Pickleball Therapy

Sometimes we'll play in situations in open plays where there's really no gathering of levels. So it's basically a free-for-all. 

How do you keep the game fun? How do you keep playing productively with players who you've known for a long time when you, or they, get to different levels of the game? 

This is a common question or situation we encounter and that's what we're going to be talking about in this new format of a Walk and Talk episode.

i) Work on your game and when you're playing outside level, work on the social part too.

ii) Work on the nontechnical parts; your gratitude and parts of your game that make you feel a little bit more stressed about the results of a particular game. 

iii) Understand that pickleball has no end line, there are lots of positives that you can gain from it.  Regardless of the level of play, as long as you choose to be a part of this sport, pickleball will have something to teach you, it never runs out, and you can never exhaust it.

Have a topic that you're interested in that we can cover in the podcast, send us an email; [email protected]

Be part of our mailback episodes. Send us an email, at [email protected], put on the subject line, Pickleball Therapy Question

In this special episode of Pickleball Therapy, we have a meeting with fellow pickleball therapists who share their insights and happenings from their own pickleball journeys.

Let's talk about ratings, one of those double-edged swords that really don't say anything about how you play. 

While there's definitely a place for ratings in our sport, the only reason you need the rating is if it's consistent with what you want. 

Always ask yourself;

1) Why do I need the rating? 
2) What's the rating doing for me and what I want with the game? 

So if you want to play tournaments and it requires a certain type of rating, then you're going to have to comply with that requirement. That's a tournament specific requirement. 

Use DUPR or any rating system, only as necessary to accomplish your objectives as opposed to a vicious cycle that interferes with the reason for your play and why you go out to the court. What really matters at the end of the day is how good you feel about how you're playing. 

In this episode we also look at another email that I received from one of our students talking about focus- baseline focus. The focus you can reasonably bring to bear while you play. 

Now, you want to try and bring your attention to the thing that matters when you're playing pickleball in the technical sense and the thing that matters is the little yellow ball. That's all that matters. Where is it? Where's it going? What am I going to do with it? 

The better you're able to ignore that score, the better you're going to be to stay in the moment and focus on what needs to get done.

Enroll for the pickleball system class; https://betterpickleball.com/system/

As a pickleball player, I want to feel good and play without doing that at the expense of my opponent. Taking advantage of my opponent and paying attention to my opponent's negative feelings to expand my confidence should not be something to look forward to or to work towards.

The idea that our tank of confidence will be filled by our opponent's misery, them being upset at their partner or some negative thing for our opponent is way of thinking like a vampire or a parasite.

Why? Because a vampire needs the blood of a human and a parasite will need the sustenance of its host. It's a very short-sided way of thinking about the game, and not a healthy one for anybody, not just for your opponents, but for you either. 

Building anything on external considerations means you're always going to be subject to whatever those external considerations and fluctuations are. 

Here's the bigger picture, I don't want to live in a world where my success is built upon or relies on your failure. Now, that's different than winning and losing, right? Because I can play my best and feel good. 

We can focus on making ourselves strong human beings while allowing others to do the same. We can encourage them and consider building them up rather than knocking them down. 

Learn more about The Pickleball System here: https://bit.ly/4eptAZd
(if you prefer the long-version of the site link, you can use this one: https://betterpickleball.com/system/?utm_source=in2pyt&utm_medium=youtube+description&utm_campaign=sign+up&utm_id=youtube+in2p) They go to the same place.

If you want to join the clinic, send us an email at [email protected]. Put "Virtual Clinic" in the Subject Line and tell them Tony sent you :).

Good pickleball, and the best pickleball you'll ever play, is built upon a foundation of sound FUNDAMENTALS.

I was reminded of the 'imagined' bad word, fundamentals, during a pro level match that I was watching because as pickleball players we often shy away from that word and dismiss it as only applicable for beginners.

The truth is, executing everything really well, including those fundamentals, is what separates pro players from the other teams that they play against is their focus on the fundamentals.  

A good example of those pro players is Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau who I believe are the strongest pro team right now in terms of everything that they do from beginning to end, including the fundamentals. 

They don't take a shot off, execute everything really well and they're very good at every part of the game. That is what separates them from the other teams that they play against.

Now to the idea of an actual bad word that I discuss in this episode; if you have this attitude at the end of a tough game where you make statements to demean or diminish the other player, I would challenge you to put yourself in the shoes of your opponents. 

Have some empathy and think about it through their eyes.

How to learn more about our upcoming course: ThePickleballsystem.com
To sign up for our Virtual Clinic: BetterPickleball.com (click at the top header)
To join us for our Pickleball Therapy live podcast:, send us an email to [email protected] and put in the Subject Line: "Therapist live"

How to learn more about our upcoming course: ThePickleballsystem.com
To sign up for our Virtual Clinic: BetterPickleball.com (click at the top header)
To join us for our System tour, send us an email to [email protected] and put in the Subject Line: "Tell Me More"
Hope to see you in class
Tony

In this episode we talk about three subjects; assigning fault, increasing our evolutionary empathy and staying focused.

