There are many types of pickleball players – those that are leaning the game, those that play with friends for fun, those who enjoy tournaments but go into them hoping not to lose, those who play to win, those who want to make a career out of pickleball. I’m sure there are other categories, however you get the gist. I’m one of those who likes to play to win. In that, during my growth transition within the sport, I started bringing the “Mamba Mentality” to pickleball. Pickleball is more than hitting the ball around the court, it’s more of a chess match – if my opponent does this, I’ll do that approach.
Mamba Mentality
This started with Kobe Bryant. Personally, I love the 5 pillars of Kobe’s legendary mindset – passion, obsession, relentlessness, resiliency, and fearlessness. Kobe’s training and preparation was elite. He trained 6 days a week, 6 hours per day. He woke up early, training for a bit, took the kids to school, then trained more.
Physical training is one thing, mental training is another. The Mamba Mentality is about obsession. It is about playing without fear, mastering your craft and wanting not only to win, but to dominate. It’s also about learning the game, being a student of the game and understanding your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.
Pickleball Mentality
Most players I speak with drill a bit. They mostly jump on the court and enjoy playing games as recreational players. Many times, they play self-professed “jungle ball”. They hit the ball in reactionary mode for the most part hoping to not make mistakes. They don’t game plan or spend mental time focusing on what they’d like to do in certain situations.
When a recreational player enters a tournament with a mindset of hoping not to lose, they kind of have already lost. They may win games based on their skill or athleticism, however they are not mentally prepared to win, or dominate. These players are usually quite nervous and a bit fearful of the tournament set up, and especially at the start of matches.
If you notice this type of player, the Mamba Mentality is to pressure strong and early to get them flustered. Don’t hit safe shots, hit strategic shots and put stress on their skills from the start. Again, the 5 pillars as passion, obsession, relentlessness, resiliency and fearlessness. A main reason for these players fear is that they are not confident (most likely).
Pickleball Game Planning
To improve your skills, you must want to improve. It’s not just about showing up to play. Each time you begin a game whether it’s in a tournament, on a challenge court or with some friends, go into it with a game plan. What shots are you trying to work on? What are your opponents strengths and weaknesses?
If you don’t know your opponents well, this starts by watching them during warm ups. As you begin playing, take note of their tendencies. For instance, do they run around to hit a forehand shot at all costs – assume until proven otherwise that they are not confident in their backhand? Do they tend to lean and stretch for shots vs taking extra steps to get their body into position? Do they take a while to get to the net? Do they only drive on their 3rd shot?
Before each game, and sometimes before each point, remind yourself of a few things.
- Notice which side is their backhand (mentally tell yourself this until it becomes a habit)
- Notice if they serve deep…with or without spin…with our without pace
- Notice if they return serves deep or short…with or without spin…with or without pace
- Notice if they have patience in the dinking game or if they will speed up a shot after two or three dinks
- Notice if they keep their paddle down as they approach the net
- Notice if they keep their paddle down or to a dominate side while at the net
- Notice if they run around their backhand to only hit forehand shots
- Etc.
Game planning happens through the game as you may need to pivot your strategy / approach as you learn more with experience. That’s not a problem! That’s a strength.
KOG – Knowledge of the Game
My dad was a college football coach and he instilled in me that you must understand the game to become good at the game. A phrase was often used: KOG or Knowledge of the Game. The more you know and prepare yourself as to what your options are in certain situations, the better you’ll perform – both mentally and physically. I created this blog to help with pickleball KOG. I had to understand the game.
What shots are basic and must haves? What shots are to help me build 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 level skills? What do the pros do during insane rallies? Etc. Knowing and grasping the game on a mental level is key to building my confidence in my ability to play the game.
Seek Pickleball Advice
Lastly, ask your partner(s), your coach(es), your opponents what you weaknesses are. Be humble enough to listen. Which areas do your opponents like to exploit or cause you to stress a bit more during points? What can you work on to improve? Hear what they are saying, then drill, drill, drill. Personally, I think serious pickleball players with a Mamba Mentality need to create their own personal training strategies, game plans and mental preparation frameworks.
Enjoy the journey. Have fun. Prepare. Dominate.