Are you stuck at your current level or feeling frustrated with your progress? In this episode, CJ Johnson dives deep into why chasing wins might be holding you back. She shares insights from elite athletes and practical steps that you can take right now and shift to process-based improvement. Tune in and learn to focus on what you can control—because that’s where real growth begins. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/254-chasing-wins-is-the-reason-you-are-stuck-or-frustrated
Jul 25, 2025•15 min
Is there a bigger win available in the way you show up on the court? In this episode I challenge you to look beyond the immediate win to pursue a bigger victory. This could be through practical scenarios like line calls, serve legality, and rec play dynamics because empathy, patience, and intention can lead to greater growth as a pickleball player. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/253-is-there-a-bigger-win-for-us/...
Jul 18, 2025•18 min
In this special episdoe I have the pleasure of interviewing Ty Woody, a sports performance coach as we explore how strengthening key areas of the body— like the legs and glutes — can elevate your pickleball game. We discuss common causes of elbow pain and how to address them effectively. Listen in as we break down practical steps to better body performance, no matter your playing level. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/1529-special-episode-keep-improving-your-body-interview-with-ty-woody...
Jul 15, 2025•22 min
Theres's an often-overlooked root cause behind much of what we experience on the court: insecurity. From missed shots to disputes over line calls, in this episode I unpack how insecurity affects our mindset, behavior, and relationships in pickleball. Tune in to discover how recognizing it can transform your game to respond with empathy. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/252-the-root-cause-of-a-lot/
Jul 11, 2025•22 min
In this week's episode we go back to archives where I'll share three essential mindset tools to help you mentally prepare before stepping onto the court. This will deepen your reason for playing, and create a positive feedback loop through intentional gratitude and clarity. Listen before your next match to elevate your mental game and play with purpose. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/251-the-best-from-our-archives-part-6-bookmark-this-episode-3-tips-to-help-you-play-your-best-today...
Jul 04, 2025•13 min
As pickleball players, we're constantly assessing our games—technique, shot selection, strategy. But how often do we stop to consider our partner, the fourth player on the court? Drawing from our upcoming book and a revealing real-world encounter, I'll show you how awareness and empathy toward our partner can reshape our entire experience. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/250-how-about-your-partner/
Jun 27, 2025•21 min
In this special episode I had the pleasure of speaking with Lydia Hirt, Vice President of Marketing at Life Time, to explore the explosive growth of pickleball across the country. Lydia shares her personal journey with the sport and highlights Life Time’s (LT) groundbreaking contributions—from building hundreds of courts nationwide to launching the innovative LT ball. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/1528-special-episode-a-chat-with-lydia-hirt-from-life-time-pickleball
Jun 24, 2025•18 min
Pickleball, like life, is variable. Some days you go 8–0. Others, you walk off the court without a single win. And both outcomes are completely normal. The key is understanding what’s expected—not in the sense of what you hope will happen, but in terms of what statistically does happen. In this episode we explore a topic that hits close to home for any serious player: how to correctly process your results so they don’t mess with your mindset. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/249-process-...
Jun 20, 2025•15 min
It’s one thing to say, “That was a tough match.” It’s another to say, “I lost that game.” The difference lies in focus. When you focus entirely on your own mistakes, you erase the resilience your opponents showed, the quality of the rallies, and the spirit of the contest. In this episode we explore how our post-game reactions can either elevate or diminish not only our opponents—but ourselves. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/248-dont-diminish-you/
Jun 13, 2025•22 min
"Chasing fairies" or the seductive but unproven strategies can often lead us astray on the court. From spinning dinks to rigid rules like "forehand in the middle," it's important to understand the why behind what we do on the courts. Listen to this full episode for more clarity and a grounded conversation that strengthens your mental approach to improvement. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/247-chasing-fairies/...
