Pickleball Therapy
Episodes
Special Episode - The Pickled Mind with Kayla Teape
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever felt your love for pickleball slipping under pressure, this conversation with Kayla Teape of Pickled Minds offers a meaningful reset....
Ep. 292 - Lessons for All from the 2026 US Open
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I reflect on lessons from the 2026 US Open with a special emphasis on how a calm mind leads to better performance on the court. Wheth...
Ep. 291 - Your Why for Pickleball
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Anchoring to your “why” can shift your mindset and elevate both your performance and fulfillment. In this episode, I want to challenge you to defi...
Ep. 290 - Find Your Intensity Goldilocks Zone
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Managing intensity on the pickleball court helps players find their personal “Goldilocks zone” between overexertion and disengagement. In this epi...
Ep. 289 - Recognition SuperPower
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There's an often-overlooked superpower of recognition and it directly impacts your performance on the court. On this episode, we break recognition int...
Special Episode - Alec Martone The Fail First Podcast
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if failure wasn't the thing to avoid — but the fastest path to getting better? In this special episode of Pickleball Therapy, I sit down with A...
Ep. 288 - Setting Realistic Expectations
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Unrealistic expectations quietly fuel frustration on the court. In this special episode, we examine the “win or bust” mindset many players adopt t...
Ep. 287 - Guest Host CJ Johnson - Navigating the Obstacles to Being a Women Athlete
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to fight to be seen as an athlete — not once, but across an entire lifetime? In this episode of Pickleball Therapy, guest host CJ ...
Special Episode - Refinding the Joy in Pickleball with PickleballNikki
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of Pickleball Therapy, I sit down with Nikki Maldonado of Pickleball Nikki to explore a powerful mindset challenge: how player...
Ep. 286 - Mixed Troubles Playing with Your Significant Other
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pickleball Therapy, we explore the unique challenges of playing mixed doubles with your spouse or life partner. From creating a com...
Ep. 285 - How's Your Sister Doing?
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Everyday comments and assumptions can impact confidence and belonging on the court. In this episode, we reflect on locker room banter, self-awareness,...
Ep. 284 - My Hope for You
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There's something meaningful —something worthy of care, attention, and long-term commitment about pickleball. My personal hopes for you as a pickleb...
Ep. 283 - Embrace the Stress
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Stress is not the enemy in pickleball—it’s the very fabric of the game and embracing it can accelerate your growth and transform your mindset on t...
Ep. 282 - The Rule of Thirds
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
One-third of your improvement journey will feel uncomfortable and if you’re serious about getting better, struggle is not a sign of failure—it’s...
Ep. 281 - Are You Converting Your Game
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Are you converting all of the ability you have into performance on the court? In this episode, I'll use a solar panel analogy to explore how intention...
Ep. 280 - Learning From Personal Experience
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Pickleball doesn’t test us when everything is going well—it tests us when preparation, pressure, and performance don’t fully align. That’s exa...
Ep. 279 - The Ball, The Ball, The Ball
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most overlooked performance skills in pickleball is focus. Mental distractions like the score, past mistakes, or partner reactions can quie...
Ep. 278 - No Thank You! PLUS Celebrate the Effort
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Knowing when to say “no thank you” on the court and learning to celebrate effort beyond simple wins and losses is a powerful mindset shift. I chal...
Ep. 277 - In and Out for This Year
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
An “In and Out for 2026” mindset helps players reset how they approach improvement, partnership, and self-talk on the court. I challenge you as a ...
Ep. 276 - Your 2026 Pickleball Canvas
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this year-end episode of Pickleball Therapy, I invite you to think differently about your game by using pickleball as a canvas for growth in 2026. ...
Ep. 275 - Do More With Less
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a powerful principle that limits many players without them realizing it: doing too much. From overly complicated mechanics and layered strateg...
Ep. 274 - Win:Loss Tells You Nothing
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The win-loss metric tells you nothing about how well you actually played. In this episode, I break down how process-driven metrics lead to more meanin...
Ep. 273 - Climb The Next Mountain
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Your improvement as a pickleball player naturally includes steep climbs, plateaus, and moments of ease—and each stage is essential to your growth as...
Ep. 272 - A Lot to Be Thankful For
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Thanksgiving episode of Pickleball Therapy, I invite you to pause, acknowledge the people and places that make your play possible, and carry t...
Ep. 271 - Do You Know Who You Are?
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s natural to admire players who succeed. But trying to become them—rather than learning from them—can derail your progression. Your personal ...
