Don’t fall for “self forced errors”

 We’ve heard of unforced errors. Sure. It’s when you’ve made a mistake that is totally on you. Regardless of what the opponent did leading up to that point.  It's a lack of execution on a shot that should have been relatively simple to perform.

What could be worse? Unforced errors that are... self-forced.  Self-forced errors.

We’ve all seen it, and it makes for meme fodder. Here are a couple of examples in the sports world.

Self-forced errors unfortunately are very common in many sports and this includes pickleball.  I'll be the first to admit I've allowed myself to fall prey to self-forced errors many times.  Being aware of them is the first step to avoiding them. 

What are some ingredients of a self-forced error in pickleball?  You know the rally where the opponent makes a mis-hit and it flies way up high. You have all the time you need to position yourself in the perfect spot where the ball will arc right to you.  You think to yourself, "Oh, I've got this!  Get the camera ready, this is going to be the shot of the day!"  It's just too easy to hit that ball over the net in a conservative or even with an increased level of pressure.  

You are going to turn this into a rally-ender that will be a highlight of your day.  You choose to pound the crap out of it.  To your shock and dismay, it flies out the back baseline.  Or you add some very aggressive angle on it and it goes into the net or goes out of the sideline.

Some of the main ingredients of self-forced-errors in pickleball are: 

• Overconfidence
• Impulsiveness
• Lack of focus, or ability to weigh the risk/reward of attempting a specific shot. 

A few months ago I recall the wisdom Coach Bryon shared when he said something to the effect of

sometimes it's better to just keep the ball in play and allow the other team to make an error than to fail to execute a risky shot of your own and lose the rally.

Why is pickleball sometimes so misunderstood by new observers of the sport when they see pros at the NVZ dinking for dozens of rallies?  It seems too easy, and because of that doesn't capture the respect of many observers.  We want to see those high-energy rallies that involve Jedi-like reflexes. Developing players want to experience the thrill of the attack!  But that mindset can also lead to an excessive amount of self-forced errors.

A point that is won from a missed pillow shot by the opponents has the same value in the game score as a point that is won from a rally-ending smash.  

What are some thoughts or strategies you use to avoid self-forced errors?