1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,760 Hello and welcome to pickleball Therapy, the podcast dedicated to 2 00:00:02,785 --> 00:00:04,490 your pickle improvement. 3 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:07,860 I'm your host, Tony Roig. Hope you're having a great week. 4 00:00:07,885 --> 00:00:12,295 In this week's podcast, we are going to refresh. 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,440 We're going to update and refresh our most popular concept that we've ever covered in 6 00:00:15,465 --> 00:00:18,420 the podcast, which is Ball of Ice Cream. 7 00:00:18,445 --> 00:00:25,300 We're going to tweak it a bit, reframe it a little bit, and then talk 8 00:00:25,325 --> 00:00:29,535 about some of the misconceptions that are out there when we let 9 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,720 folks about Ball of Ice Cream, folks who aren't familiar with it, some of the 10 00:00:32,745 --> 00:00:36,775 pushback we get, and perhaps your mind is having that as well, we'll overcome that. 11 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:39,000 And then I'll give you a couple of reasons why you usually want to use Ball of Ice 12 00:00:39,025 --> 00:00:43,820 Cream as your new mantra when you go out there and play pickleball. 13 00:00:43,845 --> 00:00:46,360 Then the RIFF, I want to touch on regaining focus. 14 00:00:46,385 --> 00:00:51,620 I had the opportunity to watch the Wimbledon Finals this last weekend, 15 00:00:51,645 --> 00:00:55,220 and between Carlos Algaraz and Novak Chovac. 16 00:00:55,245 --> 00:00:58,080 Actually, the same thing happened in the women's match. 17 00:00:58,105 --> 00:01:03,340 It was Rybikova, I think it's pronounced Rybikova, against Paulini. 18 00:01:03,365 --> 00:01:05,440 A similar thing occurred in both matches. 19 00:01:05,465 --> 00:01:10,575 So let's talk about in the RIFF, I'll mention some ideas about regaining focus 20 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:12,040 and losing focus and what that means. 21 00:01:12,065 --> 00:01:13,700 So we'll talk about that in the RIF. 22 00:01:13,725 --> 00:01:16,695 This week's episode of the podcast is brought to you ad-free by 23 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:17,850 the Betterpickleball Academy. 24 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,295 The Betterpickleball Academy is here for all of your pickleball needs. 25 00:01:21,320 --> 00:01:23,800 If you have any questions, you have any doubts about how to play the best 26 00:01:23,825 --> 00:01:26,240 pickleball you've ever played, check out our courses inside 27 00:01:26,265 --> 00:01:28,920 the Betterpickleball Academy. You can go to Betterpickleball Academy. 28 00:01:28,945 --> 00:01:30,960 I'm sorry, Better Pickleball. 29 00:01:30,985 --> 00:01:33,040 Com, and then click on the academy. 30 00:01:33,065 --> 00:01:35,740 I'll put links down in the show notes for you. 31 00:01:35,765 --> 00:01:39,440 All right, so as I mentioned, bowl of ice cream is our most popular concept, the 32 00:01:39,465 --> 00:01:43,080 most popular concept that we've ever tackled or ever developed, I would say, 33 00:01:43,105 --> 00:01:47,620 during the pickleball therapy history, which is over 200 episodes. 34 00:01:47,645 --> 00:01:48,880 It has been very powerful. 35 00:01:48,905 --> 00:01:55,040 It resonates with players, and it gives you a really good way of balancing out the 36 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,120 highs and lows of playing pickleball, which are going to happen no matter who 37 00:01:59,145 --> 00:02:03,180 you are as a player, no matter how good you get. 38 00:02:03,205 --> 00:02:06,540 I think players think that, If I learn this one shot, then I'm set. 39 00:02:06,565 --> 00:02:10,520 I'm here to tell you that's not how it works, because then you'll be facing 40 00:02:10,545 --> 00:02:14,000 different players eventually, and then you'll have the same challenges again. 41 00:02:14,025 --> 00:02:15,120 That's beautiful, right? 42 00:02:15,145 --> 00:02:17,220 It keeps us moving. 43 00:02:17,245 --> 00:02:19,560 Here's a way to think of a bowl of ice cream. 44 00:02:19,585 --> 00:02:24,170 You finish this session of play, and perhaps you feel a little down. 45 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:25,220 You feel a little... 46 00:02:25,245 --> 00:02:31,220 We've all had them where you have a losing session, and sometimes you lose them all. 47 00:02:31,245 --> 00:02:34,640 You played eight games that day and you went 0-8. 48 00:02:34,665 --> 00:02:36,140 That can happen. 