Tournament Tricks: How to win on your WORST day!

Hello all my Pickleball Joy Riders! The first Jilly B Elite Junior Academy of 2026 is in the books and the theme did NOT disappoint! 16 of the best juniors in the country were treated to a 2-day camp with a theme relevant to ALL of us: How to win on your worst day.  

It's easy to win when we are all playing well, but how do we win playing ugly? Rarely do I or other pros step on the court and have a great day and play our best. But we know how to win, because as my friend Will Howells says, "winning is a skill". Focus on these seven tricks to thrive in your next tournament: 

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Trick #1: Tell yourself the score is 0-0

1. The score isn’t your friend. Knowing it doesn’t help you AT ALL. Treat every point like what it is–a new point. Be a goldfish. Thinking about what happened in the point before does NOTHING for you. Don’t let one mistake turn into three. 

2. Question: You may be thinking, ok, but what if it’s an important point, don’t I need to pay attention? Answer: You will always be subconsciously aware of the score. You will know when it’s 10-10 and you need to perform. But reminding yourself over and over of the score is NOT helpful. 

3. After the ref calls the score loudly I’ll sometimes turn to my partner and whisper “Zero-Zero”. It’s very helpful! 

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Trick #2: Swagger - BODY LANGUAGE

1. Head ALWAYS up.

2. If you’re nervous or anxious, work on keeping your facial expressions relaxed. My friend and student recently told me he improved his backhand flick by re-watching tape of himself and noticing that his facial expressions changed every time he went to speed up (resulting in a miss). He said by calming his facial features down his backhand flick improved. Unbelievable but believable!

3. Work on walking calmly and confidently - think ‘SWAGGER’. When I re-watch tape of some of my best matches I am moving very loose, arms swinging. For me, if the arms aren't swinging I'm in trouble.

4. An opponent w/ confident body language is SCARY to play against! Be that person!

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Trick #3: Nervous? Move your feet! Playing poorly? MOVE YOUR FEET! 

1. Put your nervous energy into your footwork! My mother taught me in this in junior tennis and she was so, so darn right. It's the best way to get rid of nervous energy. Channel it into your feet!

2. If you’re not tired after practice, YOU DIDN’T MOVE YOUR FEET ENOUGH! I cannot emphasize this enough. If you just played two hours of rec play and your feet and calves aren't killing you, you did NOT move enough.

3. Work on your footwork by doing it so exaggerated you feel embarrassed. Move your feet as though you are a caricature of yourself. When you feel ridiculous, when you HEAR your feet squeaking before contact, when you are SORE as heck after playing--that's how you'll know you moved your feet enough.

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Trick #4: Playing bad? One thing is ALWAYS working. FIND IT. 

1. Drops not working? I bet your drive is. Can’t attack? LOB! 

2. You will ALWAYS have ONE thing that is working. “Dance with the girl you brought”. Don't WASTE time and energy trying to make something work in the middle of a tournament just because it was working yesterday or it's your favorite shot.

3. Every single day is a new day and a new you. Understand and accept that so you can find the good in you and double down on it.

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Trick #5: Opponent going ‘low’? Talking smack? Being a jerk? You go ‘high’. 

1. The more annoying the opponent is the NICER you should be to them. It sucks the wind out of their sails!!!!! If puts their fire out. 

2. You’ll meet opponents who play better angry or want to fight. Don’t give them that. Just don't.

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Trick #6: The 15% rule 

1. You play 15% better or worse under pressure. Nothing in between. Tell yourself you fall into the category of the 15% better. BELIEVE it. And that your opponent falls into the worse category. You know you will deliver. 

2. Where does the word “Con” man come from? CONFIDENCE

3. I always think of Andrei Daescu and a phrase he utters over and over “Let’s compete.”

   
   

   

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Trick #7: How do you want to lose this match?

1. If you're losing a match, ask yourself this question: "how do I want to lose this match?" Kind of a weird question! But stick with me for a second...

2. I never mind beating beaten, but man I hate losing. THERE'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE. When I lose it means I didn't execute the correct strategy, I had negative energy, I didn't support my partner, I didn't stay positive, etc. But when I'm beaten, I'm just beaten.

3. So sometimes I think, "How do I want to lose this match IF I'm going to lose it?" The answer never changes: I want to lose flying free/playing free. Not being tight! I want to lose going for my shots, keeping my head up, supporting my partner, and having fun. Ask yourself the question and answer honestly, because your answer is personal to you just like mine is (or at least was, lol).

4. For me, asking myself this question is the BEST thing I can do when I'm losing because it gives me ownership and perspective and reminds me why I'm out there. It gives me control of the post-match narrative versus being a victim to the match outcome (see "Above the Line" chart below).

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Pro Advice for Jilly B Subscribers:

Kaitlyn Christian:

Focus on your controllables. Shift your focus away from winning/losing and focus in on mastering the things you can control on a daily basis. How you prepare, how you practice, your effort, your attitude, and your response to adversity, these are things to lock in on, nothing else matters. You master these and you develop this type of disciple and you will win the future. Consistency, practiced daily, is what ultimately wins. 

Jessie Irvine:

If you don’t know where to hit the ball or if things aren’t working then hit to the middle. There are a lot of benefits hitting to the middle of the court: it’s high percentage, lowest part of the net, takes angles away from your opponents, and forces your opponents to communicate. Also make balls. Just keep trying to make one more ball. And if things feel off then look at the ball longer, stay lower and move your feet.

Jaume Martinez-Vich: 

Just like tennis, in pickleball you have to understand that losing is guaranteed on a weekly basis. Therefore embracing failure while you get better or closer to your goals is super important to continue the growth.

Will Howells:

Mindset is more important than ability. 

Jack Munro:

Record your games and watch film of yourself. Think: if I were playing me, what would I do to beat me?

Jilly B:

Don’t expect to play well. Be smart enough and confident enough to win on your worst day. Hope is not a viable strategy. Work on raising your floor until it’s close to your ceiling. Always ask yourself, “How would I beat myself?” Then go out and drill until the answer changes. Then repeat the process. 

Always play above the line in your life and on the court! 

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Just Added: SoCal Camp June 27-28

Thank you for the incredible support for the 2-day Newport Beach camps (formerly "Fantasy Camps")! We are sold out except for ONE LAST CAMP left on Jun 27-28. July is still TBD, but don't forget: we still have space in beautiful HAWAII in April, Baja in October, and Cayman in December!

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Have a question for Jilly B? Email us at jillybcamps@gmail.com

Xoxo,

Jilly B