Pickleball Therapy

There is another side to your game – and there’s plenty to be proud of I want you to list all the things you do not do well as a pickleball player – or that you could do better. Things that frustrate you or that you “cannot just get.” Actually, hold on for a moment before you start writing your list and hear me out. The moment you read the above words “the things I do not do well” I imagine your brain flooded with things. We are always primed to respond to everything we do wrong. Let’s take that same framing and flip it around. I want you to list all the things you do well as a pickleball player – or that another player you know does not do as well as you do. This last piece is not really about the other player. It is how we find out what could be worse. What parts of the game are you confident about or that you know more about today than you did in the past. If you are up for it, actually spend a few minutes creating this list. Because I bet these things aren’t just flooding into your mind right now. It will take a moment (or 2) to bring this to the front of your mind. It is important to aspire towards balance in our life – and that includes our pickleball. It’s easy to have our scales tip too far towards the negative – towards what we do poorly or want to do better. Keep that side balanced with the “what we do pretty well” side and you’ll feel better and, I am going to guess, play better too.  Send us an email; therapy@betterpickleball.com 

As we move forward, we will be in a different place every time.Ask yourself,  am I the same player I was an year ago?When you're working on a part of your game that you're trying to get better at, you're trying to get closer to the solution to the problem so you need to engage in iterations. It's processing it again and again and repeating it to help you improve faster and better.In this episode we talk about iteration in two contexts;1) Your improvement 2) You as a playerThen I'm going to be talking to you about the concept of sonder, but specific to you again in terms of your improvement journey. Join us inside the Pickleball System class: https://betterpickleball.com/system/The Better Pickleball Academy: https://betterpickleball.com/academy/Why You’re Getting Slammed – Get the right answer: https://betterpickleball.com/why-youre-getting-slammed-get-the-right-answer/

Game plan is super valuable because it's human nature to make errors. The better that you get at the big picture view of pickleball and your relationship with sport, the better you understand the perspective and the less likely you are to tip over into a downward spiral.  Mental work will help you play better and have more fun. For instance, try and listen to a podcast when you're on the way to the courts.In this episode I share words from Lynne (thank you Lynne) about her training with us, and pickleball journey with us. It's meaningful to hear such feedback and to know the positive impact of our work, including this podcast. It makes it all worthwhile.Send us an email: therapist@pickleball.comFind the answers to your pickleball questions: https://betterpickleball.com/academy/Register for the pickleball system class: https://betterpickleball.com/system/

Pickleball is beautiful, amazing and with loads of benefits.The biggest of them all being you'll be a happier human being, just from playing pickleball.   But sometimes we get lost or lose perspective of the game.The game that you choose to play helps you frame how you deal with adversity when you're playing.Also how do you stop being a 12-year-old? I'm going to share with you a personal story that happened recently to me so you don't want to miss that in the RIFF.  Find the answers to your pickleball questions at http://betterpickleball.com/academy/

Ted Yam, a physical therapist and clinical director at Peak Sport and Spine in St. Louis, dives into the pressing issue of pickleball injuries. He discusses a comprehensive survey designed to gather player data, emphasizing the need for reliable information to enhance player safety. Yam highlights trends in injuries, the health benefits of pickleball, and the collaborative efforts for injury prevention. With a goal of engaging over 2,000 participants, he encourages listeners to help spread the word about this vital research.

Brought to you ad free by The Better Pickleball AcademyFind the answers to your pickleball questions here: BetterPickleball.com/Academy You never see a sad pickleball player when they win. But when they lose? Depends, but for many a losing day is a sad (or bad, disappointing, etc.) day. Should it be? The answer is a resounding “No!”  If you are like most, you have developed your sports’ mind around “win, good – lose, bad.” The reality, however, is that our relationship with sport is more nuanced than this binary good/bad framing. At our podcast, Pickleball Therapy, we developed a re-framing of your pickleball experience around a pretty ubiquitous symbol of good: ice cream. It has helped so many players reconsider how they approach their results that it has become our most popular podcast. The good news is that you can have all the highs that come when winning without the needless downs when you lose. It is simply a matter of shifting your perspective. And focusing on what matters – the reason you play pickleball to begin with. In this week’s episode, we update our Bowl of Ice Cream and address objections that players sometimes raise to it when they first hear the concept. If you have never heard Bowl of Ice Cream, treat yourself to this episode. If you are familiar with it, a refresher never hurt – plus you will get the benefit of a more seasoned presentation. Head over to Pickleball Therapy – our weekly podcast dedicated to your pickleball mind. You can find it anywhere that podcasts are podcasted and on YouTube. 

