The Power of Joy
by RICK CIPES
Three pros who exude happiness on the court talk about how joy can be a strategy for long-term success .
Over the summer I attended my first PPA tournament in Salt Lake City — and my first Rolling Stones concert , where Mick Jagger , 80 , strutted down the catwalk singing , “ You can ’ t always get what you want , but if you try sometime , you just might find , you get what you need .”
What I needed , and got , was a group of performers who were all connected by a great sense of joy in their playing . Not only the Stones ( who still rock like teenagers ), but pro picklers Augie Ge , Connor Garnett , and Jaume Martinez Vich . These guys know how to get satisfaction on the court .
“ Pickleball brings me joy in so many different ways ,” says Vich .
“ If there was no joy ,” Garnett adds , “ competing would be miserable .”
Tell that to the player who just threw their paddle across the court . But more importantly , tell that player “ the zone ” is much easier accessed when we ’ re competing from a place of happiness than when we ’ re mired in frustration .
“ I think joy is absolutely an avenue to peak performance ,” says Ge .
Joy brings out positive neurotransmitters , like dopamine , serotonin , and oxytocin , which are linked to increased motivation , focus , resilience , less anxiety ( i . e ., fear of failure ), and strengthened social bonds .
For Ge , it ’ s those social bonds that keep him coming back for more . “ Getting to hang out with friends who have a common interest of hitting a plastic ball around brings me immense joy .”
Think of the group you play in , and the joy inherent in hitting that plastic ball around with them . And then think of that group when you add a frustrated player to the mix . It tends to pull everyone down .
“ I think without joy in your journey , your daily routines are not sustainable ,” says Garnett .
Garnett is on to something . Because when we can adopt a journey-based mindset , over a result-based mindset , we ’ re able to move on faster , rather than dwelling on a result we didn ’ t like . If Ted Lasso was our pickleball coach , he ’ d tell us to “ be a goldfish .” Goldfish are said to have 10-second memory spans .
“ I don ’ t spend much time in matches I lose ,” says Vich . “ I take the important details out of them and move on so I can do better .”
That is important : How quickly can we learn from our losses , apply the lessons , and push forward ? It is much easier doing that from a position of joy .
“ If every day I feel miserable in what I ’ m doing , motivation lowers , the quality of work lowers , and overall , you are not at your best ,” says Garnett .
“ It is easy to get discouraged after tough results if you are not playing with joy ,” adds Ge , “ but if you truly love what you are doing , and it makes you happy , then it is easy to keep coming back .”
All three guys cited their tennis heroes when asked who exemplifies joy for them : Rafael Nadal , Roger Federer , and Carlos Alcaraz . And if you ’ re thinking one can ’ t be joyful while also being a champion , read those names again .
“ I think without joy , it would be hard to reach your maximum potential ,” says Garnett . “ And a loss of joy , from what I ’ ve seen , seems to happen when players feel stuck .”
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