Pickleball is a fascinating sport that bewitches, bothers and bewilders anyone who starts playing the game. The mind, imagination and energy become charged from the first time one picks up a paddle and strikes the ball. However, the subconscious mind is engaged way before this in observing others play, reading about it or listening to others tell their stories. The social aspect to pickleball is huge and it’s why most have started playing the game and it’s a most fascinating sport to play competitively and play the right way. I’ve heard many say the game is addicting
even after a short while playing.
Why is this game so addicting? I’m yet to determine, but there are many aspects that makes it intriguing. Anyone can play the game from young to old, with or without a sporting background, and for social or competitive reasons. The beauty about the game is the playing field is level no matter one’s background it simply requires playing time, training, developing all the basic shots to start with and learning and understanding the game. Interpreting the two-bounce rule and the kitchen rule will require lots of skill to play it to your advantage. Finally finding a partner you enjoy playing with can become a critical factor too. So, it’s easy to hit the ball and it’s a lot of fun for the whole family.
My attempt at playing pickleball started three years ago after winning a mini tournament soon after starting to play and this made me think I could play the game. My confidence came from being accomplished and self-taught at ten other sports those being squash, tennis, racquetball, table tennis, badminton, cricket, soccer, volleyball, water polo and softball. I’m self-taught because I was non-athletic when younger with no muscle tone after growing too fast in my teen years to current a height of 6 foot 4 inches. I was uncoordinated and discombobulated passing through my teen years let alone a mind that was grappling to make sense of my world. So, I embarked on the pickleball journey playing every day for hours on end and studying the game.
A year later I used to say to anyone who would listen that I was going to figure the game out. Ten months after, while teasing a national doubles and singles gold medalist that I was going to figure the game out and beat him, he very adamantly said I was never going to get the game as my head was too screwed up. He was right at the time, yet so wrong as he had no idea how determined I was.
A few weeks later I started training and working on my shot mechanics and refining my skills. I also started intense weight training, cross training with squash and racquetball and anything that could enhance my focus and game, like boxing speed bag, jump rope and juggling a soccer ball while balancing a cone on my head. I worked my legs with hack squats lifting 740 pounds and holding it for 10 seconds. I learned that holding the squat was great for cardio and endurance training but more-so, I learned that control and power comes from playing in a half squat position. I’m proud of the physical workouts because of my age at 59 years old. Training to play pickleball the right way has helped me lose 45 pounds in less than a year and I’ve kept it off for more than a year now.
The mental and emotional benefits to playing the game has been more than incredible as I’ve naturally reset brain chemicals, calmed my conscious mind from too much noise and have had my energy naturally flow through all zones together with learning much about myself. My goal is to play on the senior pro circuit at singles within the new year and I’m well on my way, having set a challenge to do one tournament a month to maintain focus and keep the training going. Earlier this year I won gold at the Michigan Senior Olympics in singles in my second tournament. My first tournament I misread the times and got there late, forfeited and found out my first match was supposed to be against the world #1 senior pro with #2 and #4 playing too. I at least had the consolation of having my picture taken with them but I hope to be ready to take them on in next year’s tournament if I don’t meet them sooner… (continued)
I learned the game out of my frustration and failures and wrote down all my mistakes, who I partnered with to make the mistakes and in analyzing styles of play. I’d ask questions, watch the coaches on you tube and studied the pros and their styles of play. I gathered information in many different ways had the basic answers of why and how to play certain shots and when. I then compiled my answers to the questions and wrote a playbook with the basis and knowledge of my sporting background to determine my own style of play. I started coaching others my playbook but for purpose of understanding the game deeper and to develop the proper language and understanding for my own game.
I've traveled to different venues as well as played in tournaments to test my skills and I was pleased to find out my game was not lacking. What I did find out was that I needed more court time to enhance my skills and develop the confidence to quieten the noise in my head. The more my game grew and the more confident I became, the more challenging it became playing with others and squabbles easily broke out. I was told I’m cocky, called an asshole, told I’m not always right, and that I thought I knew how to play by the way I played. I was adamant that I was going to stick to my style of play and became intolerant of those who imposed their game or views onto me. I also traveled to different venues to perhaps attract a partner who could complement my style of play and add to my enjoyment of playing but I had more fights in the process so I decided to play singles only until the right partner comes along.
As my understanding and knowledge of the game grew so did my confidence to start enhanced training with other students of the game. Their sharp minds became an inspiration to me to learn how to play with them and their styles of play and standardize this process during which time I developed a play chart playing lanes based on where our team places the ball and supported by chess-like moves in covering the court. This I called Malcolm’s Pickle n Chess Method © 2022 and tested it to see if it works and I was flummoxed by the outcome as it was so very simple yet requires an incredible amount of skill to play it. I learned I could train with people but I could not play with them and this was an interesting discovery.
For the beginner it could take at least a year of playing every day to get to a level of
competence. I’d say a starting point to becoming an intermediary type player is being able to play all the basic shots. The mind will certainly boggle while grappling with the game and dealing with endless struggles of personalities and egos in finding an in to playing with better players.
Some players engage trainers who teach the basics to the game and the different shots. During this time information is received from trainers, people playing the game, partners, opponents, you tube videos or written blogs all information can be useful but it can all become very confusing very quickly as it all contributes to mental overload and confusion.
The biggest challenge at this point is to make sense of all the information and all the different voices running around in your head and most never evolve from this. One plays the game as one thinks and if the thinking is not clear, the game will follow and this will lead to much frustration… (continued)
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