49 00:02:36,165 --> 00:02:39,260 Or you played in a tournament and you went two and out. 50 00:02:39,285 --> 00:02:42,680 There are X number of teams in a tournament that have 51 00:02:42,705 --> 00:02:43,800 to go out two and out. 52 00:02:43,825 --> 00:02:46,440 That's just the math of the tournament. 53 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:52,740 After those experiences, it's natural, I think, for us to feel a little let down, 54 00:02:52,765 --> 00:02:57,440 feel a little bad, feel a little frustrated, maybe, with ourselves. 55 00:02:57,465 --> 00:02:59,920 We're not happy, that's for sure. 56 00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:05,540 Bowl of Ice Cream is a way of reframing how we feel after a pickleball session, 57 00:03:05,565 --> 00:03:08,420 because we are going to start from this premise. 58 00:03:08,445 --> 00:03:13,100 We're going to start from the premise that it's impossible to 59 00:03:13,125 --> 00:03:14,900 have a bad pickleball day. 60 00:03:14,925 --> 00:03:16,160 You just can't. 61 00:03:16,185 --> 00:03:17,540 It's just not possible. 62 00:03:17,565 --> 00:03:20,360 If you allow me to, I'm going to walk you through it. 63 00:03:20,385 --> 00:03:24,560 By the end, I think you'll agree with me that that's just not possible. 64 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,455 When you play pickleball, what are you doing? 65 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:30,680 Not the results, when you're playing, while you're playing the 66 00:03:30,705 --> 00:03:32,140 sport, what are you doing? 67 00:03:32,165 --> 00:03:36,180 I hope your answer is, I'm doing what I want to do. 68 00:03:36,205 --> 00:03:40,720 I'm engaging in an activity that I find to be stimulating physically, 69 00:03:40,745 --> 00:03:45,860 mentally, socially, that I find to be positive in my life. 70 00:03:45,885 --> 00:03:47,160 It's something that I enjoy. 71 00:03:47,185 --> 00:03:48,160 It's something that I love. 72 00:03:48,185 --> 00:03:49,840 It's something that I'm passionate about. 73 00:03:49,865 --> 00:03:51,440 Addicted is the word you hear in pickleball, right? 74 00:03:51,465 --> 00:03:53,095 Because it applies. 75 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:54,660 Nothing wrong with that in pickleball. 76 00:03:54,685 --> 00:03:58,580 So again, let's go back to the premise, right? 77 00:03:58,605 --> 00:03:59,610 Why are you out there? 78 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,800 Whether it's a tournament, whether it's your open play, 79 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:04,610 you're out there because you want to be. 80 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,820 You're out there because you're doing something that you love. 81 00:04:07,845 --> 00:04:13,100 And if you're doing something that you love, no matter what the results are, 82 00:04:13,125 --> 00:04:16,900 cannot have a bad pickleball day. It's just not a thing. 83 00:04:16,925 --> 00:04:20,860 And the way to think about it, the way that the bowl of ice cream 84 00:04:20,885 --> 00:04:24,535 helps, is think about it like this. 85 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,100 Every single time that you get to step on a pickleball court, 86 00:04:27,125 --> 00:04:33,735 no matter what the result is, you receive a full bowl of ice cream. 87 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:35,960 I'm going to dive into this a little, get into the weeds a little bit. 88 00:04:35,985 --> 00:04:39,080 I think it's important not to let our minds off the hook with 89 00:04:39,105 --> 00:04:41,700 qualifiers and things like that. 90 00:04:41,725 --> 00:04:45,020 First of all, your bowl of ice cream is full. 91 00:04:45,045 --> 00:04:49,440 It's not like you get a half a scoop if you do okay and 92 00:04:49,465 --> 00:04:51,860 a full scoop if you do well. No. 93 00:04:51,885 --> 00:04:55,780 You stepped it on the court, you battled, you played, you said 94 00:04:55,805 --> 00:04:57,660 hi to folks, you did your thing. 95 00:04:57,685 --> 00:05:01,700 You get a bowl of ice I'm going to tell you what, you don't get one, by the way, 96 00:05:01,725 --> 00:05:04,940 but just playing, you get a bowl of ice cream. 97 00:05:04,965 --> 00:05:07,855 You get a bowl of your favorite flavor. 98 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:09,420 You don't have to sacrifice it either. 99 00:05:09,445 --> 00:05:16,180 It's not like, Oh, I really like moose tracks or hot fudge or mixed 100 00:05:16,205 --> 00:05:18,775 fudge ice cream or something like that. You can get that. 101 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:20,400 You can get the ice cream that you like the best. 102 00:05:20,425 --> 00:05:24,040 You scoop it out of the tub and put it in your bowl. 103 00:05:24,065 --> 00:05:25,440 You get it. 104 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:32,260 Just by playing pick a Because that's what pickleball is. 105 00:05:32,285 --> 00:05:34,780 Pickleball is fun. Pickleball is what we love. 106 00:05:34,805 --> 00:05:36,580 We're getting to do it. 107 00:05:36,605 --> 00:05:39,420 So we're getting a bowl of ice cream. 