Why You Get Worse Before You Get Better at Pickleball

Why Players Get Worse Before They Get Better
Progress in pickleball rarely follows a straight line. For many players, improvement comes with a strange and frustrating twist: their game actually gets worse before it gets better.

Shots that used to land cleanly now float long. Dinks miss the net. Confidence drops. Matches that once felt manageable suddenly turn messy.

It feels like regression, but in reality, it’s a necessary part of the learning process. The short-term dip that often follows a big adjustment isn’t a failure. It’s a sign that growth is underway.

What’s Really Happening
When players introduce a technical or strategic change, they disrupt familiar patterns. Those patterns may not be perfect, but they’re comfortable. Changing them means stepping into something unfamiliar, and that always feels shaky at first.

This awkward stage, where the new habit hasn’t taken hold and the old one is fading, is where players feel most lost. It’s the learning gap between understanding what to do and being able to do it under pressure.

Why It Feels Like You’re Getting Worse
1. You’re Replacing Muscle Memory
Once you start adjusting your mechanics, your body has to rewire its habits. What used to feel automatic now requires conscious thought. The result? Timing slips, contact becomes inconsistent, and errors increase.

2. Your Brain Is Overloaded
When you’re learning something new, your decision-making slows down. You’re thinking about footwork, paddle angle, shot selection, and positioning, all at once. That mental load delays your reactions, even in situations you used to handle easily.

3. Your Rhythm Is Off
Even small changes can throw off your timing. A slight shift in paddle grip or foot placement changes how the ball feels coming off your paddle. Until your new movement becomes automatic, your natural rhythm disappears.

4. You’re Seeing Mistakes More Clearly
The moment you start focusing on improvement, you notice flaws you used to ignore. That awareness, while important, can lead to frustration and self-doubt if not managed carefully.

Why This Stage Is Essential
This “worse before better” phase means you’re breaking through a plateau. You’re replacing old, inefficient habits with something stronger and more effective. It’s a teardown before the rebuild.

If you stop at the first sign of struggle and go back to your comfort zone, you stall your progress. But if you push through the dip, the new skills will eventually stabilize. You’ll come out more consistent, more confident, and more prepared for higher-level play.

What It Looks Like in Practice
Many players in this stage experience:

Third shot drops that fall short or sail long

Dinks that lose their shape or bounce too high

Hesitation during volleys or resets

Matches that feel out of control, even against familiar opponents

A general sense of “thinking too much” while playing

These are signs that your system is reloading. You’re not losing your game. You’re reprogramming it.

How to Get Through It
1. Measure Progress Differently
Instead of focusing on wins or point totals, track how often you apply the new skill. Did you choose the drop instead of the drive? Did you attempt the new footwork under pressure? Count those efforts as progress.

2. Stick With One Change at a Time
Don’t try to fix everything all at once. Choose one adjustment and commit to it. Layering multiple changes will only increase the mental load and extend the slump.

3. Use Video Feedback
Seeing yourself on video helps confirm that the changes you’re making are real, even if they feel awkward. It also builds trust in the process and helps you spot improvements that might not show up in match results yet.

4. Accept the Temporary Dip
Every player, at every level, hits this stage. It’s not a sign that something is wrong. It’s part of the natural rhythm of learning. The dip won’t last forever, but quitting too early will make sure you stay exactly where you are.

5. Keep Competing
Don’t retreat into drills only. Match play is where new habits are tested and refined. Even if your results dip, stay in the competitive environment. It’s where your new skills will eventually click.

What Happens on the Other Side
Once the new habit settles in, your game becomes more stable. You hit with better control, make smarter choices, and trust your instincts more. Confidence comes back, but now it’s built on real understanding instead of comfort.

You also gain something deeper: mental resilience. You’ve learned to stay with the process even when it’s hard. That mindset will carry you through future stages of development too.

Conclusion
Improvement in pickleball doesn’t always feel like progress. Sometimes, it feels like a setback. But when players get worse before they get better, it’s not a step backward—it’s a necessary rewire. It means you’re working, adjusting, and breaking through a ceiling.

The slump is temporary. The improvement is lasting. Keep going.