Jun 06, 2025•19 min
Ego has a sneaky way of turning every match into a personal story—even when our friends earn the win. In this episode, I challenge you to rethink how you interpret losses, especially after a comeback. When we reframe the moment, we not only grow ourselves—we honor those we play with. A must-listen for any player serious about strengthening their mental game. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/246-dont-diminish-your-friends/
May 30, 2025•21 min
Redlining is a hidden obstacle affecting players at every level. This episode breaks down how staying too amped up impacts performance, limits mental flexibility, and leads to critical mistakes. Learn how to recognize when you're redlining and discover practical tools to regulate your emotional energy for more consistent, composed play on the pickleball court. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/243-how-redlining-holds-you-back-and-what-to-do-about-it
May 23, 2025•11 min
In this episode, C.J. Johnson steps in for Tony Roig and explores the mental trap of chasing flashy pickleball techniques seen online—shots that often harm more than help. Listen in for a mindset reset to help you protect your learning journey and learn how to stay consistent on the pickleball court. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/244-stop-chasing-pickleball-distractions
May 16, 2025•17 min
A pop-up is not a failure—it is a normal part of pickleball. But your brain may treat it like a threat, thanks to an ancient survival instinct called negativity bias. Once you recognize that, you can stop overreacting and start responding with perspective because not every rustle in the grass is a tiger. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/243-avoiding-negativity-bias/
May 09, 2025•28 min
Many players search for a “secret” to improve their pickleball game—but there's none. Improvement comes not from tips or tricks, but from understanding how the game works. In this episode, I'll explain why structured learning, clear decision-making, and consistent execution are the real keys to growth—and how seeing the full picture of the game can move you forward. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/242-whats-the-secret-sauce-psst-its-in-this-podcast/
May 02, 2025•22 min
We’ve all faced frustrating moments on the court—with partners, opponents, or fellow players. What if we could reframe those situations into a healthier, more constructive way? In this episode of Pickleball Therapy , I explore a new mindset tool I’m developing called empathetic framing. I walk you through how this simple mental shift can reduce negativity and help you stay grounded in your game. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/241-empathy-framing-for-the-win/...
Apr 25, 2025•20 min
This episode holds a special place. It distills three foundational mental pillars— Play, Perspective, and Progress —that have resonated deeply with players around the world. These are not just abstract concepts but practical tools that will help you not only play better, but also enjoy the game more fully and consistently. Pillar 1: Play – Embrace the Oops Bucket Mistakes are inevitable. Even the best players miss easy shots. The question is: what do you do next? Even the best players miss shots...
Apr 18, 2025•23 min
Today we dive into a topic that resonates deeply with many of us: the journey over the destination, and how our approach to it can significantly impact our enjoyment of the game. Join the Better Pickleball Academy for the competitive play series. In our quest for improvement, there's a pervasive trend: rapid progression promises. We've all seen them—programs promising to elevate your rating from 3.5 to 4.0 in just 30 days. These promises sound enticing but often set us up for unreasonable expect...
Apr 11, 2025•15 min
When we think about pickleball, there are three pillars that comes to mind which we developed a few years back; the mechanical, the strategic, and the athletic pillar. The mechanical and strategic pillars focus on how and when to hit the ball and the athletic pillar emphasizes the synergy between body and mind. The mind is super important, but it's one-a-half of the athletic pillar, there's the other part of the athletic pillar, which is the body. Your body supports and nourishes your mind thus ...
Apr 04, 2025•17 min
You can't control every event in your journey, but you can control how you respond. And control goes beyond the physical aspect to include a mental dimension too. Sometimes when things happen to us in pickleball, we tend to externalize them by blaming external factors. The idea is, you can control how you react to those events to dictate the pace and outcome of the game. Just like holding the reins of a wagon; it's up to you to steer it in the right direction. This mindset is crucial for maintai...
Mar 28, 2025•17 min
Pickleball System Spring Boot Camp starting on March 27th; https://betterpickleball.com/march-bootcamp/ Will a smile help your pickleball game? While there might not be specific studies on the effect of smiling in sports, research shows that smiling can positively affect our attitude, calm our nerves, and enhance our overall well-being. On this episode CJ Johnson shares a story from her visit to the BNP Paribas Open in Palm Springs, where she observed a match between Frances Tiafoe, the 17th ran...
