Pickleball Therapy

In this week's podcast I share some of myself with you. More specifically, some of my pickleball journey. From first hitting a pickleball through the medal stand in Senior Mixed Pro at this last weekend's PPA tournament in Orlando. I share it with you so that you know two things: 1. You can achieve whatever your goal is in pickleball and 2. As long as you remain curious, there is always more to learn - more to grow - in pickleball. In the riff, I share with you how we handled being up 10-5 with a putaway shot in the gold medal match to being down 10-11 in the same game.  If you have a story you want to share with us, send it to us at Coaching@WeArePickleball.com. Please let us know that we have your permission to share the story in our podcast and other publications. You can find our mental book recommendations here. You can join us inside the System here. Sign up here to get our weekly emails. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickleballtherapy/support

This week we share Mark's story with you. Hear how pickleball impacted Mark for the better. It is always helpful to hear from other players like us. In the riff, I share with you how I break down a match video to find trends and see what strategies work and which ones do not. If you have a story you want to share with us, send it to us at Coaching@WeArePickleball.com. Please let us know that we have your permission to share the story in our podcast and other publications. You can join us inside the System here. Sign up here to get our weekly emails. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickleballtherapy/support

Oftentimes when we lose a game we feel like we failed. The same is true when we win: we feel like we succeeded. This, however, wrongly conflates  success/failure with winning/losing. Here is the thing, though, you can fail completely and still win and you can 100% succeed and still lose. Think of a pro match at the highest level. All players are highly skilled and can hit all the shots, so to speak. Yet one team wins and one team loses. Every single match ends like this. Is that a failure by the losing team? Perhaps the losing team did everything they could to their best of their ability (a success) yet still lost. It may help to think of it like this. You and your partner are very good 3.5 players. Across the net are two 2.5 players who have trouble hitting the ball over the net. You can play your worst game this year and still win. And they can do everything within their power as well as they can and still lose. The winning by your team and the losing by the other team tells us nothing about how you played. Or about how they played. It actually provides wrong information if used as a performance metric as it says your team did good and the other team did not. When the reality is completely opposite. The win/loss column is a result - nothing more. Success/failure, on the other hand relates to how you played and your execution of your game plan that day. It revolves around your process. Conflating win/loss with success/failure can lead you to reach the wrong conclusions about your play and, importantly, your improvement as a player. In this week's episode we discuss this important difference. Credit to Dr. Todd Kays the author of Sports Psychology for Dummies from where we drew the inspiration for this week's podcast. You can find Dr. Kay's book (as well as other resources we use in our approach to the mind) here - click on "Mental Training". In the riff, we talk about a constructive way of approaching getting hit by the ball (getting "tagged" as it is often called). It is a positive thing - trust me :).  Vizual Edge Black Friday Sale - click here to get the best discount on this awesome visual training. Sign up here to get our weekly emails. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickleballtherapy/support

Confidence is “a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.” Two parts then that we need to feel confident on the pickleball court: (a) ability and (b) appreciation of this ability. The result: feeling of self-assurance. You know what destroys our confidence? Doubt. More specifically, doubt in our ability. Doubt can originate from one of two places: either you lack the ability and know it or you do not know what abilities you are supposed to have and so doubt in the dark, so to speak. This latter one is doubt that arises from the doubt itself. So, what can we do about it? Can we take steps to improve our confidence out on the pickleball court? The good news is “yes.” You can gain more self-assurance on the court and, in so doing, quiet the doubts in your mind. This quiet will, in turn, allow you play even better and better pickleball. Before you can work on the thing you want to do better, you have to know what it is and how to do it properly. If you do not know where to start, click here. It will start you down a path of clear and actionable knowledge. Start applying it to your game and your confidence will climb. Even when you miss a shot you will be able to say “I know what happened there.” That is self-assurance. Then keep an eye out for the next System class. When a System class opens for registration, get in there. There are no obstacles to joining the class, other than a willingness by you to put in the work to learn the lessons in there. Better yet – join the waitlist for our next class here and make sure you get your seat. Remember that confidence comes from an appreciation of your abilities. Improve your abilities through “knowing doing” and become the best player you can be. Vizual Edge Black Friday Sale - click here to get the best discount on this awesome visual training. Sign up here to get our weekly emails. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickleballtherapy/support