108 00:05:39,445 --> 00:05:46,295 Now, I will say, if you want to, it's You're punishing yourself, right? 109 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:47,060 I mean, not to have the bowl of ice cream. 110 00:05:47,085 --> 00:05:51,040 But the only time I would say you can play pickle and not get a bowl of ice cream is 111 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:56,580 if it's something that you need to work on in terms of your interaction with others. 112 00:05:56,605 --> 00:06:02,440 And what I mean by that is if you're tossing in your paddle, if you're 113 00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:09,180 being rude to other players, if you're just being nasty out on the court, 114 00:06:09,205 --> 00:06:12,240 then perhaps you don't get a bowl of ice cream. 115 00:06:12,265 --> 00:06:14,420 I'm going to give you that, right? 116 00:06:14,445 --> 00:06:18,735 But otherwise, if you go out there and play and give your best, do 117 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:19,640 the best you can that day. 118 00:06:19,665 --> 00:06:22,500 And your best doesn't mean the best you've ever played, to be clear. 119 00:06:22,525 --> 00:06:25,040 Your best is, what can you do that day? 120 00:06:25,065 --> 00:06:29,535 You gave your best, you did the best you could, you were reasonably nice to other 121 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:30,440 folks, and everything Everything's fine. 122 00:06:30,465 --> 00:06:35,440 Then you get a bowl of ice cream every single time that you play. 123 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:40,140 Now, how do we differentiate winning versus not winning? 124 00:06:40,165 --> 00:06:42,840 Because I think it would be disingenuous. 125 00:06:42,865 --> 00:06:48,280 It wouldn't work if we just said it's like the participation trophy idea. 126 00:06:48,305 --> 00:06:50,380 Everybody gets a trophy because you came out. 127 00:06:50,405 --> 00:06:51,760 No. 128 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:55,900 You don't get a trophy because you came out, but you get the bowl of 129 00:06:55,925 --> 00:06:57,540 ice cream because you came out. 130 00:06:57,565 --> 00:07:02,760 Now, if you win, so you have a great session, then we're going to throw some 131 00:07:02,785 --> 00:07:06,700 sprinkles on top of your ice cream, or we're going to throw some extra fresh 132 00:07:06,725 --> 00:07:11,535 hot fudge on there, or whip cream, or a cherry, or extra nuts, whatever you want. 133 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:14,360 You get anything, the cookies, little crumble cookies, whatever 134 00:07:14,385 --> 00:07:16,095 you want on there, right? 135 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:17,640 But think about it in terms of sprinkles, right? 136 00:07:17,665 --> 00:07:20,060 If you want to, that simplifies it a little bit. 137 00:07:20,085 --> 00:07:24,780 So you get sprinkles on top of the ice cream you already got. 138 00:07:24,805 --> 00:07:29,100 Now, if you have a losing day, you don't get sprinkles. 139 00:07:29,125 --> 00:07:36,080 But You got a full bowl of ice cream because you are playing the sport that you 140 00:07:36,105 --> 00:07:40,580 love, because you get to engage in the activity that you choose to, 141 00:07:40,605 --> 00:07:45,580 and to see your friends, and to sweat a little bit, hopefully, and to 142 00:07:45,605 --> 00:07:49,160 challenge your mind some in terms of trying to solve puzzles and all these 143 00:07:49,185 --> 00:07:51,700 wonderful things that pickleball does for us. 144 00:07:51,725 --> 00:07:55,200 So every single time that you get to play, you get the bowl of ice cream, 145 00:07:55,225 --> 00:07:57,295 and it's a concept of gratitude. 146 00:07:57,320 --> 00:07:59,920 It's a concept of gratitude, and it's also a concept of framing. 147 00:07:59,945 --> 00:08:00,860 Cream. 148 00:08:00,885 --> 00:08:07,340 Because if you frame it that way, then you understand that you cannot have 149 00:08:07,365 --> 00:08:12,900 a bad day playing pickleball, playing the sport that you love. 150 00:08:12,925 --> 00:08:18,140 Because just by stepping out on the course you're going to receive a full 151 00:08:18,165 --> 00:08:21,020 bowl of your favorite ice cream. 152 00:08:21,045 --> 00:08:24,420 Now, if you win, you get some sprinkles. 