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Overcoming Fear on the court

1/10/2020

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Picture
​Copyright Frankie Lopez (https://unsplash.com/@frankielopez)
Recently, A.J. Fraties wrote a blog post that resonated with me. His topic was how anxiety and depression adversely affected his pickleball game. I don't suffer from such diagnosed conditions, but I relate strongly to the feelings of anxiety he described when playing on the courts. 

A.J.'s post (you can read it here) covers the many methods and tricks he tried to overcome his fears. These ranged from the usual (meditation, hydration, proper eating habits) to the unusual (paying a friend to cheer for him). He says all worked to some degree, but he fount no real answer. A.J.'s "solution" was to create what he calls a "clandestine self" to hide behind and says he'll explain more in a future post.

I share his fear on the courts and in other areas of my life—all of which I suspect are related. Knowing people are watching and judging what I do causes dread. So what do the players who consistently win do differently from A.J. and me? Do they have a secret we don't? 

I spoke with some well-ranked pickleball players who told me they focus on winning and not on what people think of them or how they play. They agreed with Brian Triptow (M.S. Exercise & Sport Science) who commented on A.J.'s blog post:
On the first day of my first class in Applied Sport Psychology, Dr. Nicole Detling told us, “Why you play has a great deal to do with how you play.”  . . . Research in human motivation indicates that those who are intrinsically motivated are more resilient and perform better than those who play for external reasons. In other words, don’t play for the trophy or to impress others. Give yourself permission to play free and play well in an exploration of your potential. Every match is a learning opportunity. Opponents represent the metrics of your progress . . . the best players don’t care as much about what people think about how they play. They care, but they care most about mastering the task of pickleball.
I believe he's right. Not only that: the other people, whose opinions we're so concerned about, may not care at all about us or how we play.

In my own case, I may have discovered something. I mentioned to A.J. that I hope to get better at playing the hammered dulcimer and would love to play in public and with other musicians. More often than not, however, when I know people are watching me, I freeze, and the music goes down the drain. Conversely, I love to sing and act on stage, and I feel no stagefright at all. I believe the difference is that singing is something I've done all my life, since I was a kid. Acting is just that: acting. It's almost like it's not me on stage but someone else. With the dulcimer, though, I didn't have the advantage of starting as a child, when I wasn't afraid to try something new and I didn't have preconceived notions of how "great" I should be in everyone else's eyes.


Everyone has a different way to calm down and look rationally at the things that have us in a twizzle. Those with an "I don't care—I'm just here to have fun" or "I'm just  here to do my best" do better than those who care what other people think. 

I mentioned this idea to several players. One said, "You're assuming other players are looking at you. They're not. They're busy with their own games. Even If they do look and judge when you're their opponent, they're only thinking,
'How can I beat this person'—they're not judging your play like you are. Just play. Leave the worry at home."

I read several articles about stagefright, which is what these feelings boil down to, I believe. They all say similar things, but they also list strategies to overcome it. People do overcome stagefright. You can overcome this, too.

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What would Buzz Lightyear say?

10/27/2019

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PictureImage from Wikimedia Commons (cropped and filtered). Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (2042592753)
Getting to the next level, whether 3.0, 3.5, or higher, isn't easy. The answer is practice, of course, but just getting out to the court every day isn't enough. You must practice with a goal in mind, and you must know HOW to practice to achieve that goal. One "simple" way to get better is to concentrate on the skills that are missing from the level above your current level (based on these criteria as noted by the USAPA). ​
Let's say You haven't been playing pickleball that long and you want to get to be a 4.5 player. What do you need to do? What are the major differences between 3.0 and 4.5?
The table below (info from the USAPA website) lists these definitions:

Picture
Information in this table derived from the USAPA website: https://www.usapa.org/player-skill-rating-definitions/
I highlighted two items in the table that popped out at me: CONSISTENCY and STRATEGY. Other elements are important, of course, but by the time a player has achieved 3.0-level skills, he or she knows how to do a lot of things—just not how to do them well, or consistently. What that player doesn't really know yet is the strategy that goes along with what is known: when to hit a dink instead of a drive, when to break out of dinking, and so on. That's the strategy bit, and learning is not all—it's also being able to know how to do it automatically and not have to think about it.

