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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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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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"Patience, my dear. Patience."

9/17/2017

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Most pickleball players are impatient when it comes to results. But like most sports worth playing, pickleball takes practice and patience to learn to play well.

Patience and forgiveness are often synonymous. Whether you're practicing or competing, you'll have good and bad days. No one's perfect, not even the pros. We all have moments where we don't make our usual shots. 
 
When that happens, our "fight or flight" instinct kicks in. We get angry with ourselves and fight to recapture our strokes. Sometimes, we give up hope. Referred to as "tanking," this is the flight response. We want to flee the discomfort of losing and give up trying to win. 
 
True competitors have a particular kind of patience that is born from forgiveness. When we forgive ourselves for being less than perfect, a relaxation sets in. We become more patient and have a greater likelihood of resurrecting our game. When things go horribly wrong, forgive yourself as soon as possible. 

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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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