Your Mini Me is Killing Your Game!
How to handle a feisty inner critic
In today’s Bite Size Newsletter:
Taming Your Inner Critic
Pickleball in Oz. WTF?
3rd Shot Tip of the Day
HOW TO HANDLE A FEISTY INNER CRITIC
Let’s keep this simple. I feel like players are too harsh on themselves, and this kind of overbearing attitude doesn’t enable you the kind of freedom you need to play great pickleball.
There is a fine line between pushing ourselves, and damaging ourselves with self-criticism. It’s your challenge to walk that fine line, and keep yourself within the flow of the game. When we get too worked up over something, it has a tendency to knock us out of the flow. Learn to tame your inner critic, and you’ll be ready for the bumper sticker: FLOW HAPPENS. Coincidentally, your game will also rise to new heights.
I want to focus on just two things:
Recognize when you’re being too hard on yourself. That’s it, just recognize it.
Then, replace the self-critical voice with a positive thought/mantra. “That’s OK, you got this!” Next, you might take a nice calming breath, in and out, and get ready for the next point. Pickleball is too quick of a game to hold on to any self-flagellation, whatsoever, as it’s an energy that brings you down, not lifts you up. Can you see the difference?
Just keep “recognizing,” and then “replace” the inner dialogue, and over time, the new one-two combo will serve to tame your inner critic. But it does take time. If you have a harsh IC, it’s wired into your brain, and it’s your knee jerk reaction when something doesn’t go your way. Recognize, and replace, repeat after me…
If you want to get deeper into it, and, hey, why shouldn’t you? Spend some time mulling over where that voice stems from. For some, it might be an old coach, or a parent. For others, it might just come from your frustration of not being great over night. “Ya mean, it takes time to play better pickleball?”
Find the source, and it has the potential to excavate a deep, personal thorn in your soul. It might just free you from so much self-created angst. And, when you DO find the thorn, thank whomever, or whatever it is, and tell them you’re moving on. As an example, you identify a particular coach who was rough on you growing up. Or a parent who pushed you too hard. “Thank you, but I’m moving on.” Only YOU have control over you. Don’t let the past demons haunt your game, and create SHAME for you. You might think about that word for a while, too. Because, for many of us, it runs deep. In the meantime…
Time to get the mini cuffs out and haul “the thorn” away.
Pickleball in Oz
Here’s a little poem courtesy of ChatGPT.
Oh, my dearies, let me tell you a tale,
Of a game so delightful, it'll never grow stale.
No need to meet a Wizard, no journey to embark,
Just grab a paddle, and let's play in the park!
Pickleball, dear friends, is the name of the game,
Where joy and laughter are always the aim.
No yellow brick roads, no witches to outsmart,
Just a simple court and a ball to impart.
With each gentle swing, and each satisfying smack,
We'll rally and volley, and never look back.
No ruby slippers needed, no magic spell to cast,
Just good company and fun, from first serve to last.
So forget about Oz, with its emerald hue,
Pickleball's where the real magic shines through.
In the land of the court, where dreams come alive,
We'll play and we'll laugh, as long as we strive.
So come join me, dear friends, and let's make a pact,
To play pickleball, and never look back.
For in this simple game, we'll find joy and glee,
And who needs a Wizard, when we've got company!
3RD SHOT TIP OF THE DAY
If your opponent hits you a shallow, and high, 2nd shot, 99% of the time, you should be driving your 3rd shot. It is really hard to return a drive from up close. By shallow, let’s say, anything four feet in from the baseline. My suggestion is to go down the middle with your drive, because you will have a lot of space there when the person who just served it is making their way to the NVZ. Middle solves the riddle.
And here’s the icing on that cake. You want to disguise your drive. Saunter up to the ball like you’re taking a Sunday walk in the park, and you’re probably about to drop it, all dainty-like. At the last possible moment, spring on your opponents like a cobra. Let them see your venom fly! Don’t even bother wiping the corners of your mouth.
SUGGESTION: If you like this kind of writing, check out my book How to Play Better Pickleball. It covers everything from A-Z and even stuff after Z.