INSTRUCTION By Alice Tym
WINNING THE MENTAL GAME
One of the keys to playing better pickleball is being able to manage your thought processes . You need to be able to keep the good material in your head and ignore the bad material . Sometimes that is not easy . Positive and specific thoughts are better than negative and vague ones . So , how do you train yourself to do this ?
For example , the other team hits a winning , unplayable let cord . You can growl “ Lucky ” under your breath and lose the next two points , disrupt your focus , and interrupt your strategy . Or you can think about how you are going to play the next point . Leave the let cord behind . That point is over . Your opponents will be looking at your demeanor . You can give them a lift by reacting . Or you can demonstrate control of the match by a head held high and a “ Nice shot ” comment . How you deal with the situation is more important to the overall match than one lucky point .
What if your opponent is on fire ? What if he is hitting screaming winners ? A good mental trick is to think , “ This is what he has to do to beat me .” Then find a way to disrupt his rhythm by changing the way you ’ re playing . Perhaps you are feeding him with too much pace . In doubles , try hitting to the other player . Change your spin . Slow down the game . Play more to the middle of the court , giving him fewer angles . But by all means be
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