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Your Mental Pickleball Workout

4/26/2020

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PicturePhoto: Gears In Silhouette Head (Master isolated images), source: freedigitalphotos.net {cropped}.
With the pickleball courts closed during this period of enforced social isolation, I've seen the pickleball players in my community do some innovative things: one couple cleared their porch of furniture and set up a makeshift net using PVC pipes and cardboard. Others did the same in cul-de-sacs and covertly against walls of buildings after hours.

We've discovered that, yes, there is life after pickleball, though it's not as much fun. People are taking up long-abandoned projects, cleaning out garages and kitchens, and working hard to be safe. 

But one aspect of your pickleball game doesn't have to stop when you can't get to the court. Many of you have read my previous posts regarding the mental game—this is one more. Just as much as learning how to swing the paddle or learn the rules, your mental preparedness and attitude before you get to the court and while you're playing can make or break your game.

So you have lots of time now, right? Put it to good use! If you haven't already, start your mental workout today.

Whether you're new to pickleball or you're a champion, there are always parts of your game that could be improved. List those things (up to 3) and prioritize them in the order you'd like them fixed. Now, list methods or strategies that will help you improve the number one item on your "to do" list. (Don't toss the number 2 and 3 items; simply concentrate on the first one until it is better. Then your second item will become your first, and so on.)

Perhaps your number one need for improvement is returning the ball low over the net. What things could you do to make that better? Find someone who can watch you return the ball and coach you to doing it better. If you have a ball machine where you play, some dedicated time returning shots would be good. Get a friend who also needs help or drilling and trade off time. Hit against a wall over a painted line and score points for every hit that stays within a 6" zone above it. (Reward yourself with something when you get enough points.) Read what other people have to say about that problem on the internet, and watch videos explaining how to do it better. (Videos are good because you can use mental imaging to see yourself doing it right, too.)

You get the idea. When the courts are open again, you'll have a plan to overcome your weakness. 

But don't ignore one other list that's equally important—maybe more so. List at least 5 things you do well in your pickleball games and practices. These can be minor or major (e.g., I dink well, I have patience, I hit a good backhand, I communicate clearly to my partner). Every day or night, look at this list and even state the items aloud. If you think of new things, add or replace them. The key here is accepting that, while your game could be improved, you also do things well on the court. Knowing those things and centering on positive thoughts can help your game in many ways.

Once you're back to playing on the courts, don't abandon your lists or the process of remaining positive. Your process of improvement is, in itself, a positive thing. Take just the one element and make it better, while reinforcing mentally all the good things you already do. 

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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:

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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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Stacking--Why and How

10/20/2018

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PicturePhoto by Johnson Wang at Unsplash.com.
If you've had an opportunity to watch a tournament and saw stacking in action, you may have wondered why the players were moving around the court, standing together, or standing outside the court completely. If you're curious about stacking and how and when to incorporate it into your game, read on.

Stacking is used during tournament play to exploit a team's strength and minimize its weakness. The technique increases the number of times a person plays on the right (even) or left (odd) side of the court.

According to the rules, the non-serving partner or the receiver's partner may stand in any position (even off the court), as long as they stay on their side of the net. Therefore, both team members may stand inside their service court, and partner of the person receiving the serve may stand outside the court at the time of the serve. 

Some examples may help explain how and why stacking works, and why you might want to try it.

Picture
1) Backhands in the center. Judy is right-handed and her partner, John, is left-handed. They don't like having both backhands in the middle, so when Judy serves, they stack. Both partners stand in the right service box until she serves. Then Judy moves to the left side of the court, while John stays put. At the end of the rally, they switch sides again, so they will be in their correct places for the next service. (Note: If Judy is uncomfortable with John standing so close, he can wait outside the service box until Judy moves.)