Focus will ebb and flow when you play pickleball. It is the most natural of things. But there are things you can do to improve your focus, particularly in those crucial moments: the pivot points of a game. In this episode we give you several tips you can use to improve your focus - while giving you the proper framing: focus will come and  focus will go. It is part of any athlete's experience. In the riff, we talk about an 11-9 game vs an 11-6 or even 11-3 game. They may feel the same, but are they? Proper perspective can help you better appreciate your efforts (as well as those of your opponents) out on the courts. Let us know if it works for you! Get the Three Pillars of Pickleball here. WeArePickleball immersive pickleball camps at https://wearepickleball.com/camps/  Get the same visual training that CJ and I use to improve our vision, our game, and our lives (better night driving included). Visit here for more information on Vizual Edge Training. You can find out more about Tyrol shoes here. Register to get our weekly VIPickleball emails and get your FREE front row seat to our upcoming Webinars by signing up here. If you or a loved one wants to learn pickleball, check out Play Pickleball, a Beginner's Guide - available here digitally or here in print (paperback). The Diadem Icon paddle is available here. Use code VIPickleball to get our discount at checkout (using the link you help support our ability to provide you with these podcasts and our other free content). You can read our complete Diadem Icon Review here. Find Resources for your game here. Join us at our immersive pickleball learning community - VIPickleball. Find out more and get on our waitlist at wearepickleball.com. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickleballtherapy/support

The best is when the lessons from the top pro players are things that can help us in our games and also things that are achievable by us - not matter our level. I had the opportunity to speak with two of the two senior pros in pickleball at the recent APP tournament in Hilton Head, SC. Scott Crandal and Jose Derisi had come back to win the gold medal in the men's senior pro division the day before. I asked each of them, separately, for their perspective. I asked Scott how he approached pickleball. His answer: fundamentals - that word that makes players run away. I asked Jose for one piece of advice he had for new players. He said that players should not try to win the rally in one shot. Instead, work the rally and wait for your opportunity. In the riff, we talk about framing the game with gratitude from the start. You will feel better and play better. Give it a try next time you play. Get the Three Pillars of Pickleball here. WeArePickleball immersive pickleball camps at https://wearepickleball.com/camps/  Get the same visual training that CJ and I use to improve our vision, our game, and our lives (better night driving included). Visit here for more information on Vizual Edge Training. You can find out more about Tyrol shoes here. Register to get our weekly VIPickleball emails and get your FREE front row seat to our upcoming Webinars by signing up here. If you or a loved one wants to learn pickleball, check out Play Pickleball, a Beginner's Guide - available here digitally or here in print (paperback). The Diadem Icon paddle is available here. Use code VIPickleball to get our discount at checkout (using the link you help support our ability to provide you with these podcasts and our other free content). You can read our complete Diadem Icon Review here. Find Resources for your game here. Join us at our immersive pickleball learning community - VIPickleball. Find out more and get on our waitlist at wearepickleball.com. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickleballtherapy/support

Sometimes we lose sight of the bowl of ice cream that we have in front of us. We did not get sprinkles, or fudge, or whipped cream in our ice cream. Does that make the bowl of ice cream any less delicious? Reframing our relationship with pickleball can help us not only feel better about our games. It can make the difference in how we play on the court. Keeping a healthy mind is your most powerful ally when you play. In the riff, I share some thoughts about those points that can change a game. Sometimes you are up and just lose that little bit to focus. Next thing you know you lost the game. Sometimes you are behind but with a bit of focus you can snatch victory fro the jaws of defeat. Understanding these pivotal points in a game can make all the difference. Get the Three Pillars of Pickleball here. WeArePickleball immersive pickleball camps at https://wearepickleball.com/camps/  Get the same visual training that CJ and I use to improve our vision, our game, and our lives (better night driving included). Visit here for more information. You can find out more about Tyrol shoes here. Register to get our weekly VIPickleball emails and get your FREE front row seat to our upcoming Webinars by signing up here. If you or a loved one wants to learn pickleball, check out Play Pickleball, a Beginner's Guide - available here digitally or here in print (paperback). The Diadem Icon paddle is available here. Use code VIPickleball to get our discount at checkout (using the link you help support our ability to provide you with these podcasts and our other free content). You can read our complete Diadem Icon Review here. Find Resources for your game here. Join us at our immersive pickleball learning community - VIPickleball. Find out more and get on our waitlist at wearepickleball.com. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickleballtherapy/support

