Pickleball Mindset-Rallying your Court Confidence.

Juli Schafer
Feb 16
4 min read

Updated: Mar 30

Juli Schafer

Developing your mental fortitude in this game is just as important as learning drops and blocks. You can avoid them all for awhile, but eventually you need to learn them all to become successful.

Trust me when I tell you that Pickleball is at least 70% mental. Doing the work in your mind will help you feel better and execute better on the court. It is scientifically proven that your actions will follow where your mind goes, so knowing how to direct your thoughts is a powerful tool in your Court Confidence Tool Box.

If you are in a game-time situation that starts to go south, and you let your confidence go there, too, it’s virtually impossible for you to do well.

The Scene: You are playing competetively and you have now lost the last three points.

You are frustrated and getting demoralized, and you need to find the motivation to get back in this thing.

We have all been there. We are making mistakes and wish we could go back and replay those points. As Cher wisely sings, "If I could turn back time, If I could find a way....(I'd take back those shots and execute that put awaaaayyyyy...). You get the gist.

Of course you can't get those points back, but you can get control of your mental actions for every point ahead.

It is time, Court Warrior, to rally yourself (and maybe your partner, too) because if you let your mind go spiraling down, the exact same thing will happen to your game.

Your actions follow your thoughts.

So how do you can you pump yourself up and counter the negative self-talk? We have put together some actions for you to pull out you need them. Much like a mechanic uses tools to fix your vehicle, these tools will fix your Court Confidence.

Tools for your Court Confidence Toolbox

Release the last shot immediately and move on.

If it’s a good shot, move on. If it’s not a good shot, move on. This game, like life, keeps moving and we cannot get any of it back. There’s no time to dwell. Release the error or missed opportunity as you are getting into position. Make an adjustment and welcome the next point.

Tell yourself-"I will do this next time and VISUALIZE IT."

Create a Reset Ritual for yourself.

Wear a rubber band or hair tie on your wrist and snap it.
Brush your shoulders to “brush it off.”
Tap the wall, fence, your bum or thigh with your paddle.
Use a Court Catchline Say a phrase that snaps you back into the moment like "Next Point" "Let's Go" "You CAN do this."

The Zen Zone

There are so many times I catch myself holding my breath and find my shoulders up next to my ears. Stress mode can help you when you are running from a tiger, but it doesn't help on the court. It causes tight grips which produce pop-ups, out balls, and then…downward spirals.

You must relax yourself. HOW: Breathe in-2 quick, exhale 1 deeply WHEN: As you walk back to serve or receive.

Or hum a few bars from your fight song. No one can hear you-it’s loud where you are. If you do not have a fight song, go get one. Mine are “Champion” (Carrie Underwood) and

Unstoppable (Sia). Eminem works, too.

3 Essentials to Beat Nerves and Stay Focused on the Pickleball Court

Focus on what you are doing right, (not wrong).

Instead of saying to yourself, “Don’t pop it up, why did I hit that lousy shot, I hit it right to her forehand… Change it to, “Keep it low, I’ll get that one next time, put it where they’re not, Hit their backhand.”

Getting frustrated or disgusted with yourself WILL TANK your game.

Remember Prior Success.

Remind yourself: You have successfully executed every shot that you need to use: THE HARD DRIVE, THE DINK TO THEIR LEFT FOOT, THE BLOCK, THE CROSS COURT, THE DOWN THE MIDDLE WINNER. So of course you can absolutely 100% execute it again.

Tell your mind where you want the ball to go.

Sometimes you have to stop overthinking your mechanics and trust your body to put the ball where you want it to go. Visualize the spot, then relax and trust yourself.

Be your Biggest Fan.

You must not, under any circumstance, be critical of yourself and put yourself down. No, no, no. Are you talking to yourself the way you talk to your partner? You lift them up, right? You reassure them that it’s okay to miss a shot and remind them of the good things they did, right? You are an encourager to them so you MUST treat yourself the same way. You cannot shame your way to improving.

Lift yourself up: “I work hard to learn shots. I know I can do this now. I have won

medals. I have absolutely gotten better. I am a badass.”

Pickleball does not define you.

At the end of every day, pickleball is something you love to do and it has opened up a world of fun, friends and fitness to you, but it does NOT DEFINE YOU. It is a game, and a means to other things in your life.

Your worth is not related, in any way, to your pickleball game.

You are a Badass

You have accomplished so much up until now, and you can do absolutely anything that you decide to do. This is not cliche, this is legit. Think about what you have achieved, overcome and gotten through. So of course you can also get this wiffle ball to go where you want it to go.