This assessment helps you identify which pillar: mechanical, strategic or athletic you rely on most right now.
Every strong pickleball player needs all three pillars.
This quiz reveals where your foundation is strongest — and which pillar deserves more intentional training.
Answer based on match play, not drills. For real pickleball improvement, you will need to focus on how you play in actual games rather than just practice routines.
1. When you’re playing your best pickleball, what feels most reliable?
A) My stroke mechanics and ability to make clean contact
B) My shot selection and understanding of what to hit and when
C) My movement, balance, and ability to stay composed under pressure
2. When a rally breaks down, what usually causes the problem?
A) I miss-hit the ball or lose consistency
B) I choose the wrong shot for the situation
C) I’m late, off balance, or out of position
3. Under pressure, what do you trust the most?
A) My technique and repeatable swings
B) My decision-making and patience
C) My footwork, anticipation, and athletic response
4. Which statement best describes how you win points?
A) I out-execute opponents with consistent shots
B) I out-think opponents with smarter patterns
C) I out-move opponents and handle pace well
5. If you had to improve just one thing to play better pickleball, which would help you most?
A) Cleaner mechanics and fewer unforced errors
B) Better shot choices and point construction
C) Faster movement, balance, and recovery
6. What do partners compliment you on most?
A) “You’re very consistent.”
B) “You make great decisions.”
C) “You move well and stay calm.”
7. Late in a close game, what gives you confidence?
A) Knowing I can execute basic shots reliably
B) Knowing I can manage the point wisely
C) Knowing I can stay balanced and react quickly
Scoring Your Results
Count how many times you selected each letter:
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Mostly A’s → Mechanical Pillar
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Mostly B’s → Strategic Pillar
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Mostly C’s → Athletic Pillar
Most players will show a clear primary pillar and one or two secondary pillars.
Understanding Your Results
Mechanical Pillar
You rely on repeatable technique to succeed. When your mechanics are sound, your confidence rises and errors drop.
Training Focus:
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Stroke consistency
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Reliable serve, return, dinks, and volleys
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Executing shots under pressure
Strategic Pillar
Your strength is decision-making. You understand that pickleball is a game of patterns, patience, and probabilities.
Training Focus:
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Shot selection frameworks
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When to stay neutral vs. apply pressure
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Building points instead of forcing winners
Athletic Pillar
You depend on movement, balance, and composure. You stay competitive by getting to the right spot and handling pace.
Training Focus:
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Footwork and positioning
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Balance and recovery
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Mental calm and focus under stress
What does all of this mean for you?
Improvement doesn’t come from doing more —
it comes from training the right pillar at the right time.
When all three pillars work together,
pickleball gets simpler, calmer, and far more effective.
If you are intrigued by these Three Pillars, then we invite you to explore more of our Pickleball System. A one of kind structured pickleball learning path that is tailored to what you need for your game at this point in your pickleball journey.
If you are already a TPS student, it’s time for you to check out one of our Camps or Academy Courses to support your focused improvement!
I keep thinking I need to learn more about the strategic side of the game (e.g., patterns, shot selection, etc.). Taking this quiz confirmed it! I am signed up for the Better Pickleball camp in Tahoe in June. I am very excited to attend this camp and learn more about this wonderful game.
Hi Susan, we built the camp curriculum around all three pillars of the game, and the strategic piece tends to be where players have some of the biggest breakthroughs. Can’t wait to meet you in Tahoe!
it seems like you are recommending players work on what they are best at. this is counter to my intuition
The assessment is really about two things David, 1. knowing your strengths so you can lean on them while you compete, and using them as a baseline to identify where the gaps are. You actually work on both, and we have an article coming soon that digs into exactly how to develop those weaker areas.
I don’t understand the outcome. I understand that each pillar represents a strength, but what I was hoping to learn was which pillar needs attention. Just because I do one thing well, doesn’t mean I’m doing the right thing well. So what is the right thing on which to focus? Just getting better at “A” for example doesn’t seem to be helpful to playing a better strategic game. I probably missed the point.
What I want to know is on WHAT I should focus. Here’s what I am doing, on what should I focus to improve?
I love the way you communicate and teach and am so grateful for all your support.
So glad we’ve been able to support your game! The pillars are really a starting point for exactly the question you’re asking. Your lowest score points to where your biggest opportunity is, and that’s where your focus should go first. In the meantime, keep leaning on your strengths and we’ll have another article about the weaknesses coming soon. Btw this whole idea of knowing what to work on next is at the heart of everything we do in The Pickleball System.
Interesting! In doing this assessment, I realized that my strengths have grown, mechanically and strategically. Yeah! And when I really reflected on my game I realize that when I am out under pressure, it is the mental calm/clarity aka the Athletic Pillar that I have fallen behind on,
My skills have grown so much from learning through Better Pickleball.
I am at ease playing with the guys I play with/against regularly who are hard hitters, have wicked curves but when I played with CJ and others recently and reflected on my performance afterwards, I realize it was my emotions that ‘crater’ my resilience and even physical. So I may be super fit physically but I have a ways to go to be mentally calm under pressure.
Thank you for promoting this realization in me!
You’re welcome, Helen. what you just described is actually the first and most important step. Most players never even get to this level of self-awareness about the mental side, let alone know how to work with it. My question for you: what were you actually feeling and thinking in those moments when your emotions cratered your resilience? Once you can name it, you can start to change it, and journaling is a great place to begin that process.
I tied between A&C. But If I had to choose a pillar I would lean towards A.