1
00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:03,360
Hello and welcome to pickleball Therapy,
the podcast dedicated to

2
00:00:03,385 --> 00:00:05,300
your pickleball improvement.

3
00:00:05,325 --> 00:00:07,800
I'm your host of the
weekly podcast, Tony Roig.

4
00:00:07,825 --> 00:00:10,500
It's a pleasure to be with you this week.

5
00:00:10,525 --> 00:00:16,700
This is a new format we have for
the podcast called Walk and Talk.

6
00:00:16,725 --> 00:00:20,040
So I am going to be on the
road walking as I speak.

7
00:00:20,065 --> 00:00:24,680
So if you hear background noises in the
podcast, it is perfectly natural

8
00:00:24,705 --> 00:00:26,740
and nothing to be alarmed about.

9
00:00:26,765 --> 00:00:30,760
This week's podcast, we're going to be
talking about playing with

10
00:00:30,785 --> 00:00:32,695
players from different levels.

11
00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,560
And this is a common question that we get
or a common situation that arises,

12
00:00:35,585 --> 00:00:39,880
which is, how do I keep the game fun?

13
00:00:39,905 --> 00:00:43,820
How do I keep playing with players who
I've known for a long time?

14
00:00:43,845 --> 00:00:49,540
And Maybe they haven't kept up
with where you're at in the game.

15
00:00:49,565 --> 00:00:55,020
And also sometimes we'll play in
situations in open plays where

16
00:00:55,045 --> 00:00:58,815
there's really no gathering of levels.

17
00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:00,620
So it's basically a little
bit of a free-for-all.

18
00:01:00,645 --> 00:01:04,535
So how do you make that
fun and maybe productive?

19
00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,180
I'm going to use the word productive
here, but I mean the word productive here.

20
00:01:07,205 --> 00:01:13,620
And it's not in a sense of producing
work-wise active for

21
00:01:13,645 --> 00:01:17,660
us so that we feel like we got something
out of the experience,

22
00:01:17,685 --> 00:01:20,240
perhaps more than would be otherwise.

23
00:01:20,265 --> 00:01:24,020
So that's going to be the
topic of today's podcast.

24
00:01:24,045 --> 00:01:28,535
If you have a topic that you're interested
in covering in the podcast, you can send

25
00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:30,320
us an email at therapy@betterpickleball.

26
00:01:30,345 --> 00:01:35,240
com and let us know, and we're happy to
see if we can cover that.

27
00:01:35,265 --> 00:01:40,570
We also do Occasional Ask Me Any Things
format, which is basically

28
00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:42,380
or mailback episodes, really.

29
00:01:42,405 --> 00:01:45,490
So where there's a series of questions
that are asked, and we just

30
00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:46,935
rapid fire go through them.

31
00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:50,000
So if you want to be a part of that,
send us an email, put on the subject line,

32
00:01:50,025 --> 00:01:56,140
pickleball Therapy, question, and we will
either answer it in its own podcast

33
00:01:56,165 --> 00:02:00,540
episode like this one, or we
will include it in the mailback.

34
00:02:00,565 --> 00:02:05,820
All right, so that's the reality of
pickleball today is it's evolving.

35
00:02:05,845 --> 00:02:12,640
And I would submit one of the
downsides or limitations that we're seeing

36
00:02:12,665 --> 00:02:17,260
in the sport is the sport becoming more
clickish, where

37
00:02:17,285 --> 00:02:22,200
the sport is becoming more,
I play with my group, you play

38
00:02:22,225 --> 00:02:24,840
with your group, and we don't mix.

39
00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,610
I'm going to suggest you that there's a
world in which you can

40
00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:33,400
engage in pickleball in a constructive,
productive way that you're going to feel

41
00:02:33,425 --> 00:02:39,890
good about that allows you to play with
a broader range of levels of players.

42
00:02:39,920 --> 00:02:43,600
And let's work through a couple of
different areas where I

43
00:02:43,625 --> 00:02:45,080
think you could do that.

44
00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,780
One area is working on your game.

