Dictionary dot com defines fear as “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.” In Pickleball, an overhead slam coming at you can arouse a level of fear. But what is this fear about?

Let’s breakdown fear, how to handle what others think, the role of knowledge and experience, and some things you can do to overcome your fears.

The fear itself

Sure, fear is an emotion caused by a sense of danger but what’s the difference between a real sense of danger versus an imagined sense of danger? A big part of this is our conditioning. For example, I think most of us learn at a young age that if someone is chasing after you, the best thing to do is run. If someone is chasing you though, it may be an intruder, or it may be a friend trying to freeze you during a game of Freeze Tag.

Why do I use this example? In the example of someone chasing you, hopefully what you see is these are two different scenarios but generally with very similar feelings – increased heart rate and a good sense to run away. What is different in these situations is that in the former situation you are frightened and, in the latter, exhilarated. Fear of the overhead slam fits into either the frightened or exhilarated categories and really depends on your experience with it.

We generally differentiate between these situations unconsciously which in most cases is fine. In the case of the overhead slam, it’s important to understand that the overhead slam may be an imagined fear brought on by lack of experience and knowledge. And then sometimes, overhead slams are scary because you might get hit by one.

The other thing that probably seems really scary in this situation is your perception of how you look when you miss the return of an overhead slam.

Learn to let go of what others think

We worry about what other people think of us when we don’t do something the ‘right way’ or we make a mistake. The problem is once it’s done, it’s done. There’s no do-over and your thinking gets in the way of your ability to do the best possible thing; play Pickleball.

If you are in your head thinking about what your partner or others think and if you miss returning the overhead slam, you are no longer in the game and no longer playing Pickleball. You can’t be in your head and playing the game at the same time. So, you have a decision to make. What’s the best utilization of your time during a game?

Over the past 8-9 years, perfectionism has grown to become a normal concept and way of living. The problem is in that ‘competitive model’ there are only winners and losers. If you aren’t absolutely confident that you can win or in this case, hit the overhead slam return effectively, you don’t and often times won’t even go for it because you fear looking dumb.

Knowledge and experience come from practice

I frequently say that Pickleball is the only game I’ve played where we rarely practice. Given that, we don’t get experience with an overhead slam unless we are playing a game and a game is not a good place to figure out how to deal with them. Games are going too fast and there’s no time to ‘work on’ anything.

When we don’t practice, we don’t gain knowledge and build up muscle memory about how to do something. Even though you may be gaining experience it may be the wrong experience. you may be reinforcing the wrong things.

I am not saying you have to take on a coach but take a clinic where the instructor is teaching you how to deal with overhead slams and then practicing doing what the instructor is teaching in the clinic.

This may sound simplistic, but it is the way you get better. It’s the way athletes have gotten better at sport for centuries. It’s a proven, tried and true.

Reinvent how you deal with fear 

As I said, you can either feel paralyzed by fear or feel exhilarated when the overhead slam comes your way. Here are some steps for staying closer to the side of exhilaration:

1. Develop awareness around what is happening and why it’s happening. You can do this by reflecting on your experiences during a game or match. What went well with your ability to deal with the overhead slams? What was challenging? What’s one thing you can do differently next game or match?
2. In those moments when the overhead slam is coming toward you, there’s no real time to think about it. Preview how you want to deal with it. Run away. Move toward. Blame your partner. Or before the game even begins, you can think about one small element of the process that you want to work on/change. For example, I am going to keep my eye on the ball. By just saying you want to get better at the overhead slam is not going to be helpful. Your brain gets overwhelmed and frustrated by that information because it’s too much. Too big!
3. Reframe how you think about the overhead slam. Come up with a short mantra – get my paddle on it, I’ve got this, I can get better, or I can’t wait to practice, learn and get better (a little long but rolls off the tongue!
4. Let go of what others think about you.
5. Practice.

Enjoy the exhilaration

I’ve had many moments of fear around the overhead slam. Those shots are coming at you hard and fast. Fortunately, I know if I get hit, it stings, but 99% of the time it doesn’t hurt. I still don’t have a lot of knowledge on how to deal with them, but I try to move toward them versus away from them. I’ve gotten better at hitting a good amount of slams to the other side but I also miss a lot.

The overhead slam is a fair and really good shot in the game of Pickleball! Learning how to deal with them, letting go of the fear of them and what others think about how you deal with them, and attacking them is all part of the process. Enjoy the game and all that comes with it!