From time to time a student will lament a tournament loss. They might say something like, “Why don’t I play as well when I am under pressure?”
Under Pressure
The great Billie Jean King always said, “Bad technique breaks down under pressure.” If you are having difficulty taking your recreational play to competition, I suggest you spend a good deal of time thinking about this quote. You see, when we are free and loose we can get by with things we can’t under pressure. We swing with less tension and frankly move more freely about the court. But under tournament pressure, our feet tend to slow down. They settle into the court. Our forearm and grip tighten. We may not realize but we might even hold our breath.
Bad Technique
Under these conditions, bad technique becomes worse. Let me give you an example….imagine that one of a player’s negative tendencies is to not fully turn their body as they prepare for a forehand. Instead of turning their shoulder toward their target (12 o’clock), they only turn to 11 o’clock on some occasions. As we experience pressure, we tend to move less. As such, it is likely that this player will only turn to 10 o’clock under tournament conditions. Not only will this reduce the power of the return, but its accuracy as well.
Great Players Have great technique
If you look at players over time, you will find that all the players that enjoyed long, successful careers have great technique. Federer’s backhand is one of the purest in the game. Serena Williams is not only known for having the best serve in tennis…but in having great technique across every aspect of her game. She moves well. She prepares early. Etc.
When I teach, I always come back to the fundamentals. Whether it be by refocusing my student’s attention on my pickleball mantra, or on learning how to properly split-step or to make contact with three balls. There are many pickleball basics that are so essential to every shot we play. The great players have the practice discipline to continue to focus on these fundamentals day after day.
great players also have Great minds
The truly great players also have great competitive minds. They embrace competition, looking forward to the opportunity to challenge themselves. They use each tournament as an opportunity to identify areas for continued improvement. If you want to learn more about how to play well under pressure, check out my ebook Pickleball Tournament Mastery. I cover how I prepare (physically and mentally) for every tournament.
