The Mental Side of Pickleball

Key Points

• Three Point Rule: if you’re up by 3 points, play more aggressive; if you’re down by 3, play higher percentage
• Be a good doubles partner
• Communicate after each point: win or lose
• Take care of your partner before taking care of your own emotions
• Don’t focus on winning or losing
• Focus on each point individually
• Take your time in between points to identify what’s going on in the match
• When you get mad, your opponent feels better
• After a bad point, turn your back, take deep breaths, reset
• Consider what factors are contributing to points won and points lost
• Leverage the factors (e.g. if your forehand is strong, create a system where you hit more forehands and less backhands)
• Be aware of what’s going on the opponent’s side of the court