153 00:08:24,445 --> 00:08:27,140 But if you don't win, still get that full bowl. 154 00:08:27,165 --> 00:08:30,620 Now, let me address a couple of misconceptions that that 155 00:08:30,645 --> 00:08:34,980 I've heard over the last couple of years in sharing this concept. 156 00:08:35,005 --> 00:08:39,040 And some of this is from the very competitive players, pro players that I've 157 00:08:39,065 --> 00:08:43,760 chatted with, and they've been a little down, so I've explained this to them. 158 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:48,720 I mentioned one earlier, which I mentioned earlier that you 159 00:08:48,745 --> 00:08:50,935 get a full bowl of ice cream. 160 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,480 Because one player actually said to me, Well, I only get a bowl 161 00:08:53,505 --> 00:08:54,160 of ice cream if I win. 162 00:08:54,185 --> 00:08:55,500 In other words, I only get the ice cream if I win. 163 00:08:55,525 --> 00:08:58,340 That is not correct. 164 00:08:58,365 --> 00:09:02,980 In other words, you get the of ice cream regardless of the outcome. 165 00:09:03,005 --> 00:09:05,215 The act itself is what matters. 166 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:06,560 The playing itself is what matters. 167 00:09:06,585 --> 00:09:08,460 That is where the ice cream comes from. 168 00:09:08,485 --> 00:09:12,220 That's the originator of the ice cream is the fact that you are playing 169 00:09:12,245 --> 00:09:13,740 this amazing sport. 170 00:09:13,765 --> 00:09:19,880 In fact, the player I was speaking with, it was at Nationals in Dallas last year in 171 00:09:19,905 --> 00:09:26,500 '23, and the player had a rough day, but an amazing player, 172 00:09:26,525 --> 00:09:32,060 probably top 30 player in the world in their agenda, so they basically... 173 00:09:32,085 --> 00:09:33,900 Amazing pickleball player, right? 174 00:09:33,925 --> 00:09:36,620 And just had a bad day. 175 00:09:36,645 --> 00:09:38,895 And the player was upset. 176 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:41,720 And so I explained to the player about the bowl by the stream, and the player 177 00:09:41,745 --> 00:09:44,255 responded by saying, Well, I don't get a bowl. 178 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,400 The way I played today, I don't get a bowl or something like that. 179 00:09:46,425 --> 00:09:49,500 And that's not how it works. 180 00:09:49,525 --> 00:09:53,455 And this player, just to give you context, this player is playing, again, pickleball. 181 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:55,360 I don't need to repeat that over and over again, but it is. 182 00:09:55,385 --> 00:09:55,720 It's pickleball. 183 00:09:55,745 --> 00:10:00,920 It's an awesome activity at Nationals in Dallas against other awesome players 184 00:10:00,945 --> 00:10:04,500 competing, giving their all and doing their best, right? 185 00:10:04,525 --> 00:10:07,200 What's there not to love? What's there not to celebrate? 186 00:10:07,225 --> 00:10:09,615 What's there not to be grateful for? 187 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:10,960 That's the bowl of ice cream. 188 00:10:10,985 --> 00:10:13,960 The embodiment of that is the bowl of ice cream. 189 00:10:13,985 --> 00:10:17,615 So you get a full bowl of ice cream, your favorite flavor. 190 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:19,280 Every time you play, that's the one thing I want to be clear about. 191 00:10:19,305 --> 00:10:24,580 The second thing is, there's still room to celebrate wins. 192 00:10:24,605 --> 00:10:27,760 So we're not taking wins off the table. 193 00:10:27,785 --> 00:10:33,260 We're not saying, Again, participation trophy no matter what, wins don't count. 194 00:10:33,285 --> 00:10:35,140 Wins count. We're okay with that. 195 00:10:35,165 --> 00:10:37,140 That's fine. That's human nature. 196 00:10:37,165 --> 00:10:44,400 But let's celebrate those by adding the sprinkles, not by trying to undermine the 197 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:51,420 overall value of what we receive by playing the sport in and of itself. 198 00:10:51,445 --> 00:10:55,280 Let me give you a couple of reasons why you should use bowl of ice cream as a 199 00:10:55,305 --> 00:10:59,940 mantra for yourself, why adopting it is something that makes sense for you. 200 00:10:59,965 --> 00:11:03,700 Number one, is it not true? 201 00:11:03,725 --> 00:11:06,980 Do you not enjoy playing pickleball? 202 00:11:07,005 --> 00:11:11,360 Do you not play pickleball as something additional, something to enrich your life, 203 00:11:11,385 --> 00:11:15,775 as something that gives you pleasure? 