45
00:02:48,805 --> 00:02:54,700
Say that, let's just use some round
numbers for shorthand to make it easier.

46
00:02:54,725 --> 00:02:57,160
So say you're a really good 4.

47
00:02:57,185 --> 00:03:02,540
0 player, and you go to open play and
the players there are 3:00 to 3:5.

48
00:03:02,565 --> 00:03:05,660
There's not even any 4:00s
there during that day.

49
00:03:05,685 --> 00:03:08,320
You have the option, obviously, of
walking away, right?

50
00:03:08,345 --> 00:03:12,900
You can just leave and not play
pick-up in that group that day.

51
00:03:12,925 --> 00:03:19,500
Or you can use the opportunity
to work on parts of your game

52
00:03:19,525 --> 00:03:22,260
that perhaps you don't work on as much
when you're playing

53
00:03:22,285 --> 00:03:24,280
with other 4-0 players.

54
00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,080
Because what happens is when you're
playing at level, if you will, when you're

55
00:03:28,105 --> 00:03:32,440
playing with other 4-0s,
there's more pressure on you.

56
00:03:32,465 --> 00:03:34,940
It's normal for us to feel
a little more pressure.

57
00:03:34,965 --> 00:03:38,540
And so we're less likely
to stray from what we know.

58
00:03:38,565 --> 00:03:43,180
So if you're, say you're a good
offensive player, you have a lot of

59
00:03:43,205 --> 00:03:46,280
weapons to use,
and you deploy those when you play a 4-0

60
00:03:46,305 --> 00:03:49,400
and you have good results,
don't want all the time, you have nice

61
00:03:49,425 --> 00:03:53,255
results with those,
then you're going to use those when

62
00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:54,610
you're playing the 4-0 players.

63
00:03:54,640 --> 00:04:00,975
You're going to be less likely to expand
your range into shots and ideas

64
00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:02,380
that aren't as comfortable for you.

65
00:04:02,405 --> 00:04:07,520
An example would be
playing a more sophisticated soft game, a

66
00:04:07,545 --> 00:04:12,220
more advanced soft game, a grinding game,
on your counter, setting yourself up,

67
00:04:12,245 --> 00:04:20,080
knowing that the 3-0, 3-5 is likely to
attack from maybe a bad spot and

68
00:04:20,105 --> 00:04:22,055
getting your counters improved.

69
00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:23,500
Working on outballs is another area.

70
00:04:23,525 --> 00:04:27,060
So counters and outballs, those two
come hand in hand.

71
00:04:27,085 --> 00:04:29,740
You can work on those when you're playing.

72
00:04:29,765 --> 00:04:33,300
It 3035s of your 4-0
or playing under-level.

73
00:04:33,325 --> 00:04:36,300
You can also, like I said,
work on your soft game.

74
00:04:36,325 --> 00:04:39,380
You can work on pinpointing
your shots a little better.

75
00:04:39,405 --> 00:04:44,660
Take some pressure off yourself in terms
of results and work on parts of your game

76
00:04:44,685 --> 00:04:48,940
that you would not normally
work on with your level.

77
00:04:48,965 --> 00:04:51,960
Another example would be,
let's say you have a really good soft

78
00:04:51,985 --> 00:04:54,540
game developed, but not a good hard game.

79
00:04:54,565 --> 00:04:59,800
Work on your hard game, work on your
offensive output in the 3-0, 3-5 setting.

80
00:04:59,825 --> 00:05:07,500
So one way you can be more productive or
constructive with your play

81
00:05:07,525 --> 00:05:12,420
outside level is to work on your game.

82
00:05:12,445 --> 00:05:17,540
Another thing you can do
when you're playing outside level is

83
00:05:17,565 --> 00:05:20,760
to work on the social part, right?

84
00:05:20,785 --> 00:05:25,740
Work on the other parts of the game
that aren't just technical, right?

