Show Notes
Christine Hobson retired at 60. Two days later, she ran her first marathon. She has run more than 100 since. Every continent. A world record in Antarctica. And when she describes it, she does not lead with the marathons. She leads with what the first one taught her: she had been underestimating herself the whole time. That is the topic this week. We do this as humans. We try something, it does not go well, and we file it away as evidence. Enough of those and we start building a case against ourselves. I hear it constantly when I suggest pickleball to somebody. I'm too old. I'm too out of shape. I'm too late. Fill in the blank. There is a second story in the episode that lands the same point from a different angle. A woman on a date says, almost by accident, that in another universe she would be a stand-up comedian. She had never said it out loud before. Her date asks the obvious question back: why not in this universe? She gave him the list of reasons. He kept peeling them back. She became a stand-up comedian. So here is the pickleball version. You have a picture of yourself out on the court. The player who sees the game better, who puts the ball where they meant to put it, who feels good walking on. If that player is a 3.5 and you are a 2.5, there is nothing structural stopping you. Not tomorrow. Maybe not in six months. But in eighteen months, with a clear plan and a clear sense of what you are working on, absolutely. To be sure, some things really do impede you. Bad information impedes you. Bad guidance impedes you. Coming at the game from a purely technical angle, where you need to know the exact paddle angle and exactly where each toe points, impedes you, because that is not how the brain learns to play. Those are real. Everything else on your list, you put there. And to be clear, none of this is a directive. Nobody needs to reach a level. If you are happy playing exactly the way you play now, that is a fine place to be. But if there is a version of you out ahead that you actually want, do not be the one blocking the path. **The riff: two ways to handle adversity** Missing a shot is an adverse event. Small on the scale of adversity, but real inside the game. First situation. My partner and I are stacked. The return of serve comes back hard, with spin, into the far corner. He has to cover a lot of ground and hit a very difficult backhand. He catches the top of the net. Good effort, hard shot, no issue. He apologizes. I tell him there is nothing to apologize for, that it was a great return and a tough ask from that position, and that I am not upset. He apologizes again. Then he says it: I shouldn't miss that. He processed it the same way today that he processed it a few years ago. It is a loop, and it costs him something every time. Second situation. Last game of the day, court one, score somewhere in the fours, evenly matched. My focus wandered off. I do not know where it went, but it left. I missed a few shots I do not normally miss. I could have hunkered down and demanded that focus come back. But there is no switch to flip. Ebbs and flows in attention are the most natural thing in the world. They happen to full-time professional athletes in every sport. So I told my partner: pick me up, I'll be back in a few minutes. And I was. We lost that game, but we tightened it up and made it competitive down the stretch. Same category of event. Two very different relationships with it. The second one gives you a calmer mind, and a calmer mind sees the court better and hits the next ball better. That is not a soft benefit. That is the mechanism. **Extra coaching tip** Notice who your partner is apologizing to. When a player says sorry after a difficult miss, they are usually not apologizing to you. They are apologizing to the version of themselves who was supposed to make that shot. That is why reassurance from you does not land. You cannot answer an expectation you did not set. What you can do is name the difficulty of the shot ou
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In Mailbag Episode #2, Coach Tony answers your questions from the TRP community. Should you keep blocking the banger's hard shots, or let them go? Why does the shake and bake keep beating your team? And if you serve or return from the wrong side in a stack, is it a fault? As always, Tony gets into the why. Why most hard balls at net height and below are headed out. Why fake outs stop working once you have a book on a player. Why a deeper return takes the air out of an aggressive driver. Why you face the ball, not the net. Have a question for the next mailbag? Post it in the free TRP community: https://www.tonyroigpickleball.com/products/communities/v2/ypc/home If you haven't signed up for the Community, you can do so here. https://www.tonyroigpickleball.com/offers/s2u4oi6n/checkout Strategies for 50+ Play (free course that includes the vision training exercises Coach Tony referenced in the episode): https://www.tonyroigpickleball.com/offers/hvYMUFR8/checkout The Shots That Matter (free course): https://www.tonyroigpickleball.com/offers/zMK4VHNQ/checkout TRP shirts and merch: tonyroigpickleball.myspreadshop.com #pickleball #pickleballtips #pickleballtherapy —————————————————————— Coach Tony Roig helps players understand the game instead of just collecting tips: strategy, the mental game, and the decisions that decide pickleball rallies. 🌐 Website: tonyroigpickleball.com We recommend Pickleball Central for your pickleball needs. Using our affiliate link at https://pickleballcentral.com/tonyroig helps fund content like this. Customers will get up to a 10% discount. Discounts may vary by product, and some exclusions apply. We earn a commission on purchases. 🛒 Tony's Amazon storefront — books, training tools, and gear Tony uses: https://www.amazon.com/shop/tonyroigpickleballformerlyin2pickle?ccs_id=77992b29-49a7-48a5-a01b-9035a0cc01a2 As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Contact: [email protected] Connect Instagram: @bestpickleballcoach Facebook: @tonyroigpickleball TikTok: bestpickleballcoach