204 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:17,260 Or is it only pleasurable when you win? 205 00:11:17,285 --> 00:11:19,700 That's the change that you need to make. 206 00:11:19,725 --> 00:11:24,615 It shouldn't only be pleasurable when you win, because if you play at level, and 207 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:26,400 you've heard this before in another podcast, if you listen to the podcast, but 208 00:11:26,425 --> 00:11:30,960 if you play at level, then If you think about it, you're only 209 00:11:30,985 --> 00:11:36,120 really expected to win 50% of the time, i. 210 00:11:36,145 --> 00:11:39,455 E, you're going to lose 50% of the time. 211 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:43,080 And if you're going to win and lose at a 50% rate and only be happy when you win, 212 00:11:43,105 --> 00:11:46,320 then you will only be happy 50% of the time. 213 00:11:46,345 --> 00:11:51,640 When you sit back and think about it, that makes no sense to be only happy half 214 00:11:51,665 --> 00:11:53,455 the time you're playing pickleball. 215 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:55,720 Why not be happy all the time you're playing pickleball? 216 00:11:55,745 --> 00:11:58,620 Because that's how it should be, and that's how it can be. 217 00:11:58,645 --> 00:12:02,400 If you understand that every time you play pickleball, the act itself 218 00:12:02,425 --> 00:12:04,300 is the bowl of ice cream. 219 00:12:04,325 --> 00:12:08,280 If it's true that you play pickleball and you love this, you play pickleball because 220 00:12:08,305 --> 00:12:12,180 you love the sport and because you enjoy the activity, then embrace that. 221 00:12:12,205 --> 00:12:16,540 Embrace the activity, embrace the very act of doing it as your bowl of ice cream. 222 00:12:16,565 --> 00:12:19,255 So that's reason number one. 223 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:21,220 Reason number two, actually, I'm going to give you three. 224 00:12:21,245 --> 00:12:26,055 Reason number two is adopting this mantra, adopting bowl of ice 225 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:29,160 cream as your slogan for playing pickleball or your mantra for Plane of the 226 00:12:29,185 --> 00:12:32,460 Big O'Mall is, it's going to make you feel better. 227 00:12:32,485 --> 00:12:37,480 Because when you have those down days, and you will, down days meaning days that 228 00:12:37,505 --> 00:12:40,940 didn't go the way that we all hope. 229 00:12:40,965 --> 00:12:44,800 And listen, let's put it on the table. 230 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,640 Nobody's upset when they win. 231 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:52,620 What we're looking at here is, how do we deal with it when we lose? 232 00:12:52,645 --> 00:12:56,015 It's not like when you win, you need this help. 233 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:57,640 You need this idea. It's like, I won. 234 00:12:57,665 --> 00:12:59,100 What are you worried about? 235 00:12:59,125 --> 00:13:01,480 This idea is for the times that you lose. 236 00:13:01,505 --> 00:13:04,920 It's to help you balance out those times because there's no reason 237 00:13:04,945 --> 00:13:07,540 to feel bad when you lose. 238 00:13:07,565 --> 00:13:11,440 So understanding that you got a bowl of ice cream, even if you lost every game 239 00:13:11,465 --> 00:13:15,260 that day, frankly, even if you lost every single point that day, 240 00:13:15,285 --> 00:13:21,660 should allow you to frame it in a way that will help you feel more positive about it. 241 00:13:21,685 --> 00:13:27,360 And it's not like you're putting... 242 00:13:27,385 --> 00:13:28,695 It's not a lie. 243 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:30,760 It's not like you're covering it up with something else. 244 00:13:30,785 --> 00:13:32,620 It's not like everything's horrible. 245 00:13:32,645 --> 00:13:35,320 You're putting a facade on it, this beautiful facade, and 246 00:13:35,345 --> 00:13:38,060 saying, Oh, look how pretty. I put a facade on it, right? 247 00:13:38,085 --> 00:13:41,800 The old saying about you put lipsynced on a pig, it's still a pig, right? 248 00:13:41,825 --> 00:13:43,860 This is not that. 249 00:13:43,885 --> 00:13:47,940 This is recognizing what's actually happening. 250 00:13:47,965 --> 00:13:52,240 Now, as you're recognizing the fact that you did, in fact, receive 251 00:13:52,265 --> 00:13:56,840 value, you did, in fact, receive a positive, even if you lost every game. 252 00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:03,540 Merely from the fact or simply because of fact that you got to play pickleball. 