Get your FREE ticket to the 100% online Pickleball Summit here.We asked for your pet peeves. Over 300 players answered the call and shared them with us. Many of the pet peeves shared with us were rules issues: line calls, illegal serves and just generally not following the rules. On the surface, maybe it is ok to feel this way. It is just a part of who we are or how we see things and leave it at that. But scratch the surface and you find that there is, in fact, a cost to allowing your mind to be occupied with these sorts of thoughts. There are actual two costs: 1.     You are using mental bandwidth that could go elsewhere – specifically, toward your game. Imagine the game-time opportunities that you are not seeing because your mental bandwidth is being absorbed by “I’m not sure that serve was legal.”2.     You are undermining your enjoyment of the bigger experience. You are on a court, playing the sport you love. Yet rather than being engrossed in the moment, you are focused on a tiny piece of the picture, allowing it to diminish your otherwise awesome experience. Think of it like someone taking their phone out to send a text during a movie you are otherwise enjoying. Are you going to focus on the phone, or on the movie? The next time something during a game pulls you away from the big screen that you are on, remember that you came here for the movie (and maybe the popcorn). Keep your eye on the big picture and you’ll play (and feel) better. Send us your responses to Therapy@BetterPickleball.com.Be well

Join us for the Summit. 25+ presenters - all top players, coaches, and experts in their field. Over 15,000 players - all there to learn and enjoy this amazing sport. What else is there to say?Get your FREE ticket here. In case it does not open, copy and paste this into your browser: https://www.pickleballsummit.com/?sc=rp6M5znR&ac=4hdUUS01

I recently got into the Wordle craze (a bit late I know).Got me to thinking though – why do we like games like Wordle, Crosswords, Sudoku, etc.? And does this same thought process apply to pickleball?Start here: why do we play a game like Wordle?Is it because of the game’s solution? The solution, itself, is what we are after.Or is it because of the work it takes to get to the solution? The solution is relevant because we are working toward it, but the reason for the game is the steps it takes to get there.Stay with me here because it might just be the mental breakthrough you need to hear.Wordle does not teach me new words when I play it. In other words, I am not discovering a new word when I solve the puzzle. That is not the point of it.In any event, in a few weeks I will forget the ones from this week. That is not the point of it.The reason for playing Wordle is in the act itself of working to solve the puzzle. That is the point of it.In a year I will not remember the exact words I work on this week, but I will have gained the benefit of a more nimble mind, having worked through somewhere around 300+ Wordles during that time.Pickleball is exactly the same.What were your pickleball scores when you played on April 10, 2024? June 15, 2023? You get the picture.The scores do not matter. Neither do the outcomes of specific rallies (think it through – there’s no difference).What matters is that you are playing. You are hitting the ball. Trying to do your best each time you swing the paddle.The joy of pickleball is in the process – the playing. Not in the results – the winning or losing.Each time you play, you try to do the best you can. If you want to play better, you can study the game and put in some work. Even in those moments you can embrace the journey – because there is value in that.As you play, your life improves. Your body is better for it. Your mind is better for it. Your soul is better for it.Don’t let the outcomes rob you of the joy that is present with every shot you hit on a pickleball court. Outcomes are not the point of it. Playing is.Join us for the Summit. Get your ticket at pickleballsummit.com or just click here.And for the best coaching available, join us inside The Better Pickleball Academy. Visit BetterPickleball.com and click on classes to get a list of all our courses. Or you can click here.Join our email list: https://betterpickleball.com/See you there.Tony

We all get advice – YouTube, friendly local player, partner. What do we do with it?Step 1: Remember that you have agency over your pickleball journey. This means that you get to decide whether to take the tip or say “get that outta here” (note – you can say it in your mind).Here’s the thing: 45% of the advice you hear out there is plain wrong. And 54% of the advice may be right in the general sense of the term, but it is not right for you at this stage (wrong for a different reason). That leaves 1% of the advice being right and, importantly, right for you.How do you know where a particular piece of advice falls: the wrong, the not right now, or the 1% that is just what I need?To quote Shakespeare, “therein lies the rub.” It is figuring out both what is correct and also what it is that will most benefit you right now. Or at least staying away from what will be detrimental to your game.If you are not yet sure how to decide, you will want to identify a mentor. This is a person with more knowledge who can help you navigate the sea of information out there. If you do not have such a mentor, CJ and I are happy to help. Subscribe to our email list at BetterPickleball.com. This will give you access to our weekly newsletter and keep you in the loop on the latest in pickleball thinking.Follow our podcast, Pickleball Therapy, as well as our YouTube channels, In2Pickle and Better Pickleball. You will know that the information you are receiving comes from trusted sources and has been thought out in terms of being correct and having wide application.Once you develop a deeper understanding of the game, including its framework, you will be in a position to make your own decisions about what advice stays and what advice can get outta here.Thank you for the shoutout on YouTube AlanTony I have been listening to your pickleball therapy shows from the beginning. I know without a doubt that I am a better player because of your podcasts but more importantly a better person. Your presentations can be a benefit not only in pickleball but in life in general. Keep it up and thank you for your time you invest to create these podcasts.Coach Pete Scales course here.More courses inside Better Pickleball Academy here.Join us for the Pickleball SummitThe Pickleball SystemEmbrace the journey and enjoy the process.Tony