How good do you actually want to be?

Good morning, pickleballers.

How do you know whether you are getting better? Today, two WPM contributors look beyond the result to the expectations and habits that shape our time on court.

Scott Mayo reflects on the gap between competitive ambition and the life he wants to lead. Lee Whitwell turns to open play, where the urge to win can undo the work you have just done in a lesson.

How good do you actually want to be?

Scott Mayo grew up in a golfing family where being pretty good could still feel like falling short. Pickleball gave him a new sporting purpose, taking him from local leagues to representing Wales and winning a Welsh National triple crown.

Then the English Open offered two very different experiences: a bruising encounter with the Open men’s doubles field and a medal in 4.5+ mixed doubles. Scott left questioning his expectations and how much of his life he wanted to devote to finding his ceiling.

In this personal essay, he explores what it means to be a “professional amateur”, the cost of chasing the next level and the value of coaching, friendships and achievements he too easily dismisses.

The Rec Player Trap

At 2–2, you try the third-shot drop you have been working on. At 8–8, you go back to driving because you really want this one. Lee Whitwell has seen it often enough to ask the obvious question: what did you actually improve?

Her latest column explains how open play can reinforce familiar habits when it should be helping you build new skills. The answer starts with repetition, adds pressure through drills and carries the new shot into games even when it feels uncomfortable.

A loss can still be a productive session if you made better decisions and committed to the skill you were developing. Before your next game, Lee suggests choosing a different scoreboard.

Give yourself a different scoreboard.

Before your next rec game, choose one thing to measure: deeper returns, a third-shot drop when it is the right choice or a controlled reset through the transition zone.

Afterwards, ask whether you committed to it when the score got close. Write down one specific thing to take into your next drill session.

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