253 00:14:03,565 --> 00:14:07,140 That's the bowl of ice cream. So you'll feel better. 254 00:14:07,165 --> 00:14:09,700 And the third one I'll give you is you'll play better. 255 00:14:09,725 --> 00:14:13,140 And this is something that, again, if you listen to the podcast, you know 256 00:14:13,165 --> 00:14:14,480 this theme we have, right? 257 00:14:14,505 --> 00:14:17,880 Which is that whenever you feel better, the athletic 258 00:14:17,905 --> 00:14:19,620 pillar we talk about body and mind. 259 00:14:19,645 --> 00:14:21,280 Athletic pillar is super important. 260 00:14:21,305 --> 00:14:25,160 You have mechanical pillar, how to hit the balls, strategic pillar, 261 00:14:25,185 --> 00:14:28,455 what shot they when, mechanical pillar, your body and mind. 262 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:30,860 If your body and mind are out of whack, one of them, right? 263 00:14:30,885 --> 00:14:32,460 You're not going to play great pickleball. 264 00:14:32,485 --> 00:14:34,520 If you're injured, for instance, your body, let's take an easy one, right? 265 00:14:34,545 --> 00:14:37,335 If you're injured, it's going to be hard to play a pickleball 266 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:38,480 because you can't move around the court, right? 267 00:14:38,505 --> 00:14:42,260 Or you can't lift your arm or something like that, right? 268 00:14:42,285 --> 00:14:43,500 Your mind's the same way. 269 00:14:43,525 --> 00:14:46,900 If your mind is cloudy, if your mind is busy, if your mind is 270 00:14:46,925 --> 00:14:49,000 feeling negative, right? 271 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:51,140 How do you think you're going to play your best? 272 00:14:51,165 --> 00:14:52,640 It's not going to happen. 273 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:56,340 So reframing the bowl of ice cream is true. 274 00:14:56,365 --> 00:15:02,640 It's not some façade that we've put up to cover up something that's otherwise bad. 275 00:15:02,665 --> 00:15:05,260 It's true that playing pickle is good. 276 00:15:05,285 --> 00:15:06,640 Two, you feel better. 277 00:15:06,665 --> 00:15:08,180 And three, you play better. 278 00:15:08,205 --> 00:15:13,520 So why not take bowl of ice cream and embrace it, adopt it as 279 00:15:13,545 --> 00:15:15,540 your new pickleball mantra? 280 00:15:15,565 --> 00:15:18,495 All right, let's dive straight into the RIF. 281 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,720 I'll remind you again that I put the academy, the Better pickleball Academy 282 00:15:21,745 --> 00:15:23,560 links down in the show notes, and definitely check those 283 00:15:23,585 --> 00:15:26,055 out when you get a chance. 284 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:28,720 But in the RIFF, I'm going to talk about focus, because this is a 285 00:15:28,745 --> 00:15:31,140 common theme as athletes. 286 00:15:31,165 --> 00:15:33,660 We lose focus from time to time. 287 00:15:33,685 --> 00:15:40,100 In both the matches this weekend in Wimbledon, when you got to the end, 288 00:15:40,125 --> 00:15:41,655 both of them went three sets. 289 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:44,400 If you know, men's sentence usually goes five sets, so they didn't actually 290 00:15:44,425 --> 00:15:46,920 go to the fifth and deciding set. 291 00:15:46,945 --> 00:15:49,375 It was one in three sets. 292 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,240 Alcaraz won all three sets, but they still had a moment in the third set that could 293 00:15:52,265 --> 00:15:55,760 have been pivotal because of Djokovitch's history of coming back. 294 00:15:55,785 --> 00:16:01,220 That could have gone very poorly for Carlos Alcaraz in the the third set. 295 00:16:01,245 --> 00:16:05,000 The women's match did go to three sets, and the third set was a 296 00:16:05,025 --> 00:16:06,460 pretty entertaining set. 297 00:16:06,485 --> 00:16:08,660 Some good play, some good back and forth. 298 00:16:08,685 --> 00:16:12,260 Then the same situation where we have the moment of truth. 299 00:16:12,285 --> 00:16:15,720 What happened, let me focus more on Carlos' 300 00:16:15,745 --> 00:16:19,540 match just because it's more extreme. 301 00:16:19,565 --> 00:16:24,575 What happens in that match is Carlos Alcaraz, the young new 302 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:28,000 up-and-coming, not even up-and-coming, the young new sheriff in town, if you will, in 303 00:16:28,025 --> 00:16:34,880 tennis, is playing Novak Djokovitch, the old guard. 304 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:37,940 Carlos wins the first two sets, Hanley 6-2, 6-2. 