TAMING THE
INNER CRITIC
By Rick Cipes
Where does this Inner Critic stem from ? Most likely , it ’ s been around since your childhood .
One of the most glaring , negative traits I witness on the pickleball court is players being too hard on themselves . I see it at every level of play . And I feel like it really weakens a player ’ s game . You need to learn to be kinder to yourself ! Disclaimer : I am not a therapist , but I almost played one on TV .
Where does this Inner Critic stem from ? Most likely , it ’ s been around since your childhood . Maybe it was an overbearing parent , or the competitive drive to be “ better ” than your siblings at something . Or perhaps it emanates from one , or many , of your sports coaches pushing you to the brink . This is where you visualize Bobby Knight throwing chairs in your direction . Or , more appropriately , this is where you identify your own personal Bobby Knight . Once you have pinpointed the culprit , you can set out to change the imprint . That is , if you want to be able to play more footloose and fancy-free .
Avid pickleball player and musician Kenny Loggins says his Inner Critic stems from an older brother , and coaches who thought that if they constantly criticized him , he ’ d play better . “ I have never found that to be true ,” Loggins says . “ I always play better with a coach who believes in me .” And that includes himself : “ I don ’ t want to remind myself of how I suck . I want to focus on what I should ’ ve done to correct the mistake .”
A technique I ’ d like to suggest for dealing with negative self-talk is to give it a name , or a mantra , and repeat it to yourself every time “ the voice ” rears its ugly head . Doing this , consistently , will help put some distance between you and the tyrant in your brain . The moniker , or mantra , can be anything except your own name . I hear that a lot — players chastising themselves with their own name , and it ’ s a tell-tale sign of those who need to perform a major exorcism .
Seventh-ranked PPA women ’ s doubles player Lauren Stratman likes to use a mantra her father taught her : “ Right here , right now , let ’ s go !”
“ The Inner Critic takes us out of the present moment ,” Stratman says . “ And whenever I see my opponent start to react negatively , I know they have just given me a huge mental edge .”
She advises players to mask their frustration , so opponents can ’ t pounce on their vulnerability . You know , never let them see you sweat .
And , finally , when you do slip up , you need to make sure you ’ re not internalizing the emotion with your exclamation , or body language . That is only going to keep the negativity festering on spin cycle . You need to be conscious of letting the energy go . Famous bestselling author and classical music conductor Benjamin Zander , who has a great TED Talk on the subject , likes to throw his arms in the air and say , “ How fascinating . What can I learn from this ?”
Because no matter how old you are , or what level you play at , neuroplasticity — the ability to change how your brain is wired — is completely within your reach . It will take time , but eventually your Inner Bobby Knight will take a seat on the sidelines , and marvel as your game rises to new heights . •
Rick Cipes has written for over 40 publications including the L . A . Times , Playboy and ESPN Magazine . Check out his Inner Game of Pickleball on YouTube , Instagram , Facebook , and on his official site ,
www . innergameofpickleball . com .