Pickleball Therapy

"Chasing fairies" or the seductive but unproven strategies can often lead us astray on the court. From spinning dinks to rigid rules like "forehand in the middle," it's important to understand the why behind what we do on the courts. Listen to this full episode for more clarity and a grounded conversation that strengthens your mental approach to improvement.

Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/247-chasing-fairies/

Ego has a sneaky way of turning every match into a personal story—even when our friends earn the win. In this episode, I challenge you to rethink how you interpret losses, especially after a comeback. When we reframe the moment, we not only grow ourselves—we honor those we play with. A must-listen for any player serious about strengthening their mental game. 

Show Notes:  https://betterpickleball.com/246-dont-diminish-your-...

Redlining is a hidden obstacle affecting players at every level. This episode breaks down how staying too amped up impacts performance, limits mental flexibility, and leads to critical mistakes. Learn how to recognize when you're redlining and discover practical tools to regulate your emotional energy for more consistent, composed play on the pickleball court. 

Show Notes:  https://betterpickleball.com/243-how-redlining-hol...

Many players search for a “secret” to improve their pickleball game—but there's none. Improvement comes not from tips or tricks, but from understanding how the game works. In this episode, I'll explain why structured learning, clear decision-making, and consistent execution are the real keys to growth—and how seeing the full picture of the game can move you forward. 

Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/242-whats-the-se...

We’ve all faced frustrating moments on the court—with partners, opponents, or fellow players. What if we could reframe those situations into a healthier, more constructive way? In this episode of Pickleball Therapy, I explore a new mindset tool I’m developing called empathetic framing. I walk you through how this simple mental shift can reduce negativity and help you stay grounded in your game. 

Show Notes: https://betterpi...

This episode holds a special place. It distills three foundational mental pillars—Play, Perspective, and Progress—that have resonated deeply with players around the world. These are not just abstract concepts but practical tools that will help you not only play better, but also enjoy the game more fully and consistently.

Pillar 1: Play – Embrace the Oops Bucket

Mistakes are inevitable. Even the best players miss easy sho...

Today we dive into a topic that resonates deeply with many of us: the journey over the destination,  and how our approach to it can significantly impact our enjoyment of the game.

Join the Better Pickleball Academy for the competitive play series.

In our quest for improvement, there's a pervasive trend: rapid progression promises. We've all seen them—programs promising to elevate your rating from 3.5 to 4.0 in just 30 days. ...

When we think about pickleball, there are three pillars that comes to mind which we developed a few years back; the mechanical, the strategic, and the athletic pillar. 

The mechanical and strategic pillars focus on how and when to hit the ball and the athletic pillar emphasizes the synergy between body and mind. The mind is super important, but it's one-a-half of the athletic pillar, there's the other part of the athletic p...

You can't control every event in your journey, but you can control how you respond. And control goes beyond the physical aspect to include a mental dimension too. 

Sometimes when things happen to us in pickleball, we tend to externalize them by blaming external factors. The idea is, you can control how you react to those events to dictate the pace and outcome of the game. 

Just like holding the reins of a wagon; it's up to y...

Pickleball System Spring Boot Camp starting on March 27th; https://betterpickleball.com/march-bootcamp/

Will a smile help your pickleball game? While there might not be specific studies on the effect of smiling in sports, research shows that smiling can positively affect our attitude, calm our nerves, and enhance our overall well-being.

On this episode CJ Johnson shares a story from her visit to the BNP Paribas Open in Palm ...

We had the pleasure of featuring a pro pickleball player, Richard Livornese Jr., in this special episode. It will be interesting to listen to the discussion, not just about the mechanics of the sport, but the mental journey that accompanies it.

Richard shares insights about his pickleball journey which began four years ago during the COVID pandemic. Despite his achievements, Richard, like many of us, faced moments of doubt...

Join us for the March Bootcamp; https://betterpickleball.com/spring-bootcamp/

This week, let's dive into a concept I stumbled upon through an insightful video featuring a psychologist from Duke University. She introduces the idea of the "learning space"—the journey from not knowing to knowing. 

Picture two dots on a board, one representing ignorance and the other knowledge, connected by a squiggly line. This "learning space...

Open play can be interesting with players of varying skill levels playing and enjoying the game together. But that's not always the case when dynamics of it set in and players advance in skill; exclusivity sneaks in and can lead to less inclusive play. 

In this episode we discuss the state of play in terms of how players at different levels interact with each other. This arose from our state of play event that we had a coup...

'The good thing about pressure is that it lets you know that you care.' Billy Jean King. The difficulty comes in when you let the pressure build up too much that it spills over into our hobbies and sports, including pickleball.

It's perfectly normal for players to start feeling pressure in terms of their performance but not to the point where you're not having fun or can't function anymore.

Here are three ways to release p...

In this special episode of Pickleball Therapy we sit down for an insightful and fun conversation with Shelley and Sher, the duo behind Life Lessons from Pickleball.

We discuss the genesis of their podcast, their relationship with pickleball,  eye-opening moments from their mental side of playing pickleball and much more!

Listen to the full episode as the duo shares with us how they deal with competitive partners, the pressur...

In doing some video review for a project I was working on, I came across some really good interview answer by Anna Bright, a top pickleball player in the world right now.

When asked about what happened and despite losing the gold medals match, Anna expressed some thoughts that just reminded me of how we can have a better, a more constructive interaction with the sport that we play.

She focused on the bigger picture of enjo...

At first glance, pickleball might seem simple—just a paddle, a plastic ball, and a court. But as you play more, you'll realize the sport's complexity. It's a puzzle that challenges you, both as a player and as a person, and that's what keeps us coming back. 

Think of pickleball as an onion, used for many purposes, it's delicious, complex, deep, but can also lead to crying. The onion layers represent various aspects of the s...