[00:00:03.880] - CJ Johnson
There are three YouTube videos that have been uploaded in the last month or so, and they've garnered probably around 300,000 views. They are, informationally, they are excellent videos. But those three videos have the ability to damage far more games than they will help. And today, I'm going to tell you why. My name is C. J. Johnson, and welcome to the pickleball Therapy podcast. It is the only podcast dedicated to your pickle mind. And as I have been described, I am the Sometimes Host of this podcast. The regular host, Tony Roig, will be back next week. Now, before we jump into the show, just a couple of things. We've got some big stuff coming up on better pickle And you may or may not know, the Pickleball Therapy podcast is an extension of betterpickleball. Com. We have a lot of different things going on over there, YouTube channels, online classes, in-person trainings, and all sorts of things. But we've got some great stuff coming up in the next few weeks. So if you want to stay in the know, I'm going to put a link down in the show notes. Click on that link, and we will make sure that you know everything that we have coming up that can help your pickleball game.

[00:01:30.150] - CJ Johnson
So let's get back to the topic that I wanted to talk about. It's these three YouTube videos. And I want to start with a story from when I was a young golf professional. So my background, I have been an athlete my entire life, and I have been coaching sports since I was in my early 20s. My first profession was as a golf professional. One of the first lessons that I got as a golf professional is My mentor told me, You cannot afford to have a subscription to Golf Digest. You need to find out the day that it's coming out. Go to the newsstand, because, of course, nothing was digital at that point in time. Go to the news stand and be the first in line to get it. And I was puzzled. I didn't know why he was giving me that advice. He went on to share I needed to understand what was in that magazine by reading it cover to cover, because what was going to happen was my students, no matter how dedicated they were, they weren't athletes, and they didn't understand how to protect their learning journey in the same way that I did.

[00:02:55.270] - CJ Johnson
They were going to get that golf digest in their mailbox They were going to start to read it. They were going to go and take the tips from the pros onto the lesson team and start to work on them. And by the time they got back to a lesson with me, I was going to see some changes, and not necessarily positive changes, inside of their golf swings. Because there are certain things we can learn from the pros, but there are a lot of things we can't learn from the pros. And unfortunately, many of us are not taught how to differentiate between the two. That held true in golf, that's held true in skiing, and that holds true in pickleball. So there were three videos that were recently put out, and all by top-notch pros with outstanding information about what they were talking about. That's why they are the best in the world. They can do things that you and I just simply can't do. So to make sure that we stay on track, we need to have a way to differentiate what are the things that are unique to them and what are the things that we can learn from them.

[00:04:33.120] - CJ Johnson
One example would be in what was in some of these videos, were some highly specialized shots, specifically some attack shots. We all know that the game has gotten faster. I think for many of us, that's creating a sense that we're getting left behind. And all of a sudden, there's this big rush to power. And they were talking about some of the shots that they use to create offense. And in particular, actually, all three of these shots were about offense. And These three shots are unique to these three players. Now, two out of those three players came from a very deep tennis background. In fact, many of the pros right now, the young pros that you see, come from a tennis background. And what's important to know about that is this, is that flick shot or that roll shot, they have been developing that shot for years. They've probably, if they're in their mid-20s, they probably have been practicing that shot for 15 plus years. They literally have millions of reps that put them in a position to execute that shot consistently. So one of those particular shots was about the slice. And so the slice shot would be moving the paddle from a high position to a low position.

[00:06:24.500] - CJ Johnson
And again, this player has a wonderful slice shot. Can you develop a slice shot? Sure, you can develop a slice shot. But for it to be consistent, you likely have to have, I don't know if it's a million reps, but certainly thousands of reps. And most of us don't have that time to put in our games to develop that consistently. So we start adding that type of shot to our game, and it's inconsistent at best. In fact, we likely remember the one time at work and forget about the 10 times we hit it into the net or we hit it out. And that's the stuff that really begins to hurt our game and to deteriorate our performance. Another video was about a pro attacking and being aggressive at the MVZ line. And she is phenomenal. She has got a great game to be able to do that. Again, I would make the argument that she has physical talents that I know I certainly don't. And I don't think that most players do. So while I might be able to perhaps mimic the movement, once again, I really haven't put in the reps, and I won't have the time to put in the reps to be able to execute it consistently.