Ep. 270 - Reduce Mental Overwhelm - 3 Tips
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most common challenges players face is mental overwhelm. I'm going to break down how too many thoughts on mechanics, strategy, and performa...
Ep. 269 - Lessons from Dallas
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special on-site episode, I share reflections from the Major League Pickleball event in Dallas, drawing out lessons that apply directly to your...
Special Episode - Tao of Pickleball - A Chat with Scott Golden
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, I sit down with longtime friend and fellow coach, Scott Golden, to explore The Tao of Pickleball, his new book co-authored wi...
Ep. 268 - Are You Tethered in Your Pickleball?
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you anchored to a clear, guiding framework—or drifting from one random tip to another? In this episode I share with you why a tethered approach ...
Ep. 267 - A Good Loser is Still a Loser and Other Useless Idioms
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most common yet destructive ideas in sports is that “a good loser is still a loser.” The language we use around winning and losing shap...
Ep. 266 - Strategic Awareness
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The often-overlooked art of strategic awareness refers to the mental readiness that helps you anticipate what’s unfolding on the court. In this epis...
Ep. 265 - The Short Lens Spiral
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pickleball Therapy, I introduce an excerpt from my new book Pickleball Therapy: The Book, read by longtime listener Jeff Renshaw. W...
Ep. 264 - Fix Your Latent Errors
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever missed a shot and immediately thought, “I just need to fix my stroke”? What if the real problem wasn’t your stroke at all, but something de...
Ep. 263 - Sound Mind in a Sound Body
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the deeper philosophy behind how we approach our sport. Contrasting Nike’s “Just Do It” mentality with ASICS’ guid...
Special Episode - Basic Consistency
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With so much information flooding in from courts and YouTube, players can feel overwhelmed. In this episode, I help you cut through the noise, showing...
Ep. 262 - How to Navigate Pickleball - A Complex Sport
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pickleball is one of the most complex activities you can engage in, and that complexity is exactly what makes the game both beautiful and, at times, f...
Special Episode - Become your own Pickleball Mechanic
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's power in “seeing the story” of the game as it unfolds. Moving beyond strokes and strategies, in this podcast episode I want to challenge y...
Ep. 261 - It's Amazing - Why Not?
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I challenge us to see wins and losses through a new lens—one of gratitude and perspective. Treat each moment both on and off the co...
Special Episode - Uncage the Pickleball Player Inside You
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So many players feel stuck and unable to play to their true potential. The problem isn’t you—it’s the noise. From well-meaning court advice to e...
Ep. 260 - Set the Expectation Band That Is Right for You
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Setting the right expectations can transform your mindset on the court and open the door to stronger, calmer, and more resilient play. In this episode...
Ep. 259 - Not-So-Nice Pickleball Interactions - the Critic
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a challenge many players face: dealing with “the critic” on the court. Whether it’s subtle comments, unsolicited advice, or outright neg...
Ep. 258 - The Best from our Archives Part 7 - Bookmark Episode - 5 Steps to Prepare for your Day
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we go back to archives where I'll share five essential steps to help you prepare mentally and physically before stepping onto t...
Special Episode - The Book Conversations - Part 1
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode I sit down with longtime student and friend Jeff Renshaw for a behind-the-scenes conversation about my upcoming book. We explo...
Ep. 257 - My Favorite Episode of 2025: Climbing the Mount of Mudita
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I take you on a climb up the “Mount of Mudita,” a journey through three powerful stages of pickleball mindset growth—from realiz...
Ep. 256 - Do your Best to Play your Best
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"Do your best to play your best" is a deceptively simple idea, but its depth can transform the way you experience the game—and yourself. It reshapes...
Special Episode - The Lions Roar with Dr. Peter Scales
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, I sit down live at Major League Pickleball with Dr. Peter Scales to explore how players can elevate their mental game through...
Ep. 255 - What do you need to play better pickleball?
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Improvement in pickleball, like most things, is cumulative. You can’t skip steps. Instead of chasing trendy shots or quick fixes, in this episode I ...
Ep. 254 - Chasing Wins is the Reason you are Stuck or Frustrated
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you stuck at your current level or feeling frustrated with your progress? In this episode, CJ Johnson dives deep into why chasing wins might be ho...
Ep. 253 - Is there a Bigger Win for us?
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is there a bigger win available in the way you show up on the court? In this episode I challenge you to look beyond the immediate win to pursue a bigg...
