My Thoughts for Players Playing in Pickleball Tournaments


If you have played in pickleball tournaments, you know that, at almost every tournament, you learn something new.

It may be some knowledge of a weakness you need to improve.

It may be some strategy you tried that worked well.

It may be some opponent you have faced before whom you finally beat.

Whatever it may be, tournaments teach you valuable information.

If you have not played in tournaments, I recommend that you do so.

But, before you do so, you should ask advice from those who have played.

You will get lots of advice. Learn what you can. Use what you need.

Here are some of my thoughts.

1. You will revert to your defaults.   In a tournament, especially your first few tournaments, things happen quickly. You find yourself frequently just reacting. You tend to revert to your default way of playing. For example, I rarely attempt an Erne in rec play games. I am aware of the shot. I just don’t think about using it very often. In a recent tournament, my men’s doubles partner and I won the silver medal. In thinking back later on the best two-out-of-three championship match which we lost, I realized how many Erne opportunities I missed.  I missed them because I didn't even think about the Erne.  And they likely would have been winners. And the matches were so close, it could have been the difference between us winning silver versus gold. But, since I don’t think of an Erne often, it certainly didn’t come to mind during that tournament. I reverted to my default. So, you too will play in tournaments the way you usually play. Shots you rarely use will not likely come to mind during your reactions on the court. Given more experience, you will start dictating play more than just reacting.

2. Don’t try to hit the lines.  If you are good at hitting lines with your serve or drives or overheads, you should NOT plan to do so in a tournament. Your opponents will be making those line calls, and trust me, they will likely call many of your line shots out. So, hit your shots at least one foot “in” during practice so that it will be much harder for your opponents to call them out during a tournament. Some people’s attitude is, “when in doubt, call it out.” Remember, you will revert to your default. Be sure your default is not to hit the line or hit too close to the line. You will regret it!

3. Control your emotions.  It’s normal to be “nervous” during a tournament. There is more pressure. But, let your nerves be more excitement rather than anxiety. You are a good player. You deserve to be there. Just go play the way you know how. Now, many things can happen in a tournament to frustrate you. You may be “body-bagged” by your opponent. Resist the urge to retaliate. Your opponents may call a ball out, you were certain was in. You must let it go. If you don’t, it will spill over into subsequent shots. You may then lose several points in a row. That can be hard to come back from. Your opponents may wipe their face or paddle with a towel between each point. It can slow down your momentum. That’s annoying, but it’s legal. They may roll or hit the ball back to your side of the court but purposely nowhere near you at each point. You may find yourself chasing balls frequently. It is so annoying. But that is a sign of your opponents’ poor sportsmanship. They are trying to get under your skin. Don’t let them. Control your emotions!

4. Be patient.  Games are won by making fewer unforced errors than your opponents. Let them make the errors. Hit sure safe shots repeatedly. You don’t have to try full-speed slams only to hit them into the net or out of bounds. Try 3/4th speed or even half speed shots. Often placement is more important than power. Be patient in dink rallies. Don’t be so quick to try to hit a speed-up. Be ready to counter any speed-up from your opponent, and you will win more points. In a recent pro MLP match-up, the losers had only one more unforced error than the winners. But, that was the difference. Be patient!

5. Use your timeouts!  Pickleball is a game of momentum. You tend to score in runs. Your opponents tend to score in runs. Each team is allotted a certain number of timeouts. Use them! Be sure to stop their momentum during a run by taking a timeout. During the timeout, discuss with your partner what’s working for you and what’s not. Do more of what’s working and less of what’s not. Also, discuss how your opponents have made their run. How are they exploiting you? What adjustments do you need to make to stop their run? Make the adjustments and just play one point at a time.


There are lots of other helpful points that could be made.

However, those are a few that come to my mind after playing in a recent tournament.

Such things as hydration strategies, food strategies, warming up strategies, staying loose, etc. are beyond the scope of this article.

If you haven’t played in a tournament, you should!

Tournaments are a great way to learn about your true skill level. They help you know what your weaknesses and strengths are. Then, you can improve what you need before the next tournament.

And, once you play in a tournament, you are in the club!

The club is made up of all the people who have played in pickleball tournaments.

Once you play, you understand.

So, play!

And good luck!!


Ben Holt
CEO. Pickleball Living

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