85
00:05:25,765 --> 00:05:29,300
And I think sometimes as pickleball
players, we get a little too

86
00:05:29,325 --> 00:05:35,240
caught up in technical side, in the,
I need to be pushed all the time, always

87
00:05:35,265 --> 00:05:39,220
100 % of the time, I need to be pushed in
my game so that I continue to improve

88
00:05:39,245 --> 00:05:44,080
like there's some end result to this,
which there isn't, by the way.

89
00:05:44,105 --> 00:05:47,220
That's a spoiler for a concept we're
going to talk about in a second.

90
00:05:47,245 --> 00:05:49,340
But basically, work on the other parts.

91
00:05:49,365 --> 00:05:52,180
Work on your gratitude, work on the mental
side of the game,

92
00:05:52,205 --> 00:05:57,480
work on dealing with adversity,
work on parts of your game and parts of

93
00:05:57,505 --> 00:06:02,460
you that it may be harder to work on when
you are

94
00:06:02,485 --> 00:06:07,700
playing a level and maybe feeling a little
bit more stressed about

95
00:06:07,725 --> 00:06:11,100
the results of a particular game.

96
00:06:11,125 --> 00:06:14,900
Now, I wanted to touch on this
subject of there's no end line.

97
00:06:14,925 --> 00:06:21,620
I think as a pickleball of players, we can
get caught up in, I need to get somewhere.

98
00:06:21,645 --> 00:06:23,380
I need to get to a certain level.

99
00:06:23,405 --> 00:06:26,160
I need to get this one shot down.

100
00:06:26,185 --> 00:06:30,960
I need to whatever it is, fill in the
blank with what It's on your mind, right?

101
00:06:30,985 --> 00:06:34,580
What it is that your mind says,
you need to get this done.

102
00:06:34,605 --> 00:06:38,860
It's a finish line or
something you got to get to.

103
00:06:38,885 --> 00:06:45,380
And understand
that pickleball has no end line.

104
00:06:45,405 --> 00:06:51,735
There is no finish line with our sport,
which you probably heard me say before,

105
00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,020
something we should embrace, something we
should celebrate about our sport,

106
00:06:55,045 --> 00:06:59,860
because that means
that as long as you choose

107
00:06:59,885 --> 00:07:05,380
to to partake in pickleball, as long as
you choose to be a part of this sport,

108
00:07:05,405 --> 00:07:08,140
pickleball will have
something to teach you.

109
00:07:08,165 --> 00:07:12,620
Pickleball will never
run out, and you can never exhaust it.

110
00:07:12,645 --> 00:07:15,180
But that means is that
there is nowhere to get to.

111
00:07:15,205 --> 00:07:22,720
So this idea that I need to always play at
a certain level or else really is a myth.

112
00:07:22,745 --> 00:07:26,380
It's really just a fiction that we
fabricate in our minds,

113
00:07:26,405 --> 00:07:28,980
and it really doesn't do anything for us.

114
00:07:29,005 --> 00:07:32,400
Frankly, it limits
because it keeps us away from situations

115
00:07:32,425 --> 00:07:37,040
like this where we could enjoy a nice game
with players who perhaps are not exactly

116
00:07:37,065 --> 00:07:41,100
at our level and get a lot out of it.

117
00:07:41,125 --> 00:07:46,860
But we choose not to because we look at it
and just say, Okay, these players

118
00:07:46,885 --> 00:07:49,940
don't play the way I do
or don't play at my level.

119
00:07:49,965 --> 00:07:53,740
And so I'm going to opt out of this game.

120
00:07:53,765 --> 00:07:56,420
Again, there's a lot you
can gain from playing.

121
00:07:56,445 --> 00:08:00,140
And we skipped over a
really big one, right?

122
00:08:00,165 --> 00:08:03,420
Which is just getting to play, right?

123
00:08:03,445 --> 00:08:07,540
Just getting the opportunity to
get on the court with

124
00:08:07,565 --> 00:08:13,095
friends, with other players, and
enjoy this awesome sport of pickleball.

125
00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:15,320
It's like someone's got a
generator going back there.

126
00:08:15,345 --> 00:08:21,895
This is a post-Haleen here in
the Tampa Bay area, and there's some

127
00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:23,920
houses that are still running
generators and things like that.

