Ep. 299 - It's YOUR Journey PLUS Avoid Distraction

The Best from our Archives Part 8 - Stop Chasing Winners and 2023 Open Notes

Thanks for joining us on Pickleball Therapy - the podcast dedicated to your pickleball improvement. If you have not yet subscribed to the podcast ... wait what?? you haven't subscribed? ... you know what to do. If you can STOP chasing winners, you will win more. What??? Yes. When you chase winners, you make more mistakes. When you make more mistakes, you lose more points. Simple as that. Stick with the program: make less errors - and you will win more rallies (and games). One powerful way to do this is by going for less winners. Stop playing high risk pickleball and you will play better. If you like the podcast, please give it a rating. And share it with your friends. If you like it, they probably will too. Stay well, Tony

Ep. 301 - Play Copernican Pickleball

This week, Tony reads from Pickleball Therapy: The Book — specifically the opening of Part Four, "Our Place with Pickleball." The framing comes from Copernicus. For a long time, humans believed the Earth sat at the center of the universe. It made sense at the time. Then Copernicus came along and changed the picture. We do the same thing on the pickleball court. We put ourselves at the center of everything that happens out there. The miss? Must be my fault. The lost rally? I should have done something differently. Tony walks through a scenario most players will recognize: a short return of serve, an opponent who moves in and drives hard, a ball that ends up in the net. The instinct is to blame ourselves. But if you rewind the rally, the cause is usually somewhere else.

Ep. 300 - Is Your Mosquito Derailing You?

Episode 300. Hard to believe.  What are the mosquitoes in your pickleball? Your opponent's shot that trickles over the net. The unlucky bounce. The gust of wind. The wrong call. The lead you watched slip away. Each one is just part of the game, and each one can derail you if you let it. If you can identify your mosquitoes before they show up, you'll be ready when they do. And the better you get at it on the pickleball court, the better you get at it in life. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/300-is-your-mosquito-derailing-you

Ep. 299 - It's YOUR Journey PLUS Avoid Distraction

In this episode, I explore two important ideas that can help you build a healthier and more productive relationship with pickleball. The first is why your pickleball journey belongs to you and how recognizing your own agency can help you navigate challenges, setbacks, and social dynamics on the court. Then we examine why so many players get distracted by so-called "magic bullets" and why lasting improvement comes from focusing on fundamentals rather than shortcuts.  Show Notes:  https://betterpickleball.com/299-its-your-journey-plus-avoid-distraction

Ep. 298 - Focus Your "I Care" Beam

Let's explore this mental performance concept I call the “I Care Beam”—the idea that the significance we assign to pickleball experiences is entirely within our control. By consciously focusing our attention on the aspects of the game that bring us joy, growth, friendship, and health, we can reduce the emotional weight of mistakes and losses. Listen to the full episode for a fresh way to engage with pickleball and protect your enjoyment of the sport.  Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/298-focus-your-i-care-beam