Thanks for joining us on Pickleball Therapy - the podcast dedicated to your pickleball improvement. If you have not yet subscribed to the podcast ... wait what?? you haven't subscribed? ... you know what to do. "Wait, I have a super computer?" you may ask. You 100% have one. And it is powerful. Makes ChatGPT (and all computers or programs) green with envy. There is a good chance, though, that you are not using it to its fullest capabilities when you are playing pickleball. One example: where are...
Apr 14, 2023•17 min
Thanks for joining us on Pickleball Therapy - the podcast dedicated to your pickleball improvement. If you have not yet subscribed to the podcast ... wait what?? you haven't subscribed? ... you know what to do. There are games that transform us as players. And they are generally not victories. In this episode I share with you the two most important games I ever players and how those games allowed me to become the player I am today. Use these to fuel your growth as a player. In the riff, I share ...
Apr 07, 2023•19 min
Thanks for joining us on Pickleball Therapy - the podcast dedicated to your pickleball improvement. If you have not yet subscribed to the podcast ... wait what?? you haven't subscribed? ... you know what to do. Partner poaching. It's part of the game - when done appropriately. But it can also be used a tool by one player to try and play an oversized role during the game. It is a particular problem in rec play when one player believes themself to be the superior player - often a misperception. In...
Mar 31, 2023•20 min
Thanks for joining us on Pickleball Therapy - the podcast dedicated to your pickleball improvement. If you have not yet subscribed to the podcast ... wait what?? you haven't subscribed? ... you know what to do. Many players fall into a pitfall of their own making. Specifically, players think that they need this shot or that shot. And that the framework of the game is secondary. Nothing could be further from the truth. Think of it like this: you know how to move all the pieces on a chessboard but...
Mar 24, 2023•19 min
Thanks for joining us on Pickleball Therapy - the podcast dedicated to your pickleball improvement. Ever use GPS to find your way somewhere new to you? Pretty helpful right? Otherwise, you are stopping at gas stations and asking passers by where this road is or that. And forget about it if you are using a map and get turned around North to South or East to West. Be driving in circles all day. GPS alleviates all that headache and gets you where you are going with amazing accuracy - in terms of ti...
Mar 17, 2023•19 min
Thanks for joining us on Pickleball Therapy - the podcast dedicated to your pickleball improvement. This is a special episode. Our System Miniseries is this week and we did not want you to miss it. What is next for you along your pickleball journey? If you want to move from Point A to Point B, the Miniseries will help you move in that direction. And the System will get you there. There is no obstacle to your improvement - other than a decision by you to make it a reality. See you at the Miniseri...
Mar 13, 2023•5 min
Thanks for joining us on Pickleball Therapy - the podcast dedicated to your pickleball improvement. Every pickleball player has come across that player who other players shrink from playing with: negative energy, eye rolls, verbally negative comments. Sometimes that player is us. Yikes right? Be open to the possibility that you have, from time to time, perhaps, behaved in a manner that could be improved. Might have been something as "simple" as a shoulder drop when your partner missed that put-a...
Mar 10, 2023•16 min
Thanks for joining us on Pickleball Therapy - the podcast dedicated to your pickleball improvement. It can sometimes be difficult for players to accept success; to give themselves permission to enjoy the good they do in their games. Here's the thing, be evenhanded about it. I guarantee that when you make that mistake, or let that lead evaporate, you let yourself know how you messed up - you may even be hard on yourself about it. Why not do the same when you play a good game or hit that good shot...
Mar 03, 2023•12 min
Bookmark this Episode. Use these 3 Tips to Play your Best Pickleball Today. 1 - What are you going to focus on today? Pick one thing (third shot, volley, deep serve) and gain clarity in your mind. You'll feel better and play better. 2 - Why are you headed to the courts? This is very personal to you and it drives why you decided to get in your car (or walk) to the pickleball courts today. 3 - Find gratitude out there. Doing this three times will help you build a positive dopamine loop. These 3 ti...
Feb 24, 2023•13 min
There is a sweetspot when we play pickleball. Not the paddle (though that one exists too) – your sweetspot. Finding that place from where you are going to play your best and keeping it takes practice. In this episode we explain the concept of finding that edge and then give you some tips to keep it where you want. Understanding your energy level will help you avoid overheating or playing lackluster. And what about those serve rules? We are getting asked all the time about them. Can you still spi...
