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The Stress of Pickleball Can't Be Understated: Anna Leigh Waters

The Stress of Pickleball Can't Be Understated: Anna Leigh Waters

Three tips to improve your game, how stress can bring out rare emotions on the pickleball court, and more.

Pickleball Clinic
August 16, 2023

Glad to have you here for today’s newsletter!

Pickleball can be stressful (take it from Anna Leigh-Waters), three tips to improve your game, and an interview with one of pickleball’s favorite families.

Let’s dive in 👇

Anna Leigh-Waters barely loses…

That has earned her the number-one ranking in the world at only 16 years old.

However, last week she lost in singles for only the second time this ENTIRE year. For those of you that watch pro pickleball, she’s not the best at accepting defeat (Anna is a fierce competitor).

Here’s the clip:

Competing at a high level is stressful — Anna has thousands of dollars on the line and big expectations for her age.

Just as Anna has a lot at stake, so do you in some of your matches.

Here’s how to deal with stress on the court:

take a deep breath
realize it’s just a game
smile and laugh at yourself

If you’ve ever been hurt, you realize how much of a privilege it is to be competing on the pickleball court. Take advantage of it!

Words from #1 Senior Pro Eva Welsher 🐐

“Hi there! Glad to meet you!!

My name is Eva Welsher. I’m a Senior Pro or they sometimes call us “older” pickleball players over 50 years old, “Champion Pros.”

I’m a pro. Basically it means I have won money in a “Senior Pro” draw.

I must say though I’m very proud of my “Pro” status because I work really hard to be the best at the game and be the best player I possibly can be.

I wanted you to know about a new team competition that was created for Champion “Senior” Pros (players 50+) called the NPL (National Pickleball League) that I compete in. It’s an amazing format bringing together 108 players on six teams, with ratings at 4.5 and above.

To date, players just always play only for themselves. But at the NPL, we collectively work together to win team versus team competitions.

I’m so happy there’s a place like the NPL to bring us all together during the year to build friendships as well as play against the best around. Check us out on YouTube and you’ll see me playing as well as many others.

Til we meet again…..Eva❤️”

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For all of you 3.0 players who want to reach 3.5 and above!

Focus on developing consistency in your fundamentals:

serves
returns
and third shots

One of the biggest differences between 3.0 and 3.5 players is that 3.5 players hit their serves and returns consistently, and their third shots are usually in.

That isn't to say that their shots are all perfect (especially the third shot), but they can play at a much higher level of overall consistency than 3.0-level players.

Don't worry too much about hitting perfect drops, drive winners, or huge serves and returns.

Just focus on getting your shots in and getting the point going. Once you develop this level of consistency you can begin to work on strategy and advanced shot-making, but the first step is consistency!