I find a lot of people become hyper-focused on the ball. Like a horse with blinders or a dog chasing a ball. So today let’s think about how we should watch the ball.
Driving a car
When I throw a tennis ball, my dog, Bennet will go after it with a vengeance. He becomes so focused on the ball that he may not see something or someone coming into his path and run right into them. I see many pickleball players do the same thing. I can tell that 
they are “too” ball focused by watching their head. If their head is moving from side to side or bobbing about…I know that they are focused only on the ball, not the court.
Instead, I suggest you think back to your Driver’s Ed days. You’ll recall you were encouraged not to focus solely on the car in front of you. You want to see the whole picture…including 3-5 cars in front of you, what’s happening in the lane next to you, etc. I think of the ball as the car in front of me. You need to watch the ball…but you don’t want it to be the only thing you see.
watch the ball
When I am on the court I want to see what my partner and my opponents are doing. I want to find those open spaces that may offer me the best target. At the same time, I need to be in control of the ball. To do this, I watch the ball with my eyes…not my head. If I notice that I have dropped my head, then I know that the ball is too close to me and my contact will likely be late. We all know that we always want to make contact with the ball in front of us. To accomplish this we extend our arms away from our body. We watch the ball with our eyes!
If you are not sure this is possible, off the court move the paddle in front of you while watching with your eyes…keeping your head still. Then move onto the court and dink with your partner focusing on keeping your head still. You might need to stick your chin out just a bit to exaggerate this feeling. By keeping your head still you will see the ball better and make better contact in front of you. By keeping your head still you will find your body feels more stable and as such offer you better ball control.
bobbleheads
I always imagine a bunch of bobblehead dolls in a car. As the car moves down the road the bobbleheads move but their bodies are
still. In real life, it is exactly the opposite. If our head bobs up and down our whole body will follow. And all this movement makes it very difficult to hit the ball effectively.
Simple, efficient movements are key to pickleball. Too much head movement tends to hinder our motions. So learn to watch the ball and the court. Open your eyes to the possibilities!