Special Episode - Keep Improving Your Body - Interview with Ty Woody
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episdoe I have the pleasure of interviewing Ty Woody, a sports performance coach as we explore how strengthening key areas of the body...
Ep. 252 - The Root Cause of A Lot
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Theres's an often-overlooked root cause behind much of what we experience on the court: insecurity. From missed shots to disputes over line calls, in ...
The Best from our Archives Part 6 - Bookmark this Episode - 3 Tips to Help you Play your Best Today - Special Episode
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we go back to archives where I'll share three essential mindset tools to help you mentally prepare before stepping onto the cou...
Ep. 250 - How about your Partner?
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As pickleball players, we're constantly assessing our games—technique, shot selection, strategy. But how often do we stop to consider our partner, t...
Special Episode - A Chat with Lydia Hirt from Life Time Pickleball
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode I had the pleasure of speaking with Lydia Hirt, Vice President of Marketing at Life Time, to explore the explosive growth of...
Ep. 249 - Process Your Results Correctly
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pickleball, like life, is variable. Some days you go 8–0. Others, you walk off the court without a single win. And both outcomes are completely norm...
Ep. 248 - Don't Diminish You
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s one thing to say, “That was a tough match.” It’s another to say, “I lost that game.” The difference lies in focus. When you focus ent...
Ep. 247 - Chasing Fairies
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"Chasing fairies" or the seductive but unproven strategies can often lead us astray on the court. From spinning dinks to rigid rules like "forehand in...
Ep. 246 - Don't Diminish Your Friends
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ego has a sneaky way of turning every match into a personal story—even when our friends earn the win. In this episode, I challenge you to rethink ho...
EP. 245 - How Redlining Holds You Back and What To Do About It
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Redlining is a hidden obstacle affecting players at every level. This episode breaks down how staying too amped up impacts performance, limits mental ...
Ep. 244 - Stop Chasing Pickleball Distractions
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, C.J. Johnson steps in for Tony Roig and explores the mental trap of chasing flashy pickleball techniques seen online—shots that oft...
Ep. 243 - Avoiding Negativity Bias
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A pop-up is not a failure—it is a normal part of pickleball. But your brain may treat it like a threat, thanks to an ancient survival instinct calle...
Ep. 242 - What's the Secret Sauce? (Psst... it's in this podcast)
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many players search for a “secret” to improve their pickleball game—but there's none. Improvement comes not from tips or tricks, but from unders...
Ep. 241 - Empathy Framing For The Win
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve all faced frustrating moments on the court—with partners, opponents, or fellow players. What if we could reframe those situations into a hea...
Ep. 240 - Our Three Most Powerful Tools for Your Mind
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode holds a special place. It distills three foundational mental pillars—Play, Perspective, and Progress—that have resonated deeply with ...
Ep. 239 - Don't Button Up the Mountain
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we dive into a topic that resonates deeply with many of us: the journey over the destination, and how our approach to it can significantly imp...
Ep. 238 - Your Mind Needs Water Too
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When we think about pickleball, there are three pillars that comes to mind which we developed a few years back; the mechanical, the strategic, and the...
Ep. 237 - Why Are You Upset?
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You can't control every event in your journey, but you can control how you respond. And control goes beyond the physical aspect to include a mental di...
Ep. 236 - Does Smiling Improve your Pickleball Game?
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pickleball System Spring Boot Camp starting on March 27th; https://betterpickleball.com/march-bootcamp/Will a smile help your pickleball game? While t...
Special Episode - Pickleball Stoicism with Pickleball Pro Richard Livornese, Jr.
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We had the pleasure of featuring a pro pickleball player, Richard Livornese Jr., in this special episode. It will be interesting to listen to the disc...
Accepting Frustration is the Key to Growth
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for the March Bootcamp; https://betterpickleball.com/spring-bootcamp/ This week, let's dive into a concept I stumbled upon through an insightf...
Reanimating Open Play PLUS It's Normal to Take a Step Back
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Open play can be interesting with players of varying skill levels playing and enjoying the game together. But that's not always the case when dynamics...
Handling Mental Interference PLUS Losing from Too Much
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
'The good thing about pressure is that it lets you know that you care.' Billy Jean King. The difficulty comes in when you let the pressure build up to...
Special Episode - Interview with Shelley and Sher of Life Lessons from Pickleball
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of Pickleball Therapy we sit down for an insightful and fun conversation with Shelley and Sher, the duo behind Life Lessons fr...
Anna Bright's Positive Perspective Win or Lose
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In doing some video review for a project I was working on, I came across some really good interview answer by Anna Bright, a top pickleball player in ...