128
00:08:23,945 --> 00:08:26,340
So pretty loud.

129
00:08:26,365 --> 00:08:30,520
Anyway, so just enjoying the sport
of pickleball is a a gift, right?

130
00:08:30,545 --> 00:08:36,580
Anytime we can get on the court and
denying ourselves the ability to play

131
00:08:36,605 --> 00:08:44,140
just because we have this baseline that
we won't dip below is a disservice to us.

132
00:08:44,165 --> 00:08:49,240
And a last note on this is that
this idea that we're only going to play at

133
00:08:49,265 --> 00:08:55,860
a level or higher creates a real problem
for the sport in general and for you.

134
00:08:55,885 --> 00:09:00,400
Because if everybody thinks the way that,
maybe not you're thinking, but that

135
00:09:00,425 --> 00:09:05,320
players think, which is I can only play at
level or higher, then no one will ever

136
00:09:05,345 --> 00:09:08,220
play with you who's a higher level.

137
00:09:08,245 --> 00:09:12,020
Because they have the same
thought process that you do.

138
00:09:12,045 --> 00:09:15,020
They're sitting there
saying, Well, I'm a 4'5.

139
00:09:15,045 --> 00:09:17,140
So I'm not playing with a 4-0.

140
00:09:17,165 --> 00:09:22,175
If you're, let's say, you're a 3-5, then
also play 3-5 and higher, then the

141
00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:23,040
4-0 is thinking the same thing, right?

142
00:09:23,065 --> 00:09:24,800
And the 4-0 is thinking, I'm not playing
with you because you're a 3-5,

143
00:09:24,825 --> 00:09:26,380
and you keep going, right?

144
00:09:26,405 --> 00:09:28,340
3-0 to 3-5, etc.

145
00:09:28,365 --> 00:09:33,700
So consider that part of game when you're
making your decisions about

146
00:09:33,725 --> 00:09:37,540
whether you're going to join in
a game or not join in a game.

147
00:09:37,565 --> 00:09:42,380
And remember that there are
lots of positives that you can gain from

148
00:09:42,405 --> 00:09:47,800
participating in pickleball,
regardless of the level of play, as long

149
00:09:47,825 --> 00:09:53,700
as you have clarity
in your mind and who you are, and

150
00:09:53,725 --> 00:09:57,680
that there's
places that you can explore in your own

151
00:09:57,705 --> 00:10:02,420
game and parts of not just your game, but
parts of yourself

152
00:10:02,445 --> 00:10:08,620
that you can work on and get stronger at
when you get to play with

153
00:10:08,645 --> 00:10:13,960
players who perhaps at a level of skill or
proficiency are not quite yet where

154
00:10:13,985 --> 00:10:16,820
you are at in this sport of pickleball.

155
00:10:16,845 --> 00:10:18,120
That's this week's podcast.

156
00:10:18,145 --> 00:10:21,040
I hope you enjoy the content and the
Walk & Talk series.

157
00:10:21,065 --> 00:10:24,620
There are going to be more of these Walk &
Talks as I continue to work on

158
00:10:24,645 --> 00:10:28,640
my physical development
and that gives me a good opportunity to

159
00:10:28,665 --> 00:10:34,760
get out, walk to where I need to go, and
share with you some ideas about the mental

160
00:10:34,785 --> 00:10:38,620
side of Pickleball
to help strengthen you on your journey.

161
00:10:38,645 --> 00:10:39,895
Have a great week.

162
00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,000
If you enjoyed the podcast,
share with your friends.

163
00:10:42,025 --> 00:10:42,900
I almost forgot to say that.

164
00:10:42,925 --> 00:10:45,460
Share with your friends, if you
guys have enjoyed the podcast.

165
00:10:45,485 --> 00:10:47,740
If you enjoyed the podcast
today, I probably will, too.

166
00:10:47,765 --> 00:10:50,815
Have a great week,
and I'll see you at the next episode.

167
00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:51,080
Be well.