Pickleball camps, clinics, and trips are great ways to improve your pickleball game. However, sometimes the amount of information presented in a short time feels like drinking out of a fire hydrant. It’s challenging to implement, let alone remember everything learned. Here are a few ways to maximize the benefits of pickleball camps, clinics, and trips to retain the information and improve your pickleball game.
Write or Record
It is impossible to remember everything from a lesson. And yet, hardly anyone brings a notebook to write things down or a phone to record. The best way to maximize a camp or clinic is to take the information home with you to review later. This makes the experience a better monetary value. It also improves your pickleball game by giving you more pointers to remember and work on later.
Ask Questions
Many people listen to what the instructor is saying without asking any questions. Learning this way means you receive general advice applicable to everyone, but little specific advice catered to your needs. The instructor typically tries to give personal advice, but they may not reach everyone in a camp with many participants.
Instead, become an interactive learner by asking questions and engaging with the content. Asking questions helps the instructor know what you are struggling with and personally address those issues. The chances are that other people have the same questions. If you feel like the question is too personal or specific to your situation, pull the instructor aside later and ask them individually.
Stop Worrying about Winning
You are in a clinic or camp to learn, not win practice points. Even if it means losing the rally, practice the right way: that is the way to succeed long-term. It might feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable at first. But instructors know what they are talking about, and practicing the right way is the only way to improve. Sometimes you have to miss shots by practicing the right way before it becomes ingrained in muscle memory. As long as you progress and practice the right way, don’t worry about making mistakes.
Focus on Less
There is a lot of information to remember and practice in camps or clinics. However, attempting too many things simultaneously often means doing all of them poorly. So instead, each time you practice, focus on one specific concept or technique. Making improvements in one area is better than trying to do everything and doing none of them well. Concentrating on less applies to practicing at home, recreational play, or tournament situations just as much.
Go Home and Practice
One of the biggest reasons people fail to improve after a clinic is they don’t keep practicing. A clinic or camp only teaches you the right ways to practice. The ball is in your court to go home and implement those concepts into your game. There are no shortcuts to improving; just practice, practice, practice. Implement lessons learned, even at the expense of losing, instead of reverting to old habits.
Conclusion
Camps, clinics, and trips are great ways to receive advice from professional coaches or players and improve your game quickly. By writing things down, asking questions, practicing the right way, focusing on less, and practicing at home, you will achieve better results. So next time you join a camp or clinic, make sure you go prepared and learn as much as possible!
