We've all been body bagged or lost a long rally and felt the urge to exact immediate revenge by playing fast and dumb instead of smart and deliberate.
“An enormous part of improving your pickleball level is strengthening the mental side of the game,” says pro Eric Roddy. “And for amateurs, this crucial mental maturation is often as simple as overcoming one shot: the frustrated speed-up.”
Here are three common scenarios where this dreaded shot typically rears its ugly head, and what to do instead, according to Roddy.
The revenge body bag. Getting body bagged, especially if it is intentional, can make even the calmest person’s blood boil. Pause. Consider the moment and what’s at stake. Focusing solely on retaliating in this moment will lead to poor decision-making, which will lead to more unforced errors, and more points for your opponents. Is that really what you want?
Losing the point after a long rally can be heart-breaking and immensely frustrating. What often happens on the next point is a story as old as time. You or your partner takes one of the first couple shots and tries to force a speed-up to make up for losing the epic point before. Wrong, wrong, wrong. You were in the fight. That’s what matters. Now go win the next one.
Your opponents go on a big run. Instead of feeling like you need to close the gap quickly, try to refocus and remind yourself that pickleball is a game of runs. If you are down 4-9-1, you don’t need to score five points immediately by trying to play overaggressive. Try to get a point or two each time you are serving and hyperfocus on preventing your opponents from scoring. Chip away, don’t try to manufacture a run of your own.
The common thread here? Be deliberate rather than impulsive. Mistakes compound quickly in pickleball. One lost point can turn into several in a hurry if you try to force the result you want rather than the one you’ve earned.
