My Top 5 Tips for Staying Focused

Have you ever made a shot and it couldn’t be more opposite to how you think it will turn out?

And then has that happened over and over again?

I believe that everyone has a threshold for prime pickleball performance each time they step onto the court. It’s pretty simple, in order to optimize this level of play, one just needs to be zoned in.

Here are my top five ways of how I can stay focused and in the zone...

Warm Up Off of the Court

This is highly underrated and it’s unfortunate to see how many players neglect this area. By taking the time to properly warm up, you will inadvertently be sharpening your focus.

When warming up before a lesson I am able to finalize the lesson plan and put my focus into that specific group, warming up before practice, drilling or a recreational game puts me into the proper mindset; and finally, warming up before a competitive match allows me to visualize myself performing at a level I’d like to play at.

If any of this sounds too intense, I’m sure for others, warming up may entail finding a way to keep the body relaxed and loose. Most importantly warming up safely activates your muscles for hours of exercise and reduces the risk of injury. 

A typical warm-up routine:

• Light jog
• Hip rotations
• Lunges
• Side lunges
• High knees
• Butt kicks
• Ankle circles
• Arm circles
• Wrist circles
• Neck rotations

Again, depending on the type of pickleball activity it is, I may also include skipping, wind sprints, and more. A good warm-up should take about 10 minutes and an express version 5 minutes.

Staying Grounded

For anyone who struggles to keep themselves in the moment, you are not alone. Pickleball is a mental game and it’s very easy to become distracted by things outside of our control such as: 

• The crowd cheering for the other team
• Loud noises surrounding your court
• How the other team behaves
• The final score/outcome

There are plenty more ways to lose sight of a game, but I would have to say that focusing too hard on the score - point after point - and wanting to just win is the easiest way to lose that sharpness - and one of the worst ways to lose a lead or lose a game.

It sounds way too cliche, I almost didn’t write it, but focus on the moment, focus on each rally, and construct a well-earned point rather than the finish line.

Another easy way that focus can slip away is by thinking too much about the other team.

I really think there’s a fine line between playing to your teams’ strengths and playing to your opponent's weakness(es), but if you think too much about the other side and how they are playing or who they are then you’ll likely tighten up and forget about just simply playing.

Finding a motivating keyword to bring you back down to the ground and saying it to yourself between each rally should help keep you focused on your court and what it is you’re trying to achieve.

Losing a match by thinking about the score is no joke, it’s far more common than anyone wants it to be. Allowing that internal dialogue to tell you “we just had a huge lead, what happened?” is a game killer.

Allowing that sinking feeling to take over will drain the rest of your energy and it’s just not worth it. The score can change very easily, momentum swings in pickleball all the time.

Rather than allowing that dialogue to take hold of your thoughts, try and bring yourself back down by reminding yourself to keep things simple.

There are ways to do this, some people have a few words they use to remind themselves of this, this self-coaching takes practice before it can become automatic during a game. In high-pressure situations, this is also what time outs are for, or taking a bit of time to get in position before the next rally begins.

Here are some tell-tales that a person is playing unfocused:

• Wandering eyes - paying attention to what’s happening around the court
• Not moving with the ball - feet are locked onto the ground
• Rushing the point - when this happens I have to think that they want the finish line and are less prepared to stay in the point and grind through the rallies
• Speeding up the ball at the wrong time(s)

Move the Feet

Undervalued but very frequently spoken about on this blog. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to use consistent footwork. I am usually advising that should you not be playing up to snuff, start by moving your feet just a little bit more.

But another way to look at footwork is that by engaging in active and dynamic footwork, you are actually maintaining a higher level of focus.

I often talk about moving laterally and using great footwork to cover the court, this most definitely includes moving up to the non-volley line at the right times and now allowing the other team to take advantage of the amount of court space you give them. 

If you watch the top players on Pickleball TV or YouTube then pay attention to what they do between points. You will see that they take their time between rallies and they will each do something to get ready for the next point.

Walk to their towel, take a drink of water, and speak with their partner. Those are the obvious signs, setting up for their service the same way is a way of creating consistency to allow them to better focus and prepare for the next rally.

I’m not suggesting that recreational or lower-level tournament players need to create this same intense consistency, but finding some way of re-centering yourself is a definite must. It will always look differently per individual but without this tactic, you are also at higher risk of playing a more emotional and less strategic game.

Focus on the Ball

During a rally, thinking about anything other than tracking the ball and keeping your vision open to the entire court probably means that you’re playing distracted, and while it’s extremely hard to not not focus, those who can tune out anything other than playing the ball are probably going to come out ahead.

If you really break it down, even thinking about which shot to make can quickly result in over complicating the rally.

If you have 2 or more options in mind per shot and are often caught being indecisive (and possibly going for the aggressive, lower percentage shot) then there is a loss of focus on keeping the game at a higher percentage for yourself and your teammate.

I can literally see it on people’s faces when they choose a shot other than the original one they intended to hit. Sometimes I will even ask “did you change your mind”? It’s not too hard to tell 1.

As mentioned, you can really see it on someone’s face and 2. It’s pretty obvious the end result is not something they are actually happy with.

As mentioned, playing with focus is going to look different per individual but the only individual you need to focus on is yourself.

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