At first glance, the WWE and your local pickleball courts have nothing in common. One involves steel chairs and spandex. The other involves plastic balls and people arguing about whether that ball was really out.
But here’s the thing: both are deeply psychological. They’re about positioning, reading your opponent, and yes—”working” them to get the upper hand.
I’ve been obsessed with this crossover lately. So much so that I wrote a short story called “Dropkicks and Dinks” (part of my new collection, Before the Sink Overflows), about a washed-up wrestler who finds redemption on the pickleball court. But while writing it, I realized the skills weren’t just fiction. They apply to real gameplay.
Here are five mental hacks that pro wrestlers use—that will absolutely fix your pickleball game.