I got to play in a mixed group recently where I was paired with Dakota, a younger player, both in terms of her time in pickleball and also just a younger person. It was a tight match and we ended up on the losing end of it.

I complimented her on a few of her shots and let her know that the game was on me. And what was interesting is Dakota response by saying, 'No, I didn't play well.' As an objective observer of the game, I can tell you that Dakota played very well and if there was a player on the team who did not play well, it was me.

As players it's common to think that it was 'us' that was the problem or did something that we shouldn't have done better in a rally or in a game. That's something we need to be careful about.
 
Now to the idea of of evolutionary empathy and how to apply it to pickleball- each of us is operating within their operating module and we're entitled to our opinions and our ability to navigate the world.

Evolution doesn't happen instantaneously, it's not like a light switch where all of a sudden everybody becomes something else.
 
Then the last area cover in this episode has to do with staying focused, staying in the moment or staying in bite-sized pieces. I'll share a story about a para-athlete, visually impaired athlete, who set the world record for the marathon and why we should not just look at the end or focus on just have a winning day. 

Focus on what you can actually do; your next rally, the next serve, next return to serve or one shot at a time.

Sign up to participate in our Pickleball Therapy live podcast: https://pbtherapists.obv.io/sign_up

Send us an email; [email protected]

Enroll for our September system class here: https://betterpickleball.com/system/

Level up your pickleball game with our online workshop: https://betterpickleball.com/fall-2024/

Have you've been dreading doing something or having a conversation for a long time? 

The pool is an interesting way of thinking about it where you're standing by the side of the pool trying to decide, do I get in the pool? Do I not get in the pool? One way to deal with it is to just dive into the pool. 

Take the plunge into the pool- quicker than 20 seconds, and everything else becomes easier and more natural. 

Same applies to pickleball, there a few different ways break out of stagnation and move forward. One is listening to this podcast and building habits to change your mental connections in a positive way. 

And do you feel as though pickleball is complex? You're not alone, in this episode I'll tell you a relatable view of John Isner, who comes from a high level of tennis.

Pickleball is a wonderful gift for all of us who play the sport and are interested in knowing more about the sport. It's inexhaustible as long as you remain curious and young in your mind, wanting to learn and know more or something different. 

All that can be a little bit overwhelming, so focus on one thing. 

 Sign up to participate in our Pickleball Therapy live podcast: https://pbtherapists.obv.io/sign_up

or send us an email: [email protected] 

'Winning is a Bowl of Ice Cream' episode: https://betterpickleball.com/winning-is-a-bowl-of-ice-cream/

See you inside the Pickleball System class: https://betterpickleball.com/system/

Check out our camps and trainings: https://betterpickleball.com/

In this special episode of Pickleball Therapy we talk with the incomparable Sara Weiss about her pickleball journey and the idea of being an animal on the court.

We also talk about how she balances between pickleball and life coaching and how that led Sarah to this amazing place where she's now playing pro-qualifiers.

It's interesting to learn about how she views the interaction of pickleball and the overall life experience of players because sometimes we get really caught up in our thoughts, which takes us out of being present, animalistic and instinctive.

The Pickleball System: https://betterpickleball.com/system/

The idea of strategic fluidity (wanting to be adapt to everything) and pickleball is a fine concept that sounds great in theory.

But how does that work in practice when it comes to pickleball rules and what rules to apply or not to apply?

Having an idea of the rules or guidelines can help you determine the best shot in any given situation, as opposed to a purely fluid approach that requires you to factor in all of the variables in a rally before you decide how to hit every single shot that you hit.

There are two ideas or suggestions I can recommend to give you a better understanding of the way a pickleball rally is constructed and how to deal with who takes what shot.

i) Look for sources who are serious about pickleball and are professionals. Check to see where a rule or suggestion comes from. Is it well thought out or from a source who is serious about pickleball?

ii) Be consistent with what you already know. There are times you're going to hear something that runs contrary to something else that you've heard and you have to figure out what to do.
 
Most advanced players have certain patterns and tendencies that they bring to the table.

And when you're playing, make sure that you're viewing all parts of the game or the big picture and not letting parts that you've already gotten better suffer because you're so hyper-focused on this one potentially smaller piece of the puzzle.

September Workshop- Discover the "Play Smarter, Not Harder" Strategies That Helped Over 2,000 Pickleball Players Elevate Their Games; https://betterpickleball.com/fall-2024/

Respect the X free guide: https://betterpickleball.com/respect-the-x/

Respect the X playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItFZ5JWm_hw&list=PLRe6hjjhF-o4tSBHKPscxPhJgBeQnc5oI

Forehand in the Middle. You’ve Heard it. But it is WRONG. Abandon this “rule” and play better; https://betterpickleball.com/forehand-in-the-middle-youve-heard-it-but-it-is-wrong-abandon-this-rule-and-play-better/

The Pickleball System class: http://thepickleballsystem.com/