Playing in a pickleball tournament can be exciting and a good test of where you stand among other pickleball lovers. Naturally, you want to win. So here are five tips to help you win your next pickleball tournament.
How To Win Your Next Pickleball Tournament
Drill & Synergise With Your Partner
Once you and your partner agree to play in a tournament, you want to consistently drill and play with your partner weeks before the actual tournament. This is to work out kinks between who will get which balls, especially for balls that are in the middle.
Two players can be very capable but the matchup may not necessarily be compatible. You should be discussing your preferences. Whether that is to call balls “yours” or “mine” or to understand whether poaching is a strategy you would use. If one player would take more of the court or take every overhead.
You should also discuss what your strengths and weaknesses are as a team and drill to work on them. Set aside a few hours a week to meet where you practice those shots over and over again. Tournament day can add a lot of pressure and many players tend to play “tight” because they overthink.
You want to get in repetition and muscle memory as much as you can so you don’t have to think about every single shot.
Lean Into Your Team’s Strengths
The game of pickleball is continually evolving as more players from different sports backgrounds join with different strengths. So there is no one way to win a pickleball tournament or game. But playing into your team’s strengths will help your team win.
If your team excels in playing aggressively, driving, and being the first to attack, play that way. If your team is great at slowing the game down, resetting, and constructing the point, then play it that way. And your team’s strategy doesn’t have to be restricted to playing hard or playing soft.
If one of you is better at the soft game or setting your partner up, have the other partner be ready to put away those points. Whatever the team’s strengths are, discuss them, drill them, and use them.
Play To Win, Not To Lose
A common mistake that so many players make when they play pickleball tournaments is being so afraid to lose that they play it too safely. You may play loose and comfortably at your home courts playing against friends or familiar faces. You may make risky attacks that pay off.
However, too many players tend to play the opposite in a tournament setting because they don’t want to lose. You want to play to win the way you’re used to playing. Tournament day is not the day for you to switch up the style and shots you normally would not be making, even if they’re safe, conservative shots.
Be brave and decide that even if you get out of this tournament, there is always another one. Play your game the way you normally would, that is to win, instead of not to lose.
Take Strategic Timeouts
Strategic timeouts can make or break a win. In fact, the world’s top pickleball pros regularly use timeouts during tournaments. Each team is allowed two timeouts per game. You can use them if one of you gets physically too tired.
However, timeouts are not just for water breaks. Use them if your team is making repeated mistakes that are converting to points. Or to break your opponent’s momentum if they’re creeping up in points after being far behind. Use the timeout to discuss what each of you can or not do. Discuss what is working and what is not.
Master Your Mental Game
Perhaps the most underrated and hardest task to master is the mental game. No matter how high your skills and capabilities are, you will not win a tournament if you don’t master the mental game. Are you easily triggered by mistakes or bad calls? Do you get tilted when you’re losing?
The morale of your team makes a huge difference in winning or losing. Don’t allow negativity in your own headspace. Lift yourself up and your partner too. Cheer your partner on when they make a putaway. Tell them “good try”, “next time”, or paddle tap if they make a bad shot. We all make mistakes.
Some people want a partner to be reassuring and encouraging no matter what happened with the last point. Others like to be left alone and have their partner be quiet when they make a mistake. However, the majority of people want a partner to be positive.
Sometimes it’s not that we’re not good enough, sometimes the other team has worked harder. No matter the case, you don’t want to give up on your team. Even if you’re significantly down in points, have a positive mentality. Big comebacks have happened before and they can happen to your team.
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Read Also: How To Be A Good Pickleball Partner
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