Welcome to The Pickled Brain!
Before you ask, no, I am not a pro pickleball player. No, I am not even a coach.
I am a solid intermediate player. I’ve been playing long enough to have a good grasp of the basics, and a pretty good grasp of playing a good game. And I am always working to improve my game.
Which is why I am here. I figured there are lots of other pickleball players that want the same thing as I do: consistent playing to the best of my ability — without my brain (and my psychology) tripping me up!
When someone is working on the basics, it is all technique. And there is plenty to learn there. But at some point, you realize how mental a game this is. Feeling some intimidation? Things don’t go so well. Drag in frustrations and pressures from outside the court? Things don’t go so well. Having some frustrations with your partner (playing or life)? Things don’t go so well.
Unfortunately, we are not automatons, simply executing techniques flawlessly. We have that flaw of humanity: keeping our emotions under wrap while trying to get our bodies to do what we want.
Ah, the human conundrum!
Oh, and I have over 35 years of studying psychology: positive psychology, performance psychology, and therapeutic psychology. In fact, for most of those years, my research has been about how people thrive in life. So, why not turn that on pickleball? It is helpful to me.
And I hope it is helpful to you.
So, let’s get playing, shall we?