[00:08:10.020] - CJ Johnson
So now I add something to my game, and It's not consistent. And not only have I done that, I have likely taken time away from things that I could be practicing that would make me more consistent consistent and make me a better player. One of the things that we often see players get caught up in are these magic shots, the flick, the slice, the roll volley. Yet, they have an inability to hit a consistently deep return of serve or to consistently hit a punch volley at players' feet. Frankly, those are the shots that the average player is going to play in every single game. The opportunity at the rec play, or even I would suggest the 4-0 to 4-5 level, anything below 4-5, the chance to hit a roll volley, maybe once, twice in a game at most. So we sometimes make decisions based on the things we see or these fancy shiny pennies. Tony likes to call them red herring. We make some decisions based on these red herring, and they take us away from the things that can really help us to be the most consistent player that we can possibly be. So one of the things that I think most pickleball athletes, and I'm calling you an athlete, and the reason I call you an athlete is you are listening to a podcast about your pickleball mind.

[00:10:15.210] - CJ Johnson
That makes you an athlete. That makes you somebody who's really interested in your improvement and you're interested in your learning journey. So as a pickleball athlete, you have responsibilities to yourself. You need to practice self-control and not get caught up in the shiny penny. And it's easy to do. As an athlete, I can tell you multiple times in my career, both as a golf professional, as a ski professional, as well as as a pickleboat professional, where I've seen that red herring, that really cool thing, and I get sidetracked on it. My My brain fixates on it, and I spend time and effort trying to develop something that I will never have enough time, and in some cases, physical ability to be able to do consistently. And then I robbed myself of the skills, the time, taking that time away. I I robbed myself of the time where I could be developing the skills that will really help my game. So as an athlete, you owe it to yourself to be protective of your learning journey. And here's a couple of tips on how to do that. When you see certain things come across, it could be your YouTube algorithm, It could be Bob or Barbara at the courts, the ones who are always yapping in your ear about, You should be doing this or you should be doing that.

[00:12:10.170] - CJ Johnson
When that information comes your way, discern, listen to the information. Take it in. What apply some critical thinking to it is, first of all, ask yourself the question, is, is that information complete? Do I have everything I need to understand the big picture and how it would be applied? Another thing, is that information right? Because a lot of times, especially at the courts, that information probably isn't right or it might not be complete, one of the two. But the third and the most important question is, that information right from my game right now, where I'm at. Is that piece of information going to help me to get from where I am today to whatever my next goal as a pickleball player would be? Answer those three questions for yourself before you start acting on that information. That's how you protect your learning journey. I've got one more suggestion for you, and it has to do with trusted resources. As I said, I'm still an active coach in three sports, and I happen to coach skiing, and I happen to be at one of the premier mountains in the United States. We have a very large a large ski school, and we have some of the best instructors in the country, if not the world.

[00:14:08.450] - CJ Johnson
Even in that setting, I am very careful with who I listen to about information from my own skiing. I have five trusted resources who I listen to what they say, I analyze what they say, I ask them questions, and then I make decisions about the changes that I'm going to make inside of my skiing. Even though there's a much larger group, there's probably another 30 or 40 top instructors, not just middle of the road. I'm talking top instructors in the nation and the world. At that resort, I have a trusted circle of information because they're consistent. They're consistent in their beliefs, they're consistent in how they present the information, and they're consistent in those three things that I talked about. The information is right, the information is complete. And if they're giving me the information at the time, I trust that that information is right for my game at the time, in this case, my skiing at the time. And if I don't feel it's right for my skiing at the time, I just put it up on a shelf. So that's one of the things that I would share with you as an athlete.

[00:15:43.780] - CJ Johnson
That's another developed skill. It's a focus skill, and it's a mindset skill. But it is a skill that will ultimately help you to get to your goals the fastest. Because if you can stay focused on on the things that really matter inside of your pickleball game, you're going to improve at the fastest pace possible. So that's what I got for you today. Be an athlete. Take some personal responsibility, and be responsible for your learning journey. Don't get sidetracked on wild goose chases, and you're going to get to where you want to be much faster. Now, if this podcast resonated with you, I'd ask that you share it with your pickleball playing friends, because if you liked it, they probably will, too. And as usual, Reign, review the podcast. That helps other pickleball players to find this podcast and helps them on their learning journey. Your regular host, Tony Wright, will be back with you next week. And until then, have fun out there.