The Leap from Club Player to Tournament Player

When I first started playing pickleball, there weren’t nearly as many pickleball “clubs” as there are today.

There were associations, groups, communities, and the occasional collection of people who had discovered this strange little game and couldn’t stop playing it.

Things have changed.

Today, there are clubs everywhere, leagues, ladders, lessons, clinics, socials, open play - and tournaments almost every weekend.

But there’s still an interesting question for many players: How do you make the leap from casual club player to tournament competitor? And perhaps more importantly, why should you?

Let's talk about it ...

The Jump Into Tournaments

For a lot of recreational players, tournaments can seem like something other people do.

You know the type.

The people who have DUPR ratings. The people who talk about their third shot like it’s a military operation. The people who arrive with six paddles, seventeen balls, and a game plan.

Meanwhile, you’re just happy you remembered to bring water.

But competitive play doesn’t have to begin with a competitive personality. In fact, I think clubs have a big role to play in helping players make that transition.

If we want more people participating in tournaments, clubs can create programming specifically designed to bridge the gap between recreational and competitive play.

Coaches can offer clinics that teach not only how to hit the ball, but how to prepare for tournament situations: keeping score, managing nerves, communicating with a partner, developing a game plan, and adapting when the game doesn’t go the way you expected.

Because tournament play is a skill in itself. And there’s only one way to learn it: play in a tournament.

Start Somewhere

If you've never played a tournament before, my advice is simple: start small.

Find a tournament that matches your level. If you're a 3.0 player, you don't necessarily need to jump into a 4.0 event because you have a competitive streak and watched three YouTube videos about the third-shot drop.

Pick an environment where you have a reasonable chance to compete. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to win.

And there’s nothing wrong with choosing an event where you might actually win a few games.

There’s a difference between challenging yourself and spending an entire Saturday wondering why you thought this was a good idea.

Your first tournament should ideally leave you thinking, “That was fun. I want to do that again.” Not, “I have made a terrible mistake.”

My First Tournament

My first tournament is a pretty good example of why you don't necessarily need to wait until you're “ready.”

I had zero preparation. None.

I entered the tournament, played my way into the quarter-finals, and then for the first time that day, forgot a very important detail about tournament play: the referee has to call the score before you serve.

Yep, that little thing. We promptly lost the first serve, I lost my focus, and suddenly the whole match felt very different.

We lost that match to someone who is now a good friend (and his mother!), but my partner and I fought hard for the rest of the day and ended up with a bronze medal at the Ontario Provincials.

Again, I had no formal tournament training. No elaborate preparation routine. No carefully constructed pre-match strategy.

Just a willingness to play. And that experience taught me something I still believe today: you don't have to feel ready to enter your first tournament. You just have to be willing to learn.

Competitive Doesn't Have to Mean Serious

This is probably the biggest misconception I'd like to challenge.

You don't have to be a particularly competitive person to enjoy tournament play. You don't have to be chasing ratings. You don't have to dream about standing on a podium. You don't even have to care particularly much about winning.

A tournament simply changes the environment.

Suddenly you're playing against people who don't know your game. They don't know that you love hitting a cross-court dink. They don't know that your backhand is questionable. They don't know you've been playing every Tuesday night at the same club for two years.

And that's fun. Really fun.

There's something wonderfully liberating about playing against complete strangers.

You get to test yourself without the expectations that can come with playing the same people week after week. You discover what holds up under pressure - and what absolutely does not.

You learn things about your game that you simply can't learn during casual open play.

And, occasionally, you discover that the shot you've been practicing for six months actually works when it matters. That's a pretty good feeling.

We've Never Had More Resources Than We Do Today

When I started playing, there weren't nearly as many resources available for someone who wanted to improve their competitive game.

Today, that's completely different.

There are coaches, clinics, instructional videos, podcasts, strategy guides, training programs, practice partners, leagues, ladders and, of course, tournaments at virtually every level.

There are countless ways to prepare yourself before you ever step onto a tournament court. But eventually, you have to step onto the court.

Because you can't practice being in a tournament forever. At some point, you have to put your name down, show up, grab your paddle and see what happens.

You might surprise yourself. You might get completely humbled. You might discover that you love it. You might discover that tournaments aren't your thing at all.

All of those are perfectly good outcomes.

So, Should You Play in a Tournament?

If you've never played one, I'd say: give it a shot. Start at a level where you can be competitive.

Find a partner you enjoy playing with.

Don't worry about looking like you know exactly what you're doing because nobody does it the first time.

And if you're someone who has played tournaments before, you probably already know what I'm talking about.

There's something different about tournament day. The nerves. The anticipation.

The ridiculous amount of food you somehow eat between games. The conversations with people you've never met.

The highs, the lows, the questionable line calls, the great shots, the terrible shots, and the inevitable moment when you look at your partner and say, “What just happened?”

That's pickleball.

And that's why I think tournaments are worth trying.

You don't have to become a tournament player. Maybe you can just become someone who played in a tournament.

You might learn something. You might meet some great people. You might win a medal. Or you might find yourself on the express train to Humble Town.

But maybe you’ll be hungry for another shot and find yourself looking for a tournament the very next weekend, determined to try again.

Either way, you'll probably have a story to tell. So, if you've been thinking about trying one, go find a tournament.

Check out Pickleball Tournaments or Pickleball Brackets and see what's happening in your area.

Find one that looks like a good fit, grab a partner, and sign up.

You might just discover that the jump from club player to tournament competitor isn't nearly as big as you thought.

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