305 00:16:37,965 --> 00:16:41,740 They're in the third set, and Djokovitch is starting to play better, 306 00:16:41,765 --> 00:16:44,060 and it's starting to get a little bit tight. 307 00:16:44,085 --> 00:16:49,060 They have a couple of testy games in the middle, and then where each holds. 308 00:16:49,085 --> 00:16:52,660 So now you're on serve, meaning you're tied, basically, in tennis terms, right? 309 00:16:52,685 --> 00:16:58,640 And then Carlos Alcaraz breaks Novak Djokovitch in the ninth game. 310 00:16:58,665 --> 00:17:02,340 So now it's for Carlos serving. 311 00:17:02,365 --> 00:17:04,290 Carlos hasn't been broken all day. 312 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:06,090 Pretty much match over, right? 313 00:17:06,120 --> 00:17:13,815 And just to give you the full scope of things, Novak doesn't even really take a 314 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:15,560 break in the middle, which is very unusual. 315 00:17:15,585 --> 00:17:17,440 All these players at this level are professional. 316 00:17:17,465 --> 00:17:20,220 They're all very structured in how they do things. 317 00:17:20,245 --> 00:17:26,770 Novak basically goes to return, just hangs out waiting for Carlos to serve. 318 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,160 Carlos immediately jumps out to 40 left, right? 319 00:17:30,185 --> 00:17:33,770 So he needs one more point, and he's the Wimbledon champion. 320 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:36,010 He has three tries at 40 love. 321 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:39,090 So the first time, he hits a double fall. 322 00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:41,415 Okay, 40, 50, not the end of the world, but okay. 323 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:45,000 Second one, Novak hits a deep ball, maybe a little bit of difficulty for Carlos. 324 00:17:45,025 --> 00:17:48,180 Carlos misses it, fine. 40, 30. 325 00:17:48,205 --> 00:17:54,280 This time Carlos hits a fantastic serve, stretches Novak, Novak floats. 326 00:17:54,305 --> 00:17:55,770 It just lifts it up in the air. 327 00:17:55,800 --> 00:18:00,700 Rather than hitting an overhead or letting it bounce and Carlos comes in and just 328 00:18:00,725 --> 00:18:05,280 hits a running top spin, crazy, totally crazy shot, like a 329 00:18:05,305 --> 00:18:06,570 teenager would hit, right? 330 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:08,040 He's only 21, but he's not a teenager. 331 00:18:08,065 --> 00:18:10,180 But anyway, so he misses it. 332 00:18:10,205 --> 00:18:14,980 And then two shots later, two points later, he lost the game. 333 00:18:15,005 --> 00:18:16,500 So now it's 5-5. 334 00:18:16,525 --> 00:18:19,860 So at that moment, you say to yourself, What's happening here? 335 00:18:19,885 --> 00:18:22,740 Because now you're going to have Djokovitch. 336 00:18:22,765 --> 00:18:26,520 Djokovitch is now going to set his heels, right? 337 00:18:26,545 --> 00:18:31,940 He's going to dig his heels in and go, Okay, you want to I'm coming. 338 00:18:31,965 --> 00:18:35,620 Carlos ends up winning the third set, 7-6, right? 339 00:18:35,645 --> 00:18:38,680 But what it shows is it shows how... A couple of things. 340 00:18:38,705 --> 00:18:42,680 One is it's easy to lose focus, okay? 341 00:18:42,705 --> 00:18:44,735 And Carlos is a professional athlete. 342 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:46,320 He's a young man, but he's a professional athlete. 343 00:18:46,345 --> 00:18:49,500 This is what he does for a living. He has trainers, coaches. 344 00:18:49,525 --> 00:18:51,380 I'm sure he works on his mental game. 345 00:18:51,405 --> 00:18:54,570 So even he loses focus. 346 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:59,980 And he lost focus because he wasn't in the moment anymore. 347 00:19:00,005 --> 00:19:01,815 He wasn't in the particular moment. 348 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,720 He was already celebrating the wind, and he was somewhere else, and 349 00:19:04,745 --> 00:19:07,250 then just lost the focus. 350 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:10,420 The thing he did, though, was he regained focus. 351 00:19:10,445 --> 00:19:14,975 He regained focus before he got away from the same wind that, probably going to 352 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,680 mispronounce that, but Rybikova, I think, is regained focus in her match because she 353 00:19:18,705 --> 00:19:20,240 also had some shakes at the end of her match. 354 00:19:20,265 --> 00:19:22,495 He was able to regain focus. 