Mar 21, 2025•18 min
We had the pleasure of featuring a pro pickleball player, Richard Livornese Jr., in this special episode. It will be interesting to listen to the discussion, not just about the mechanics of the sport, but the mental journey that accompanies it. Richard shares insights about his pickleball journey which began four years ago during the COVID pandemic. Despite his achievements, Richard, like many of us, faced moments of doubt and frustration. In this episode he discusses the mental challenges he fa...
Mar 18, 2025•49 min
Join us for the March Bootcamp; https://betterpickleball.com/spring-bootcamp/ This week, let's dive into a concept I stumbled upon through an insightful video featuring a psychologist from Duke University. She introduces the idea of the "learning space" —the journey from not knowing to knowing. Picture two dots on a board, one representing ignorance and the other knowledge, connected by a squiggly line. This "learning space" is where growth happens and, interestingly, where frustration resides. ...
Mar 14, 2025•11 min
Open play can be interesting with players of varying skill levels playing and enjoying the game together. But that's not always the case when dynamics of it set in and players advance in skill; exclusivity sneaks in and can lead to less inclusive play. In this episode we discuss the state of play in terms of how players at different levels interact with each other. This arose from our state of play event that we had a couple of weeks back. Here's the thing, we have more control over things than ...
Mar 07, 2025•17 min
'The good thing about pressure is that it lets you know that you care.' Billy Jean King. The difficulty comes in when you let the pressure build up too much that it spills over into our hobbies and sports, including pickleball. It's perfectly normal for players to start feeling pressure in terms of their performance but not to the point where you're not having fun or can't function anymore. Here are three ways to release pressure and help you stay focused and relaxed on the court; 1. Between-Ral...
Feb 28, 2025•18 min
In this special episode of Pickleball Therapy we sit down for an insightful and fun conversation with Shelley and Sher, the duo behind Life Lessons from Pickleball. We discuss the genesis of their podcast, their relationship with pickleball, eye-opening moments from their mental side of playing pickleball and much more! Listen to the full episode as the duo shares with us how they deal with competitive partners, the pressure of improvement and more importantly, enjoying the journey and focusing ...
Feb 25, 2025•24 min
In doing some video review for a project I was working on, I came across some really good interview answer by Anna Bright, a top pickleball player in the world right now. When asked about what happened and despite losing the gold medals match, Anna expressed some thoughts that just reminded me of how we can have a better, a more constructive interaction with the sport that we play. She focused on the bigger picture of enjoying the sport and recognizing the value of competition while maintaining ...
Feb 21, 2025•17 min
At first glance, pickleball might seem simple—just a paddle, a plastic ball, and a court. But as you play more, you'll realize the sport's complexity. It's a puzzle that challenges you, both as a player and as a person, and that's what keeps us coming back. Think of pickleball as an onion, used for many purposes, it's delicious, complex, deep, but can also lead to crying. The onion layers represent various aspects of the sport and personal growth, and each layer you peel back reveals another, de...
Feb 14, 2025•12 min
Whenever you're getting ready to play, you want a little bit more focus, framing for yourself and perspective. This special bookmark style episode of the podcast is designed to help you before you go out for recreational or social pickleball play. Here are four different areas to ensure you get the most out of your play on the courts; i) Perspective Part One: Understand Your Relationship with Pickleball How would you describe your relationship with pickleball? What keeps you coming back for more...
Feb 11, 2025•16 min
In this weeks podcast we talk about different strokes for different folks. We got a couple of reviews I'm going to read to you here because I thought it was interesting. I'll start with a shout out that's a five-star game-changing review which says 'the podcast really helped me,' and explains why. The second review is one-star, and it's entitled 'Hot Air Nonsense.' Both people listened to the same podcast, yet their takeaways couldn’t have been more different. And that’s perfectly fine. Not ever...
Feb 07, 2025•17 min
