What a Little Kid Taught Me About Being the Ultimate Teammate

Hey guys, it’s Kyle from ThatPickleballGuy. Ever seen a video that stopped you in your tracks and forced you to pay attention? A video that makes you sit back and reconsider your entire life? Well, if you haven’t, I’m about to show you one that might do just that.

The coach says, “Best teammate ever” It made me think: How have I been as a pickleball partner? Would any of my past partners call me the best teammate ever? How about you? Would any of your past partners—whether it’s in rec play or tournament play—call you the best teammate ever?

Chances are, for you and for me, probably not. See, the problem is we get so focused on our own game, we forget to bring energy to our partners. We forget that deep down, our partner is secretly wondering what we’re thinking about them, especially after they miss a ball. That’s normal—it’s called being human. But imagine a world where you played next to a person like this young boy. A partner that, when you missed a third shot drop, had your back. A partner that, when you missed a dink high, they had your back. A partner that, on your worst day, picked you up, gave you a fist bump, and said something encouraging.

And listen, I get it—your doubles partner probably won’t be crying after a missed ball. But if you think they don’t enjoy and at times need your encouragement, you’re dead wrong—even the best in the world do.

You might be thinking, “Okay Kyle, we get it—be a good teammate. So what?” Well, here’s the silhouette: In life, people crave progress. We’re all either growing or diminishing. So even if you just play for fun, you probably want to improve a little bit each time you go out to play. And at some point, if you’re anything like the hundreds of people I’ve played with and against over the last few months, you want to get into better games and challenge yourself.

Here’s how you do it—two steps:

1. Improve Your On-Court Skills

Just because you want to get in better games doesn’t mean you’re going to. You have to get better so those better players will be okay with you playing and so you can actually compete with them.

2. Become the Best Teammate Ever with Great Energy

Now, you can do number two without doing number one, and some people will love that. But the best players still want someone on their side who’s skilled enough to contribute to winning. A good attitude and energy alone aren’t enough.

You can also do number one without doing number two—that’s fine—but you’re leaving part of your potential on the table. In pickleball, partnership energy means a lot.

Right now, I’m not going to break down how to improve your skills, but I am going to give you three ideas on how to become the best teammate ever.

David/Wilson PPA 2024 (Picture Kerry Pittenger)

1. Frowns for Fists

Your partner will make mistakes—it’s as inevitable as death and taxes. The natural response is to get frustrated, have poor body language, and not say anything. But that’s not helpful. Exchange those reactions for a fist bump, a paddle touch, or a “let’s go” because that communicates to your partner, “I’ve got your back.”

Picture Tax Comics

2. Focus Forward

Try not to introduce tension from the last play. For example, saying, “Why did you hit that lob?” is negative and could make your partner play worse going forward. Instead, talk about what you want to do on the next play: “Hey, next time out, let’s think middle and see if we can make their life a little harder—that seems to be working.” You can’t do anything about the past, but you can control what comes next.

3. Get Specific

Be a hype person for your teammate and get specific when doing so. Instead of saying, “Great job on that last point,” you could say, “Hey, good work on that last point—your backhand cut dink is hard to return. Keep doing that.” Or, “Wow, you have fast hands on the left side,” or “That forehand rip was unreal!” That’s how you lift up your partner and make them want to do more of what you just celebrated.

PPA 2024 (Picture Kerry Pittenger)

Now, listen—I’m not saying this is a perfect formula. We’ve all played with challenging partners—the ones we had no clue what was going on inside their head, which made us think, “Do they hate me? Am I doing a bad job? Will they ever play with me again?” It’s difficult to play with that uncertainty. Of course, everyone has different styles of partnership and encouragement, so you have to figure out what works for your partner.

But in closing—and I’m not perfect at this myself—we’re all still figuring out how to be great teammates. I still struggle with poor body language or saying the wrong thing at times. It’s a work in progress for all of us.

Here’s my challenge for you: Watch the video of that little kid being an incredible teammate. After you watch it, I want you to think for yourself—how can I start being the best teammate ever for the people I play with?

Ok, one more challenge. Think you know pickleball inside and out? Challenge yourself with ThatPickleball IQ Test and see if you can score a perfect 10 out of 10! And don’t forget to share the name of the first person you beat in pickleball singles in the comments below!

See you guys next time.

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