Peeling the Pickleball Onion
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At first glance, pickleball might seem simple—just a paddle, a plastic ball, and a court. But as you play more, you'll realize the sport's complexit...
Mental Warmup: Prepare to Play Your Best - Bookmark Episode
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Whenever you're getting ready to play, you want a little bit more focus, framing for yourself and perspective. This special bookmark style episode of ...
Your Individual Perspective
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this weeks podcast we talk about different strokes for different folks. We got a couple of reviews I'm going to read to you here because I thoug...
Special Episode - Better Body, Better Play - Interview with Ty Woody
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Strength training and proper exercise are essential for improving pickleball performance and should be a regular part of training, it's part of the at...
Gatekeep your Pickleball - It's in Your Hands
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How can we gatekeep information and use that to best enjoy our pickleball journey? A lot of times when we're exposed to information in an area we're ...
Are you Performing when You Play?
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What Does it Mean to Perform? How many games do you expect to win the next time you play pickleball? All of them? Most of them? Half? Extend that ou...
Don't Let the Rules Ruin the Game for You
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2025, the rules change has a little bit of impact on the non-volley zone when the volley starts. Basically the volley included the swing of the pad...
SwingVision: Is AI Assisted Game Analysis Right for Your Game? - Special Episode
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine having the same stats about your game like the pros. Things like:How fast is my serve? How accurate is my forehand? Am I making more mistak...
Big Wins Start with One Small Step
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At the beginning of the year, we have all that enthusiasm and most of us are filled with hope, promise and a lot of excitement for the coming year. Wh...
Are We There Yet? - Avoid Progress Frustration
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Happy 2025! Let's think about our progress journey through pickleball as worth experiencing and enjoying to see the game better. Because here's the fa...
The Perfect Partnership - for Ben Johns and You
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Johns is no longer going to play with his brother, Collin, and is looking for a partner for 2025. It's a little bit sad in the sense that they're ...
Framing Adversity and Bite-Size Chunks
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Think of a perfect world as one that includes adversities because things will occur to us that are not in line with what we would hope or like. That i...
Our 2025 Trends Class and Pickleball Central Partnership - Special Episode Announcing These for Year-End
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You can register for the class and find the Pickleball Central link and code at BetterPickleball.com.Have a great week and we will see you this Friday...
Fighting Variability
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Obstacles will naturally arise and are the reasons why you cannot reasonably say that you will not miss a single shot the next game you play. If obsta...
Mistakes Aren't a Failure
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When we're playing a match and we miss a shot, particularly one that we consider 'easy', we can get down on ourselves. Missing shots is usually the mo...
Reframe Your Frustration: Ditch the Struggle by Embracing the Process
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we dive deeper into a recent episode by Tony on a very powerful perspective that had me reflect on my journey about learning. What I discov...
Turn Distractions Into a Positive
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A distraction pulls our attention away from the main thing that we're trying to focus on and it could either be physical or mental. For instance, if ...
2 Secrets to Pickleball Success
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I got to play in one event at the USA Pickleball Nationals in Mesa, Arizona, that I'm going to be using as the centerpiece for today's conversation- H...
Pickleball Mastery - A Click Away
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's talk about the concept of clicking when it comes to knowledge acquisition. How do we acquire knowledge and how do we know that we've acquired it...
Factor A is the only Factor you control
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a pickleball court, there are four factors that affect the outcome of the game; us, our partner, and our two opponents. We'll use an analogy where...
Play Net Positive Pickleball
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pickleball, in its essence, is a zero-sum activity because it's built around the concept that there's going to be one winner and one loser. In a zer...
The Best from our Archives Part 5 - Our BEST Episode - You Be the Judge. Your Journey PLUS Lots More
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we're going to re-up one of our most popular and best episode. How do we customize the journey best for ourselves?Think of your journe...
Successful Pickleball - Your Way
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You can be successful as a pickleball player with different types of approaches, both hard and soft game strategies, and being a proponent of the soft...
Constructive Pickleball Play With All Levels
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes we'll play in situations in open plays where there's really no gathering of levels. So it's basically a free-for-all. How do you keep the g...
Special Episode: Therapist Edition - What is Pickleball?
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of Pickleball Therapy, we have a meeting with fellow pickleball therapists who share their insights and happenings from their ...
The Ratings Game PLUS Gaining Focus When You Play
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's talk about ratings, one of those double-edged swords that really don't say anything about how you play. While there's definitely a place for ra...