I've been playing for about a year and feel like I'm stuck at the 3.0-3.5 level. I want to start playing in some local tournaments, but I'm worried about getting completely blown off the court. What's the best way to bridge that gap from casual rec play to competitive tournament play without feeling totally overwhelmed?
- Jose, CA
Thanks for reaching out, Jose. Great question! It’s very normal to fear the unknown, and until you get your feet wet, you will never be able to realize your true potential. To help bridge the gap and get you a little more comfortable on your way to your tournament debut, here are a few tips:
Mindset
Much of this comes down to how you perceive your play. Do you think of recreational pickleball as a good way to improve, or simply as practice? Imagine that you’re back in school, but on day one, the principal announces that there will never be any exams. How do you think that will affect you and all the other kids? All the students, upon realizing there will never be any measurement of how much they are learning each semester, will be robbed of the necessary motivation to work hard and study.
Playing purely casual rec pickleball is exactly that: limited feedback on your growth based on low or zero pressure games.
A tournament is your exam. It’s your measure of progress, and until you force yourself to take unhealthy amounts of Adderall and sit that exam, what’s to stop you from simply coasting through? Zip!
A tournament teaches you so much that rec play doesn’t. The opponents are better and more diverse, so your skill and adaptability are tested. There is more pressure, so your nerves are tested repeatedly. There are often little to no breaks between matches, followed by sometimes two-plus-hour delays. That means your body and endurance are tested — not to mention your patience for tournament directors and players meandering through the back draw.
Ultimately, a tournament teaches you where you are strong and where you are weak. Embrace it, learn to love it, and soon you may see tournaments as the most important part of your pickleball life.
Baby step: Round Robin
If a standard double-elimination tournament seems a little daunting, then I’ve got great news for you: There is a nice middle ground that will let you dip your toe into tournament life without the pressure of the dreaded "two and out." Sign up for a round robin with a partner you know and trust to be supportive. Go in knowing that while you won’t find anything that resembles your best game in your first match, you may indeed find it in your third or fourth.
I believe that the vast majority of players have three players within them:
- The rec player: Least pressure.
- The player in a tournament: Added pressure.
- The player in the final of the tournament: Most pressure.
The best players have the least difference in quality of play when the pressure rises. You may look at the list and assume that someone will always play better in a casual rec game than in the final of a tournament. This is often the case, but it does depend on the player's relationship with pressure.
Some like it hot!
You may indeed be the rare kind of player who thrives under pressure, and until you put yourself in that situation, you will unfortunately never know exactly what you’re made of. Pressure makes diamonds, Jose, so find yourself a good partner and jump into the wonderful world of tournament pickleball.
Good luck, and let me know how you go!
