There are two different types of anticipation: one that isn’t a conscious choice and can be detrimental to your pickleball game, and an advantageous one that you can use consciously in order to improve your play.

Detrimental Anticipation
In William Goldman's wonderful story, The Princess Bride, the evil Count says, "One of my theories . . . is that pain involves anticipation." He then chains Westley, the hero, next to a torture device he promises to use on Westley later. This is detrimental anticipation.

It's easier to understand in reverse: anticipation is painful because it can bring anxiety, and people often respond to anxiety by forcing a resolution before it’s time, just to end the feeling.

Let’s say you’re waiting for a pickleball game to start. Maybe it’s a tournament, or maybe it’s just a game that matters to you. You start feeling anxious; your confidence diminishes with each thought you have. By the time the game starts, you’re truly not at your best.

Here’s another example: you’re at bat in a softball game. The count is two balls and one strike. The pitch comes. You're anxious to get a hit so you swing, but the ball was low and outside and you miss. Now it’s two balls and two strikes and you’re more anxious because another strike puts you out. The pitch comes . . . and your anxiety causes you to swing too soon and miss what probably would have been a hit.

Dealing with the first example requires that you train yourself to block negative thoughts and instead dwell on positive ones. Relaxing and focusing on your strengths will give you a much better result. This takes practice, but it’s something you can work on all the time, not just when you’re playing pickleball. (I find it helps in lots of other situations, too.)

Because pickleball is a fun game, you may not realize you are feeling anxiety while you play. But it can show itself in how early you break out of dinking (when later would have been better), or when you contact the ball too soon, or if you make a poor shot when waiting just a little longer would have meant a much better one.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that good pickleball players make the game appear effortless. They don’t rush around the court. They take the full amount of time they have for each shot, and they don’t let anxiety about what’s coming interfere with the stroke they are making. They are calm – or at least more calm than other players. Partly, this is due to the amount of training they’ve had and how much they believe in their ability to succeed.

These last points are important. Training comes with directed practice, not just play – it’s practice toward a goal, whatever that goal might be. Directed practice makes you more confident in your ability to succeed at that goal. This success in turn reduces anxiety and promotes confidence, leading to better play, which again inspires more confidence. Win-Win (pun intended).

The softball game example illustrates the need for patience. It's hard to be patient when you want to get that hit, but being patient is what will help you hit much better when the time is right. This applies directly to dinking, where it's important to continue patiently dinking the ball back and forth, back and forth, until your opponent makes a mistake and you can take advantage of it. Don't be anxious and end the dink too soon or you'll be the one making the mistake.

Advantageous Anticipation
That said, there is a time when anticipation is desired when playing pickleball. If you can learn to anticipate your opponent’s shot before it happens, you’ll be that much farther ahead in getting ready to receive it. This doesn’t have anything to do with anxiety – it’s just watching carefully to see what is happening and planning ahead.

If you watch carefully as your opponent hits the ball, you’ll get a good idea where the ball is going to land, how much spin it will have, and more. Watch where he’s looking, too – that can reveal a lot about where the ball will go. (Of course, I’ve encountered some players who are tricky and look one way while using their peripheral vision to guide their shots, too, but most don’t.) Keeping careful watch on what your opponent is doing helps you to anticipate where the shot will land and how it might move after landing due to spin.

Planning ahead will also ensure that you have good position on the court when it is time to hit the ball. If you’ve ever watched a good pool or billiards player, you know they think ahead and set up their next shot while making the current one. Watching your opponent’s shot can help you know where you should be on the court in order to properly execute a return Similarly, you can anticipate what your opponent’s next shot might be before the ball leaves your paddle and start moving accordingly.

For example, if you’re drawn to the outside of the court, chances are your opponent will send the next shot back to the center of your court – the place where you’re not. Quickly moving back to the center of your court is always a good idea since it gives you the most options to reach the next ball, and in this case will hopefully get you there in time to make the shot instead of miss it. Whenever you can think ahead to what your opponent is likely to do and prepare for it, you’ll be one or more steps ahead, which can make quite a difference. The same is true when playing to your opponent’s weaknesses: knowing your opponent’s style helps you anticipate his actions, so it’s wise to pay attention to any patterns in his play.

So try to avoid the type of anticipation that leads to anxiety. Stay relaxed, and practice until you’re comfortable with your game. Keep your wits about you, and do try to anticipate your opponent’s next move in order to be able to counter it effectively.

© 2009 Gale H. Leach