A player I have known for years told me something recently. We were talking about the game, an upcoming camp, the usual. And the response came back: I don't think I can advance anymore.

That stayed with me. Not because of who said it. Because if this player believes it, many other players believe it too.

So I want to be clear with you about something. There is only one real limit on how far you can grow as a pickleball player. And it's not age or your athletic experience. The only limit is your decision not to grow.

To be sure, that decision is legitimate. If you want to go out, hit the ball around, and enjoy the afternoon, that is a perfectly fine way to engage with this sport. I have no criticism of it. But if you are reading this, my guess is you want more than that. And if you want more, I want you to know that the ceiling you are feeling is not there.

What feels like a ceiling is usually a derailment.

And derailments are temporary. You identify them, you get past them, and you move on.

The biggest one I see is this: trying to do too many things at once.

The player I was talking with had taken many clinics. Many lessons. Watched many videos. Collected many ideas. And nothing was changing. That is not a coincidence. When you are working on ten things, you are not really working on any of them. Nothing gets enough repetition to stick. As a result, nothing improves. Then your brain draws the natural conclusion: "I can't do this."

But your brain is reading the wrong evidence. The problem was never your ability. The problem was the workload.

The answer is one thing.

Pick one thing. Your serve. One volley. A dink. A drive. If you are in our coaching, you already know the order we recommend, and I will tell you why: some areas pay off more than others, so I would knock down the first one first. But it is your journey. You are an adult. Pick what you want to pick.

Then lock it in. Give that one thing your full attention until you can see it working.

Here is why this matters. When you focus on one area and start to see results, something happens in your head. You hit the shot the new way. It works. You hit it again. It works again. Your brain notices and says, "Can we do more of that?" That is a positive feedback loop. And once the first thing is locked in, you pick the next one, and the loop keeps turning.

That loop is how players grow. Not by adding more. By finishing one thing and moving to the next.

Extra coaching tip: I get asked a lot about reaching the 4.0 level of play, so let me address it directly. Any player who wants to play benchmark 4.0 pickleball can get there. I have been saying this for years, and I have the students to prove it. Benchmark 4.0 means you are fluent in the sport. You can step onto any court, even across from a pro, and play a real game. You will probably lose that game. But the pro will walk off saying, "That person knows how to play pickleball." Playing pickleball at the 4.0 level is an achievable goal. And it is achieved one locked-in piece at a time.

If you are stuck right now, start there. Find the one thing. Let the loop do its work.

And if you have a story of your own, a time you thought you were done improving and then weren't, I would like to hear it. Email me at [email protected] and put "My Story" in the subject line. Or you can put the story in the TRP Community. Your story may be the one that frees another player to keep going.

Tony

Original content made by humans. Adapted from Coach Tony Roig's podcast episode number 313, "Are You Limiting Yourself? PLUS Top 3 Worst Partner Play Stories," with the help of AI, then edited by hand before publishing.