355 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:25,480 The tip I want to give you on regaining focus, I'm going to use staying with 356 00:19:25,505 --> 00:19:29,280 tennis, which is Roger Federer gave a commencement speech recently where he 357 00:19:29,305 --> 00:19:33,050 talked about one point at a time, basically was the message. 358 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:36,660 But the way he framed it was really helpful, I think, which was basically, 359 00:19:36,685 --> 00:19:42,480 he says, I've won 80% of my matches, but I've only won 50% of my points. 360 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:49,090 The key is, it's really at the point level that you have to stay involved and work. 361 00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:54,455 He said, I know that when I miss the easiest shot in the world, 362 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:56,840 it's just a point. I can make the dumbest error ever. 363 00:19:56,865 --> 00:19:58,240 He didn't say exactly. He's Roger Federer. 364 00:19:58,265 --> 00:20:00,700 But it's just a point. 365 00:20:00,725 --> 00:20:07,290 Also, when I hit the best shot in the world, I hit an ESPN crazy good shot, 366 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:08,800 that's just a point. 367 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:14,660 Going back to Al Kharaz and Rubikova in the finals of Wimbledon, 368 00:20:14,685 --> 00:20:18,920 if they're able to compartmentalize, that's the moral of 369 00:20:18,945 --> 00:20:23,770 this, compartmentalize those times that their focus went away. 370 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:28,600 Then by compartmentalizing that, not allowed to bleed over into the next 371 00:20:28,625 --> 00:20:34,280 action, that's how They were able to ride the ship, is by taking the things 372 00:20:34,305 --> 00:20:36,770 that they did that weren't ideal. 373 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:41,480 In Carlos's case, was basically losing focus for an entire game where he had 374 00:20:41,505 --> 00:20:43,620 three chances just to close it out. 375 00:20:43,645 --> 00:20:46,935 Frankly, Novak didn't need much pushing at that point. 376 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:48,040 He was pretty much done. 377 00:20:48,065 --> 00:20:53,330 Carlos needed to hit a couple of good shots, probably match over. 378 00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:57,415 But anyway, he loses his focus, but he doesn't let that bleed over. 379 00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:59,770 I think because amateurs, a lot of times, we let that bleed over. 380 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:01,220 So When you're out there and you're feeling... 381 00:21:01,245 --> 00:21:03,860 First of all, give yourself some grace. 382 00:21:03,885 --> 00:21:06,535 This is going to be the podcast of grace. 383 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:08,480 First, we have the gratitude of the bowl of ice cream. 384 00:21:08,505 --> 00:21:11,360 Now, we're giving ourselves grace with... 385 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:15,530 Give yourself some grace when you lose focus. 386 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:18,775 Understand that it's a perfectly normal human condition to lose 387 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:19,680 focus from time to time. 388 00:21:19,705 --> 00:21:24,140 It's impossible to keep 100% focus all the time. 389 00:21:24,165 --> 00:21:27,935 I don't care how much you work at it, how much you do it, including professionals. 390 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:29,640 We all lose focus, so be okay with that. 391 00:21:29,665 --> 00:21:37,640 And then to regain that focus is to be able to set aside the silly shots and just 392 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:45,935 put your your sights on the next point. 393 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,000 And then the next point after that, and the next point after 394 00:21:48,025 --> 00:21:51,330 that, until the game ends. 395 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:52,680 So hopefully you enjoyed this podcast. 396 00:21:52,705 --> 00:21:57,360 As always, if you enjoyed the podcast, consider sharing it with your friends. 397 00:21:57,385 --> 00:22:00,460 Remember that if you enjoyed this podcast, if it helped you out, 398 00:22:00,485 --> 00:22:03,620 it'll probably help them out. And my guess is, they'll enjoy it, too. 399 00:22:03,645 --> 00:22:06,600 I hope you have a great week, and I'll see you at the next 400 00:22:06,625 --> 00:22:08,330 episode of Pickeball Therapy. 401 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:08,600 Be well.