We all play the same game. Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters, the best player at your facility, and you. This week, Coach Tony explains why every player's game shares the same blueprint. He calls it the PickleWall. The bottom row of the wall is the same for everyone: serve, return of serve, block volley, punch volley. Pros don't skip the return. Beginners don't skip the serve. What separates levels is execution, and sometimes a missing block. The order matters. You can't set block 10 until the blocks underneath can hold its weight. Tony explains how to choose the block that gives you the most return for your time, and why the first block works like a gym for every shot that comes after it. In the riff, Tony turns to who sits at the center of your improvement. It should be you. Not the algorithm, not the trend at your courts, not the tip a friend just heard. Every tool should orbit you. In this episode: - Why the pros play the same game you do - The PickleWall - Finding your missing block - Priority and precedence: what comes first - Why chasing random tips leaves holes - Your Pickleball Coach and pay what you can - You at the center of your journey - The two-handed backhand black hole Your Pickleball Coach: https://yourpickleball.coach Camps, coaching, and free resources: https://tonyroigpickleball.com
What if it works out? Coach Kyleen joins Coach Tony this week to share a video from TikTok Mima. Her message is simple. We spend plenty of time imagining how things could go wrong. Give the other possibility a little attention. Tony and Kyleen tie it to pickleball. Many players decide it won't work before they even try. They tell themselves a story before they leave the house. Kyleen shares the question she now asks instead: what's the best that could happen? Tony explains why "don't miss" can backfire, and the two talk about a gold medal match where one player missed every serve and her team still won. In the riff, Tony talks about 50+ coaching. Same game, same rules. But lived experience matters. Tony shares how he stays competitive against younger players with smarter play and better court positioning. In this episode: - TikTok Mima: What if it works out? - The stories we tell ourselves before we play - What's the best that could happen? - Why "don't miss" works against you - Every serve missed, gold medal won - Pickleball is messy - Why 50+ coaching matters - Smarter play and court positioning Join us on October 15, 2026, for the live Stacking Lab. Sign up here - https://www.tonyroigpickleball.com/offers/ofCAzfB3/checkout Learn more about Your Pickleball Coach, the most comprehensive online pickleball coaching. Visit YourPickleball.coach Interested in a Tony Roig Pickleball Camp experience? Check out https://www.tonyroigpickleball.com/camps
How deep does your pickleball knowledge go? This week, Coach Tony Roig looks at the difference between Google knowledge and real knowledge. Google knowledge is surface-level. Real knowledge means understanding the why, so you can see how the pieces of the game fit together. Tony uses the forehand in the middle vs. Respect the X debate to show what that difference looks like on the court. In the riff, Tony takes on information overload. Too many voices, so you can't hear any of them. He explains how to be more discerning about what you let in, and why trusting one source for now helps you build the knowledge to decide for yourself later. In this episode: - What Google knowledge is, and why it often comes up short - Forehand in the middle vs. Respect the X - Why it's always about the why - The cost of letting everything in - A Twilight Zone lesson in being discerning - Long term: move toward real knowledge - Short term: find a source you trust - This week's challenge: cut one input Read "The Myth of Forehand in the Middle": https://www.tonyroigpickleball.com/blog/pickleball-myth-forehand-in-the-middle Free mini-courses, blogs, and other training opportunities: Click here to view the episode transcript.
In this special mailbag episode, Tony answers questions from the TRP community. How tightly should you hold your paddle? If the third shot drop isn't your priority yet, what is? How do you use partner play strategy when your partner changes every game? As always, Tony gets into the why. Why a lighter grip gives you more power and protects your arm. Why a drop and a dink are the same shot. Why getting beat on the outside dink probably isn't where your points are going. In this episode: - Grip pressure and the 10-5-3 scale - What to work on before the third shot drop - Drop vs. dink: one shot or two? - Partner play when your partner changes every game - Forehand in the middle vs. Respect the X - Where to stand when you serve - Split step or keep moving through the transition zone? - Getting beat on the outside dink - Back braces and staying healthy - Finding practice partners, local and virtual Have a question for the next mailbag? Post it in the free TRP community: https://www.tonyroigpickleball.com/offers/s2u4oi6n/checkout Read "The Myth of Forehand in the Middle": https://www.tonyroigpickleball.com/blog/pickleball-myth-forehand-in-the-middle Tony's comments on back braces reflect his personal experience only. He is not a medical professional.