How To Get Better At Pickleball?
Whether you are an emerging player or a newbie who wants to understand the intricacies of Pickleball, the phenomena of a “learning curve” is inevitable even if it varies from person to person.
Being a Pickleball Professional, I have devoted my whole life to this game and it’s no denying that there is always something new to learn every day. In simpler and more profound words, there are no shortcuts or workarounds on getting better at pickleball.
However, through this guide, I can teach you some tips and tricks that will put you on the right path, so you won’t have to face hurdles and repeat the same mistakes that I made when I first stepped foot on the court as a rookie.
7 Universal Tips To Get Better At Pickleball
Here are a couple of handy tips that will certainly make you better at this sport so you can easily assert dominance on the court.
1. Learn the Basics
Rome wasn’t built in a day and so are your skill sets, just because you saw videos of people pulling sick shots and strategies doesn’t mean you could learn and replicate it right away.
Every professional or enthusiast you see in the court has spent hours and shed sweat beyond your imagination to reach the spot that you are witnessing now and honestly speaking it’s a long journey but worth the wait.
As mentioned above, there is no hard and fast way to flatten the learning curve, however, there is one obligation that every player has to exercise and that is learning the basic rules of a said sport.
Even though Pickleball is a sport that highly encourages newer players through its lenient t scoring system, nevertheless, it still requires an individual to learn the basics such as serving and knowing various zones on the court.
Without building a fundamental foundation through such basic knowledge, all your efforts would be pretty much in vain.
2. Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourselves
Don’t push your limits and always know your boundaries, there is no time limit or any form of restriction that requires you to learn everything in an allotted time period.
It’s totally up to you how slowly you learn even the most basic form of skills in the game and that’s where you will get better at pickleball.
3. Practice In Your Spare Time
As the saying goes, practice makes a man perfect, polish your skills and the things you learn on the court whenever there is nobody around the playing field. There is no shame in playing alone, in fact, it will help you build confidence as there will be nobody to criticize your mistakes if you are the “introvert type” individual.
On the flip side, you will also learn a couple of neat tricks that you can execute whenever you engage in an active pickleball session. While mistakes are made even by the most renowned players, make sure you take your time to learn from them and try not to replicate them by rectifying a workaround whenever you are practicing.
Practicing also builds muscle memory as well as hand-eye coordination, which by far supersedes any other skill sets in pickleball because experience will always beat youth and exuberance.
4. Expand Your Circle
Pickleball is a sport that requires you to be a social animal and nullify the negative energy you might have accumulated through shyness. Expanding your circle means identifying players who are also at your level or are getting into the game, just like you!
By carefully picking players and making them your Sports acquaintance you can easily level up your skill set together in the playing field. This will exponentially boost your synergy and eliminate all your hesitation at once.
At the very least, you will have a partner who will help you spot your mistakes and make you better at pickleball, and vice versa.
5. Communication is The Key
Never bury your intrusive thoughts whenever playing pickleball, if you have a special strategy in your mind, let your partner so you can collectively execute it on the court. Team-based discussion is always healthy and eliminates toxicity to a greater extent.
On the flip side, if you are getting into the game or feel like your opponent is way above your league, let them know about your skill tier to keep the game as casual as possible.
6. Spectating Doesn’t Hurt
Sometimes, it is wise to take a break and spectate your opponents outside the court, this will give you a better perspective, which isn’t possible otherwise.
Visual learning helps you identify mistakes from a third-person perspective, allowing you to mold your skill sets much more seamlessly. It also builds confidence as you eventually become more familiar with advanced techniques and other various formats of the game.
7. Think Outside The Box
As previously mentioned, there is no hard and fast rule to becoming better at pickleball which means you can simply create your own form of playstyle and strategies and execute it in the game and get an edge over your opponent, as long as they are within the bounds of the rules.
Pickleball is all about fast reflexes and playing mind games to prevent rhythm prediction so you can easily score against the opposing team, get creative, and use your own playstyle if it helps you on the court.
Bottom Line
In Addition to all the tips and tricks I just mentioned above, you can also partake in extracurricular activities like core training and exercise or general cardio sessions which will help you build stamina, so you can get lean which will eventually reduce the effects of muscle fatigue and will drastically make you get better at Pickleball.
With that being said, always trust your instincts and don’t let your mistakes hold you back to become the better version of yourself. Feel free to comment below if you still have any doubts in your mind.