If you've read my posts before, you know I stress PRACTICE, and not just aimless hitting back and forth over the net. It's important to have a goal—one that's reachable and measured. Like consistently hitting that forehand that sometimes goes out of bounds or into the net.

Get a friend to work with you (or better yet, take classes) and make sure 1) you're doing the stroke correctly before you continue to learn it wrong; 2) concentrate your focus not on everything about that shot but rather small parts of it: hitting it at about the same height and to roughly the same spot on the court.

Once you have mastered that, move the shot to other areas. When that's easy, work on your backhand and do the same thing. All of this takes time, but if you do this practice consistently (couldn't resist putting that in), your game will improve.

Take things slowly and methodically, knowing it took a while to get from novice to 3.0. With patience and some help from your friends, you'll get there.
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Game falling apart? Focus on one thing

12/9/2018

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Recently, I've had trouble sleeping. That happens when I have too many things on my mind. But I've learned a method that helps me get past all the stuff in my brain: I concentrate on my breathing and count while I inhale and exhale.*

I only have to do this about ten times. By then I'm asleep, or I’ve allowed my mind to wander into dreams. This method works because I stop thinking about trying to sleep and focus my attention on just one thing.

Why am I telling you about sleeping in a pickleball blog?

​
I approached a coach one day when it seemed like I could do nothing right on the court. I kept missing my targets. My shots went into the net or too long. The more I tried to fix my game, the worse it got.

He said, "Pick something to concentrate on. Watch the ball and see your paddle hit it. The rest of your game will fall into place."

In our efforts to make the best shots, or to break bad habits, or to try new techniques, our minds become overfull with information that is often at odds. How can you relax and still be ready to spring into action on the balls of your feet? How can you shadow your partner and watch the ball and your opponent at the same time?  How can you anticipate your opponent's next shot and think ahead to your best reply?

At times like that, focus on just one thing. Watch the ball, or concentrate only on shot placement. Concentrate on your footwork. Watch your opponent to anticipate her shot. Let the rest go, and, surprisingly, you should find that your body "knows" how to play pickleball when you get your thinking out of the way. 

*Take a long, slow breath in through your nose and count (roughly by seconds) to five—or whatever fills your lungs. Hold that breath calmly while you count to seven. Then let it out slowly through pursed lips for a count of six. Vary the numbers for what works for you, but it's best if they're all different.

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The Five Elements of Pickleball Placement

10/18/2015

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Picture
When I watch high-level pickleball, I notice two things: the players plan and execute shots that seem effortless, and those shots land where they want them to. Their play seems effortless because they’ve practiced long and well (or else they’re naturally great players—some folks have that advantage). They’ve learned what shots work well in various circumstances, and they’ve learned the elements of good ball control and placement.
 
Mastering ball placement is critical for attaining higher levels in pickleball play. What factors determine where your ball will land?
 
1) The angle of your paddle (up and down & left and right)
2) The angle of your swing (up and down & left and right)
3) Your wrist movement, if any
4) The power behind your hit
5) Spin
 
Before you concentrate on ball placement, though, you must first consider how you contact the ball. Focus your attention and skills (such as good footwork and proper form with your stroke) to the contact of the ball. Only after this focus on ball contact should you consider how you place it on the court.
 
Take time to get into position early enough to take a proper backswing before hitting the ball. If that means halting in mid-court, so be it. Stop, prepare your swing, and focus on contacting the ball. Many players say you should think about “swinging through the ball,” as this makes 


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    Gale Leach lives in Arizona with her husband, two dogs, and a cat. When she's not writing pickleball tips, she's working on the second in a new series of novels for young adults and updating The Art of Pickleball.

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