2) Strong or weak forehand or backhand. If partners are like-handed, but one or both have strengths or weaknesses that could be exploited, they could use stacking to their advantage. Right-handed Gloria has an average forehand, while her right-handed partner, Diane, has a forehand that is exceptionally strong. Diane would rather play in the left court to cover the middle and take advantage of her forehand strength. The same would be true for a partner with a weak backhand. When players are like-handed, putting a weak backhand in the right court with a strong forehand in the left court just makes sense.
Picture
3) When receiving. The players in example 1 above are receiving the serve. Judy is the receiver, and John would normally be up at the non-volley-zone line in the left court. However, since John would rather be on the right, he stands outside the sideline, just behind the non-volley zone line on the right. ​After Judy returns the service, John moves in, and Judy rushes to the non-volley-zone line on the left.

Stacking isn't something you must do, but it can help your team play better and more consistently. You can choose to stack during only a portion of the game. Stacking can confuse your opponents and is sometimes good as a way to change things up. 

If you understand what stacking is and how your team (and your opponents) can use it, you'll have an advantage over those who don't.

​Happy stacking!

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Chris Sacca's Wisdom

9/3/2018

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PictureImage from Wikimedia Commons: Chris Sacca at TNW Conference 2009 - Day 1 (cropped).
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.
​
That evening, I heard Chris say to one of the entrepreneurs,
“Ideas are cheap. Execution is everything.” I hit the pause button. This line hit home with me personally, of course: I've had the idea to update that book for some time, yet I'd delayed getting started. It also occurred to me that this quote has a wider audience than just my own introspection. It affects anyone tackling any endeavor, and that includes someone striving to get better at pickleball. 

We all have great intentions. It's the follow-on that matters. Perhaps you read a blog post (like this one) and get fired up, saying, "I'll be fearless when I hit the court tomorrow, and I'll put into play all the new lessons I just learned." Then, the next morning, your intention wanes—perhaps someone invites you to breakfast, or you have a sore back, or you just don't feel like going, or - or - or . . . Or you get there, but you lose your concentration when you make a lousy shot . . . You know the drill.

I looked up information about Chris Sacca and discovered he's said and written other things that are equally applicable on the journey to better pickleball and for our lives in general. Here are a few I thought were particularly valuable.
  • “What happens next is up to you.” Sounds too simple to be important, but your path to better pickleball is an uphill climb. You have choices. Don't forget that one of them is to stop and say, "This might be good enough," and nothing's wrong with that. But if you're not satisfied where you are, read this quote again and get busy.
  • “I'm good at what I do and still improving as I learn from mentors, founders, partners, friends, family, strangers, my own investors, and the experience itself.” My takeaway from this is:
    1) Don't forget to
    acknowledge your success thus far, as you climb the ladder toward 3.0, 4.0, or 5.0. Then scan your weaknesses and seek the help of those who can steer you toward an easier resolution. Get some coaching. A few sessions with a good coach can propel you forward and give you a needed emotional boost.
    2) Open up to mentoring from those who can and wish to teach. Watch the good players and don't be afraid to approach them. Your best games are always with players who are better than you. The worst that can happen is they say no, but many are glad to help, as long as the time is right. Be open to suggestions and strain the information to find what works for you.
  • “Never. Stop. Selling.” Sounds silly in a post about pickleball? Not if you change the word "selling" to "practicing," "learning," or "trying." Any endeavor that's worth doing requires hard work. Becoming good at pickleball is no different. When it seems like every good shot you make is overbalanced by two in the net, don't give up. Never give up.
  • For those of you who are truly intent on being the best and reaching the podium at the big tournaments, Chris says, “You have to ask yourself, you have to be honest. Do you really have what it takes? Are you incredibly unreasonable? Do you have an irrational sense of the inevitability of the success of what you’re building, or are you just here because it’s fashionable?” I included this because it's worth questioning whether you have it in you to get there (wherever you've set your sight). As I said earlier, perhaps reaching 3.5 or 4.0 is just fine, if you're balancing pickleball with a day job and a set of twins at home. Nothing says you must keep ascending the ladder, or at least not at a breakneck pace. Still, if the podium is what you want, what are you doing reading this? Get down to the courts. :-)​

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No One Right Way

7/31/2018

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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.

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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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