What’s the Score?
For players who find themselves crumbling at 10-10 in a tiebreaker, help has arrived from the highest levels of sports science. Dr. Tara Jones and Professor Graham Jones, a husband-and-wife team of elite sports psychologists from Stratford-upon-Avon, have released a new book titled Gold Medal Pickleball Psychology – Master Your Mind: Raise Your Pickleball Game. The book aims to decode the specific mental pressures of pickleball and offers strategies for players of all levels to improve their game by mastering their minds.
Hit it deeper!
The authors bring heavyweight credentials to the court. Tara Jones was the first full-time sport psychologist for Sport Wales, while Graham Jones has an extensive academic background and has worked with Olympic and World Champions across various disciplines. Both transitioned to pickleball from other sports—Tara from high-level tennis and Graham from rugby—and quickly became “hooked” on the game.
Their motivation for the book stemmed from observation. Despite pickleball’s reputation as a friendly, social sport, they noticed players at tournaments getting “irate and angry” and suffering from severe performance anxiety. They realised that the unique cadence of pickleball—where games are short and momentum shifts can happen in the blink of an eye—requires a specific psychological toolkit. “You could almost walk on the court and believe so much that you’re going to win, or conversely the opposite… and you’ve won or lost a match almost before you’ve even started,” Tara explained.
Endorsed by top players like Louis Laville, the book argues that “mental toughness” is not an innate trait but a skill that can be trained, just like a dink or a drop shot. The guide is designed not just for pros but for the general pickleball population, addressing nerves and pressure in both competitive and social settings.
The World Pickleball Verdict
As pickleball matures from a recreational pastime to a competitive global sport, the margins for error are shrinking. Gold Medal Pickleball Psychology represents the next step in the sport’s evolution: the professionalisation of preparation.
Just as players now invest in high-tech paddles and specialised shoes, the mental aspect of the game is becoming a critical differentiator. This publication suggests that the future of pickleball training will weigh the psychological just as heavily as the physical.
Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…
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