How to Stay Calm During Pickleball Matches
To stay calm during pickleball matches, don’t try to talk yourself into calm. From the Fluid Motion Facto perspective, calm comes when the brain stops over-managing the body. Use a small pause before contact, soften your eyes, acknowledge the ball, and return attention to simple feel rather than score or outcome. The goal is not to control every shot, but to let your trained movement system play without extra mental static.
What to do…
The Nines
The Nines: consider quietly counting the number nine inside as the ball is hit and as it comes toward you.
Acknowledge the ball
Simply acknowlegde the incoming ball, rather than intensely focussing on it
Pause before conact
Just as the ball reaches you, find a moment o pause, just before the hit
Soft eyes
Soften the vision: Have your attention on the whole field of vision (and the ball)
FAQ:
Why do I get tense during close pickleball games?
If you focus on outcomes, your attention is in the future. That is energy wasted. The only way to affect the future is to focus on and enjoy the now. No amount of future success will compensate for an agonizing present. An agonizing now will almost certainly disallow a a successful future. The real win is within. If you win that game, no other outcome matters
How can I calm down before serving at game point?
Consider that you never know it is game point until later. It could be just another point. If you think that it is game point you are either living in the past (recounting accumulated points) or in the future (anticipating a result). None of that adds attention to what you are actually doing. To find calm, find the area of your body that seems excited. Put your attention on it for a moment or two. Take a deep breath and let out a long exhale.
Why does trying harder sometimes make me play worse?
Trying has nothing to do with playing. Those two words don’t even belong in the same sentence. Trying is indicative of prefrontal cortex activation. What we want is it for the cerebellum to be in charge? Because it can make all kinds of micro adjustments the last second, but none of that happens if you’re trying.
Why does trying to stay calm sometimes make me more nervous?
Trying is a mental action, and just adds more tension anbd complexity. Feel the body. Something is activated. Your attention on it is soothing, Move on with play.
How can soft eyes help me stay relaxed during a rally?
Relaxing the eyes softens the thinking and increases flexibility. Multiple shots can help you find a rhythm. Consider a new paradigm where the mimd to slows down rather than speeding up during a rally. Keep the attention broad to maintain perspective and calm.
How can I keep my body loose when the match starts to feel serious?
Check in on where you feel tense. Give it some attention, Your attention is soothing to the body. You’re saying “I hear you, I’m with you, We are safe, and you are more important to me than this game.”
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