Difference Between a Decent Rec Player & a Great One?
To bridge the gap doesn’t take as much as you may think
In Today’s Bite Size Pickleball Newsletter:
The Difference Between a Decent Rec Player and a Great One
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DECENT REC PLAYER AND A GREAT ONE
Yup. The image above pretty much states my entire case. Well, almost. Let’s get into it.
It always confounds me when I see rec players I have played with for years and they still make the same mistakes they did three years ago. TBH, it’s super frustrating to play with these kinds of players.
Why? Because I am one to work on maxing my potential in whatever I take on in life. So, in the span of those three years, my game, through drilling and “practicing like a pro,” has gotten infinitely better. To stand by and watch the same old unforced errors, over and over, sometimes for years, can be infuriating. I just don’t see why people don’t want to take even a little bit of time to work on their games.
Hell, you don’t have to practice like a pro. You just have to practice! Those players, who continue to make the same mistakes, could have spent one hour a week, in those three years, drilling and they probably wouldn’t make 80% of the mistakes they still do.
And the thing is, the mistakes they are making, aren’t that hard to correct! Often times, it’s the little things that cause the errors: Not holding your paddle properly when defending at the net, thinking you have to rush to the net, at all costs, and over-running balls, these types of things. They aren’t hard to adjust if you know what you’re doing wrong.
But maybe, they just don’t know what they’re doing. In that case, since there’s obviously very little self-awareness going into their game, I would suggest, if you are having difficulties on the court, to seek help. Find someone who can identify what it is you’re doing wrong, and then get them to help you. Yes, this probably means a teacher.
The other thing that sets the decent pickleball player off from a great player, is the mindset. A great player understands what gets them into flow, and thusly they are able to let go of conscious thought, and conscious self-criticism, and just play, in moment-to-moment fashion. And one of the reasons they are able to do that, is because THEY HAVE PUT IN THE TIME ON THE PRACTICE COURT. That helps to develop confidence, and trust, in your game, and less mental effort required. The game has slowed down for them and they move gracefully through it.
What I see from the “Players Making the Same Mistakes After Years” is a total, mental breakdown at times, sending them down the rabbit hole of unforced errors and self-doubt. It’s not pretty to watch, and especially not fun if you’re playing along side them. Why? Because you’ve seen this movie one too many times.
I was playing with someone the other day, and we lost 11-0, 11-1. My partner literally made 22 unforced errors in a row. I had never seen anything like it in my six years of playing, on any level. Their mental game just collapsed. The thing is, the player can be pretty good! They just weren’t on that day. Or the next, in which I kind of got stuck with them again. No, I can’t lie, it was not fun, and I couldn’t help but show some frustration.
The player told me I was in their head, kind of trying to blame me for 22 straight errors in a row. And what I told them was two things: There’s only one person with the key to our mind. And two, I am not out there to hold an adult’s hand, like a six-year-old child, and tell them it’s OK, everything is going to turn out fine, we’ll get ice cream afterwards and they’ll get a participation trophy. The 22-in-a-row day, I was pretty damn calm and supportive throughout, I took that as my test in flow (like I wrote about the previous week). But when the slide continued on Day 2, I was certainly not able to “flow” with it.
I told them they should think about dropping down a level until they got their mind right, and their game back, and to take some lessons. Which, it looks like, they are going to do.
To sum up: If you’re frustrated by your play, take action! Find a partner to drill with. Hire a coach who can help you analyze what you’re doing wrong and what you could be doing better. And then, ya know, when you play with me, I won’t have to throw my paddle into the net :)
There’s a lot of truth in this — especially the part about players repeating the same mistakes for years. As a pickleball instructor down in Florida, I see the same pattern: people want better results without changing the inputs. A little intentional practice goes a long way.
That said, I’ve also learned that most rec players don’t actually know what to practice. They’re not lazy — they’re just unaware. Once someone shows them the right reps, whether it’s middle‑ball clarity or functional third shots, their improvement curve jumps fast.
Your point about mindset is spot‑on. Confidence comes from preparation, not pep talks. And when the wheels fall off, it’s almost always the mental game, not the mechanics.
Strong post — direct, but it hits on something real in rec pickleball.