Feb 17, 2023•13 min
If you are on the road to improvement, it can feel sometimes like you are stuck in a rut. Specifically, you have been practicing this shot or technique but when the game starts, it disappears. It feels like you are wasting your time. In this episode of Pickleball Therapy, we look at it three ways: 1. How do the reps of the shot or skill you are working on compare to the reps of your existing shot or skill? Bet you it is not even close. 2. We give you a tip you can use so that you put that new sh...
Feb 10, 2023•19 min
A different episode this week. I went into the vault to answer your questions. Lots of interesting queries in there and we tackle them all. Let us know what you think about the episode and send us your questions. I enjoyed answering them and look forward to doing it again. Join us inside the System here. Check out Tyrol shoes here. Sign up here to get our weekly emails . Our mental book recommendations here. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you...
Feb 03, 2023•16 min
Each of us has a core reason why we play pickleball. Perhaps it is exercise. Or fun. Or social outing. Whatever your reason is for playing pickleball is the quid pro quo deal you strike each time you head to the courts. Avoid the temptation to lose sight of it once you get out there. Focus on the real reason you play and you will have a better and more productive relationship with pickleball - and you will also play better to boot. In the riff I talk about those darned illegal serves. They ruin ...
Jan 27, 2023•20 min
When we are playing recreational play, it can be frustrating when we get partnered with a player who just does not play "right." In this episode we talk about what to do when we are playing with such a partner as well as other situations that come up where we are in a position that is not what we want. Remember, you can only control that which you can control. I also share with you the ATP (around the post) story to illustrate how slowing ourselves down out there can let us see the game better a...
Jan 20, 2023•20 min
It can be important for us to know that we are walking forward along our path. This week we share with you some thoughts about this process. We also share with you how to frame out the battle out on the court - the struggle is real :). This is a Vault Episode. You can join us inside the System here. Sign up here to get our weekly emails . You can find our mental book recommendations here. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they proba...
Jan 13, 2023•15 min
Happy 2023. We are going to get right back into the swing of things. First: are you protecting your pickleball journey? You have agency over what you allow to come into your journey - use the agency. We give you some tips to help you keep the barbarians at the gate (good book if you are looking for one). In the riff we discuss achievability. Perhaps you have objectives that you want to achieve in pickleball. That is great - but it helps for you to know that you can achieve those objectives. Add ...
Jan 06, 2023•17 min
Last episode of 2023. Checking ourselves to get ready for 2023 and learning a technique that will help us get where we want to go. If you are ready for more, join us for the 3-part course and when you are really really serious, we will see you inside the System. Have a happy new year. Here is our 2023 blog post with the worksheets you can use to improve your game: https://wearepickleball.com/whats-next-for-your-pickleball-game/ Join us for the 3-Part course to start 2023 off right. Here's the li...
Dec 30, 2022•20 min
In this week's episode, we re-share with you Episode 91 to help you have the tools you need to make 2023 your best pickleball year yet. If you want to really do the work, you are going to want to get our downloadable worksheets. There is some work to be done in there, but it will help you with your game for sure. If you are on our mail list you already got a link to the article and worksheets. If you are not our mail list, then ???? You can always get on it at wearepickleball.com. Sign up here t...
Dec 23, 2022•15 min
2022 is almost in the books. what does 2023 have in store for you as a pickleball player? More importantly, as a curious player who wants to see how well you can play this game. In this week's episode, we give you some tools to look backward and forward. But if you want to really do the work, you are going to want to get our downloadable worksheets. There is some work to be done in there, but it will help you with your game for sure. If you are on our mail list you will get a link in this week's...
Dec 16, 2022•21 min
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 ...
Dec 09, 2022•22 min
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 ...
Dec 02, 2022•18 min
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 ...
Nov 25, 2022•13 min
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 ha...
Nov 18, 2022•20 min
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 the...
Nov 11, 2022•15 min
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 picklebal...
Nov 04, 2022•15 min
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. So...
Oct 28, 2022•17 min
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...
Oct 21, 2022•14 min
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 th...
Oct 14, 2022•16 min
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 ...
Oct 07, 2022•14 min
When we think of winning as getting to 11 first and losing as when our opponents get to 11 before we do, we rob ourselves of the benefits that can come from score losing a game. The only way we grow as pickleball players is when we are pushed to do so - this often means losing in terms of the score in a game or match. Take advantage of these growth opportunities by focusing on what you can do to improve as opposed to just the L that you get after that "loss." In the riff, we get into what it mea...
Sep 30, 2022•16 min
