The Pickleball Plateau-Moving Beyond

The most normal experience for almost every pickleball player is this:

You start playing pickleball knowing nothing. You like the sport and want to learn. You get better.

But then …

You feel stuck.

And …

Frustration creeps in.

You have reached what we refer to in our coaching as the “Pickleball Plateau.” Fear not, however, for the plateau is not forever. With a few tips – outlined below – you can move off the plateau and continue your upward climb.

What’s the Pickleball Plateau?

The Pickleball Plateau simply refers to a common stage along most pickleball player’s growth journey where they appear to be staying at the same level. Below we’ll explore plateauing, determining whether you are, in fact, on a plateau and, if so, what to do about it.

Plateauing is Normal

Before we move on, let’s get two things straight out the gates: everyone deals with a pickleball plateau at some point.

1. Plateauing is the most normal thing ever. No matter the sport or activity, you will reach a point where you plateau. So nothing to feel bad about.
2. Plateauing is NOT a “you” problem. It does not happen because there is something inherently limiting about you as a pickleball player. So nothing to see here either.

Are you on a Pickleball Plateau?

Feeling like you are on a Pickleball Plateau and being on a Pickleball Plateau are two distinct things. Being able to differentiate one from the other is key. ”Feeling like you are on a Plateau” is just perception. Everything is actually fine. But “being on a Plateau” would benefit from you taking action.

Here are some questions to determine whether you are actually on the pickleball plateau:

1. Do you have video of yourself playing at different points in time that you can compare? This can be very illuminating. A student I was working with was feeling like she was not making progress. Thankfully, we had current video of her playing as well as 90-day-old video of her playing. When you see the two videos side by side, it’s like watching a whole different player. This comparison allowed the student to know that her hard work was paying off.
2. Could what you perceive to be a Plateau be influenced by the players/group you are playing in? As you get better, your results will improve within the group you are used to playing with. Sometimes you will also start playing with other players – some of whom are perhaps higher level than you are used to. If this happens, then even though you are playing better than you were, you may feel a bit of a backslide because your opponents are better now and things that your old opponents could not take advantage of, your new ones can.

My friend Scott is a perfect example of this. Scott is a solid player and a regular at Open Play in the mornings. He is one of the best (if not the best) players in that group. When he plays in our group, though, there are parts of his game that we can attack that the Open Play group is not able to exploit. The positive way of viewing this is that our group “pushes” Scott to keep growing as a player – which he is doing.

3. Are you actually putting in the work? Improvement is not a magic act that just happens. Improvement requires some effort on your part. And, usually, the greater the effort, the greater the result. If you are not putting in some time drilling, then you may just be dealing with an expectations issue. Why would you expect to improve if you are not putting in the work?

If after this self-check you still believe you are on the pickleball plateau, then read on.

Next, we turn to ways to get off of it and keep growing your games.

Check Your Path

Want to go somewhere? Then you need a path to get there. Sometimes, your route must guide you beyond the pickleball plateau.

If you are one of our students – TPS, Academy, Camp – then you have reliable and actionable pickleball coaching that you can count on. This is doubly true for TPS and Camp students – those are step-by-step programs.

If you have not yet attended a Better Pickleball Camp and want to know how you can get our coaching guidance at Camp, click here.

If you are not one of our students (and wish to do this on your own), real and sustained growth will still require you to have a path. Spend some time thinking about pickleball and the framework of the game (how it’s constructed). You will then want to pursue shots and strategies that make sense given that framework. These strategies may help you break free from a plateau, or at most help you in your journey.

When you have your path laid out in front of you, stick with it.

Avoid the daily (hourly now) distractions of YouTube, Instagram, and even TikTok notifications offering you the latest and greatest. Also be wary of your email feed – that’s getting pretty hot and heavy with tips too.

And your friends at the courts? They are friends, sure. But did they all of a sudden turn into pickleball professionals who understand what you need to improve? I’m guessing no.

I feel the need to clarify a point here. TPS is open to all pickleball players regardless of ability to pay. A player for whom the TPS fee is unmanageable is allowed to pay what they can (a nominal amount less than a single paddle) to join TPS.

Get in the Reps

Want to improve? Then your body – and mind – need repetition. Practicing consistently is an important step in climbing out of a pickleball plateau.

Figure out the shot you want to work on. And then work on it. This does not mean hitting a few of that shot and then hitting a bunch of other shots too. This means hitting that one shot – again and again. That is how you groove yourself to do it when you play.

Kobe Bryant was one of the best basketball players of all time. Even though he had won championships and was already a league MVP, Kobe still practiced his mid-range jumper.  Could he make that shot? Of course he could. That did not mean he stopped practicing it. If repetition was helpful to a player as accomplished as Kobe, imagine how helpful it can be to you.

Try a 90-day focus on one shot. Focus at least 80% of your time during the next 90 days on that one shot. Focus first on quality (learning the shot correctly) and then pivot to quantity (giving your mind and body lots of chances to groove the correct shot). I guarantee you that at the end of 90 days you will notice a marked difference in that shot.

Practice Focused Play

Advancing strategically happens in two ways: these strategies are crucial to overcoming any pickleball plateau you may encounter.

1. You learn the strategy.
2. You practice the strategy.

As we discussed above, you want to learn and use strategies that work within the framework of the game. There are lots of strategies out there. Which ones are correct and which ones are not worth your time?

One example of a misunderstood strategy is “drive the third drop the fifth.” This is not an incorrect strategy – it is just misapplied because players do not understand the reasons why pro players sometimes drive the third and drop the fifth. So the amateur player ends up just driving every third and trying to drop every fifth. Which is not the correct use of this strategy.

There are also flawed “strategies” like forehand in the middle. Players often adhere to that approach leading to bad on-court decisions. Players who know better use Respect the X – but even that strategy has exceptions. Because pickleball – thankfully – is complex enough to keep us entertained for a lifetime.

Once you know what strategy you want to use, practice it during play time. The key here is to be focused during your play. Make sure you are applying the strategy, noticing when you do not, and gaining more understanding of how the strategy works when applied.  If you are having trouble noticing when you are using the strategy, ask a friend to watch you play and keep track of when you used the strategy and if it worked.

Passing the Plateau

Plateauing is natural, and the challenge of breaking through a pickleball plateau is one nearly all players share. Do the study and put in the work. Then give yourself the time you need to move past the plateau. Pickleball learning is never-ending; this sport will always have something to teach you.

‘Til Next Time

Tony