One of the hardest things to do is to trust your pickleball partner. But it is one of the most important lessons we can learn on the court to improve our game.
trust vs mistrust
I often see players scurrying around the court…trying to be everywhere on the court. As their partner tries to build a point, they may find themselves out of position. They may be burnt, unable to recover to hit a ball hit behind them. Or they may crowd their partner, causing them to lose focus and miss-hit the ball. Of course, they may also leave large areas of the court open and exposed.
Sometimes the best thing you can do as a partner is to allow your partner to get themselves out of trouble. I need to give them room to move and, most importantly, to move effectively:
- In balance;
- Able to transfer their weight through the shot;
- Being in a position to move TO the ball rather than chasing the ball.
learning to trust
Often it is difficult being the person that is not hitting the ball. We often feel like we need to do something to help. But we need to 
remember that we do have a job even when we aren’t hitting the ball and that is to cover our half of the court!
If you are having difficulty learning to trust your partner, I would encourage you to learn to call the ball. And by that, I mean every ball. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen someone ready to hit a ball when suddenly their partner crosses in front of them and takes it because they were not sure where they were. Calling the ball gets rid of this issue. And it will create better habits such a:
- Preparing for the ball sooner;
- Keeping your eye on the ball; and
- Focusing on a target rather than focusing only on getting the ball over the net.
Learning by practicing
I haven’t met many people that can decide to trust their partner more one day and put it into practice the next time they play. Like everything else, this will require practice. So next time you practice, call the ball. And that means every ball. Make it a habit and you will learn to trust your partner just a little bit more.
