right" way, the one that works for most people, and steer away from the "wrong" ways that go against conventional wisdom.

I cite myself as a perfect example. When I was first learning pickleball, I searched for a book that would tell me how to play better. I also asked good players how they did what they did. Later, as I began compiling material for The Art of Pickleball, I realized that, while some techniques were suggested more often than others, there was still a fair amount of difference of opinion among the "experts."

​Making it more confusing is that new methods appear as the game evolves. Take the ready position, for example. For years, it was accepted that you should stand facing the net with your knees bent and your paddle in front of you aimed at the 12-o'clock position (as viewed from above). Recently, an alternative method emerged at the net, where the paddle is held in the backhand position, ready to volley the ball back over the net. Now that's being refuted. Which method is best?

My point isn't to argue about how you should hold the paddle but to emphasize that there isn't one right way to do anything in pickleball. Instead, there are accepted practices—until someone comes up with a better way. Sometimes those best practices work for you; sometimes they don't. You must be the judge.

Remember, too, that no two bodies are alike. The person suggesting you hold your paddle at a certain angle might be quicker than you in moving from one position to another. What works for her might be terrible in your hand. 

My advice is to check out different ways of doing things and settle (for now) on what seems best to you. When a new method comes along, embrace it if it's better. Just remember: there's no one right way to do anything in pickleball, or in life.

Photo credits: Sarah Ansboury and the RV Picklers, Paul Aaron, Deb Harrison, Simone Jardim, The Pickleball Channel, Stacie Townsend, and Mark Renneson.

Most of you who consistently try to get better at pickleball can probably remember a day (hopefully many) when you had an "AHA!" moment—when something clicked, made sense, or felt right for the first time. Armed with this new insight or technique, your game improved. You knew you finally had it—you'd figured it out. Then, when you’re weren't looking, that new technique or knowledge disappeared or devolved into an old pattern.

When you first "get it," you feel excited about the new technique. Perhaps you found out what you've been doing wrong with your backhand, or someone pointed out that you need to wait longer before hitting the ball. You managed to keep these things in mind for a while, but soon you were back to your old ways.

Sometimes, we really do turn over a new leaf and it grows into a tree (poor metaphor, but hey). More often we return to old patterns without ever meaning to. So when they do stick, and what makes the difference?

The Missing Element

We don’t have a hope of keeping a new technique unless we use it in regular practice. The old conditioning of your muscles and your mind is too strong for your mindful desire to change to be enough. You must condition that new technique until your muscles and mind don't remember the old way.

You Need to Practice

Just a short amount of mindful practice of your new technique every day is enough to get a foothold and start to dissolve the reflexive nature of the old behavior. It isn't a good idea to focus on more than one thing at a time. Give your mind and body a chance to engrain the new pattern before working on something else.

It might be as easy as taking five minutes out of your morning couples game to have your partner reinforce the new pattern, either by hitting balls to you or watching to make sure you're returning them correctly. No doubt your friends could use practice, too, so you'll all benefit.

Doing even a little bit of the new technique routinely starts to break down the automatic nature of doing the old one. The new way happens without thinking about it more often. Gradually, the new way becomes natural.

The "AHA!" moment is only the first step on the road to improving your game. You really change when this new way of playing feels natural, and for that to happen, you need to practice.

It's funny how things come together sometimes to bring home a lesson. Recently, my "coincidence karma" has functioned well, and information I needed has come via unusual sources.

I subscribe to a blog by a man who espouses mindfulness, among other things. His most recent post described information he'd gleaned from a book about tennis written in the 1970s. The blogger wasn't interested in tennis, but he was fascinated by Dr. Simon Ramo's premise that most of us play the "loser's game," where a win is the result of the loser's actions rather than any talented play by the winners. 

Contrast that with the "winner's game" played by professionals. Their game features excellent serves, intense focus and preparation for each shot, long, spectacular rallies, and brilliant recoveries. In time, someone takes a risk and attempts a put-away shot or precisely targets a shot that's unrecoverable. At this level, winning points—rather than making mistakes—determines the outcome of the game.

Amateurs lose points. Professionals win points. ​

If you've been struggling to take your game to the next level, but you're stuck on a plateau, you might be able to blame your disposition. Research shows that your personality type may have something to do with whether or not you'll take home a medal at the next tournament. 

Physical abilities, such as strength, endurance, and speed, are usually foremost in people's minds when they discuss athleticism, but they alone are not what determine greatness. Things like the ability to remain calm under pressure or to spot an opponent's weakness, or the stamina to stick with a training regimen are traits that come from within and are often defined by our personality. 

Psychologists use two main models to categorize personality. For many years, trait-based assessments were the norm. These assessments categorized individuals based on where they fell along a bipolar scale ("Are you outgoing or shy?"). Recently, the 'five factor model' has gained more favor, and it's been used in studies linking personality with medal-winning performance. The five factors are:

• Openness
• Conscientiousness
• Extraversion
• Agreeableness
• Neuroticism

With regard to each factor, individuals may score high, low, or anywhere in between.  I won't go into great detail about the factors in this post, but you may read more here. If you want to learn where you fall on the scale, click this link to take the five factor test.

In general, medal-winning athletes score higher on the factors of openness (specifically optimism), conscientiousness (self-determination), extraversion (being extroverted), and agreeableness than do non-medal winners. In contrast, medal winners score lower on neuroticism (impulsivity and anxiety). Also, extraverted athletes outperform introverted athletes when an audience is present. Studies also found that anger can have a positive effect on sport performance, but only for athletes with high levels of extraversion. 

Sports competitions that involve communication and social interaction (like pickleball doubles) are well suited to extraverted individuals. Athletes are found to be more committed to their athletic partnership when they or their partners rate themselves as highly agreeable, conscientious, or open to new experiences. It's worth noting that participation in sports (specifically, having to communicate and cooperate with others) also develops personality characteristics that are desirable for sports excellence, such as extraversion. Interesting also is that athletes in team sports show higher levels of extraversion and lower levels of conscientiousness than do individual sport athletes. 

So, as a pickleball player who wants to improve your game—what can you do with this information? You can try to change your personality. Take the five-factor personality profile test and discover which elements of your personality might be adversely affecting your game. Then you might follow in the footsteps of those in one study, where the participants successfully achieved change and improved their sporting abilities. 

After taking the test, the participants decided how many traits they wanted to change. This included finding ways of achieving this change. Progress was measured weekly, at which time the participants also completed a writing task that asked, "what would it look like if you attained your desired changes?" The purpose of this step was to envision the specific changes they would like to make. These participants achieved notable success.

I found it interesting to learn that people's personalities do change in relatively predictable patterns over time. As people mature, they become generally more agreeable, conscientious, and emotionally stable. This is good news for those of you (and me) who are seniors. Of course, no amount of personality alteration can bridge the gap between the body of a 65-year-old and a 25-year-old playing against each other on the court, but every little bit helps.

I'm not suggesting you stop practicing and concentrate only on becoming more amiable. But if  you work on being less anxious (more relaxed) and less impulsive (a better planner), and if you focus on success, think positively, and determine to achieve the gold, you've got a better chance of doing it. Any athlete, of any age, who wants to achieve in life and sport can benefit from this advice.

References:
Allen, M. S., Greenlees, I., & Jones, M. V. (2013). Personality in sport: A comprehensive review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 6, 184-208.

PsychologistWorld.com. Five-Factor Model of Personality: How the 'super traits' of the Five Factor Model explain differences in personality and the way people behave.
​https://www.psychologistworld.com/personality/five-factor-model-big-five-personality