Join us at ThePickleballSystem.com. Want to play your best? You want to keep your eye on the ball. Step 1 - what is going to give you the biggest benefit (bang for your buck)? Step 2- stay on the area identified in Step 1 as long as necessary. In the riff, we talk about a trick you can use to stay on track: time. Check out Episode 109 of Pickleball Therapy – the Podcast dedicated to Your Pickleball Improvement – and stay on track to the best pickleball you. Check out Vizual Edge and how they can help your game - and life - here. Access the books referenced in our podcasts, training aids, Tyrol shoes, and other gear that CJ and I use here. Click here to Join us inside THE Pickleball System. It will change your game. Get the Three Pillars of Pickleball here. If you or a loved one wants to learn pickleball, check out Play Pickleball, a Beginner's Guide - available here digitally or here in print (paperback). Join us at our immersive pickleball learning community - VIPickleball. Find out more and get on our waitlist at wearepickleball.com. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickleballtherapy/support

One of the best aspects of pickleball is open play. As a social sport, we get to play with pickleball players from all sorts of backgrounds and walks of life. While this is usually great, there are times when playing with "random" pickleball partners drawn from a stack of paddles can prove challenging. In this week's episode we answer a question (and it is one we hear fairly regularly) about playing with different pickleball partners, particularly when your partner may see pickleball strategy the same as you. My guess is that if you are listening to this podcast, you know us otherwise, in which case I am sure your strategy is the correct one. But there will be times when your partner may think differently. What then? In the riff, I share with you a personal story about doing it wrong - and then right. To help you stay on the right track. Check out Episode 108 of Pickleball Therapy – the Podcast dedicated to Your Pickleball Improvement – and solve the vexing puzzle of the partner who sees it different. Join us for the Miniseries here. Check out Vizual Edge and how they can help your game - and life - here. Access the books referenced in our podcasts, training aids, Tyrol shoes, and other gear that CJ and I use here. Click here to Join us inside THE Pickleball System. It will change your game. Get the Three Pillars of Pickleball here. If you or a loved one wants to learn pickleball, check out Play Pickleball, a Beginner's Guide - available here digitally or here in print (paperback). Join us at our immersive pickleball learning community - VIPickleball. Find out more and get on our waitlist at wearepickleball.com. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickleballtherapy/support

Heading out to the Pickleball courts? Get yourself ready to play your best out there and to fully enjoy the day. In this special episode we help you get ready. Focusing on what it is important and preparing to ignore the noise out there will improve our chances out there. Think of this podcast as a checklist to get you ready for the day. If you enjoy the podcast, in addition to sharing it, make sure you tag it so that you can come back to it again in the future. Why not get ready each and every time you play? In the riff, we give you some tips to deal with anxiety. It happens. To everyone not just you. Use this technique to relax the body and mind. Check out Episode 107 of Pickleball Therapy – the Podcast dedicated to Your Pickleball Improvement – and get ready to have an awesome day on the pickleball courts. Join us for the Miniseries here. Find out more about Tyrol shoes and why they are the best pickleball shoe available here. Access the books referenced in our podcasts, training aids, Tyrol shoes, and other gear that CJ and I use here. Click here to Join us inside THE Pickleball System. It will change your game. Get the Three Pillars of Pickleball here. If you or a loved one wants to learn pickleball, check out Play Pickleball, a Beginner's Guide - available here digitally or here in print (paperback). The Diadem Icon paddle is available here. Use code VIPickleball to get our discount at checkout (using the link you help support our ability to provide you with these podcasts and our other free content). You can read our complete Diadem Icon Review here. Join us at our immersive pickleball learning community - VIPickleball. Find out more and get on our waitlist at wearepickleball.com. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickleballtherapy/support