Yesterday, I walked into the pickleball centre with a mission.

A solo mission.

Just me, the ball machine, and 60 minutes of focused drilling. No chit-chat. No social games. No distractions.

My menu was simple:

1. Single-hand backhand : drive and slice
2. Double-hand backhand
3. Slice serve

I was ready.

Then… I saw six familiar faces on the court. Friends. Regulars. All smiling.

Twenty minutes in, they jio me.
I smiled and politely declined.
Twenty minutes later, they jio me again.

I gave in.
I regretted it.

My confession
“I’m not good enough, and I’ll just improve by practicing with ball machine”

That’s exactly why I stayed stuck.

If my goal is just to enjoy the game and hang out. Great. Nothing wrong with social game.

But I seriously want to level up and play like a true intermediate or advanced player, social games alone won’t cut it.

What I really need:
Purposeful drills
Correct technique with workshop
Strategic mindset
Structured training (which I admit I forget to generate)

Let’s be honest. I already know this from my other sports.

In running, I train LSD, thresholds, and hills.
In cycling, I monitor cadence and FTP.
In golf, I’ve spent hours on the driving range and putting green.
In tennis, I’ve lost more balls than I can count hitting against a wall.

So… why should pickleball be any different?

It was easy to start.
Thanks to my tennis background, I jumped from beginner to advanced beginner in no time.

But soon, I hit a wall.
And here’s the truth
That plateau?
It’s not the end, it’s the beginning of real growth.
But only if I push through.

I’ve seen golfer friends play for 20 years… and still play like crap.

Why? Because they never train with purpose.

I don’t improve just by showing up.
I improve by working on the right things.

Drills reveal my weaknesses.
They force me to fix what’s broken.
They help build the correct muscle memory.
They train my mind, not just my body.

Do you know I attended backhand slice workshop twice.

The first time, I struggled for weeks just to get the feel.
Three months later, I went again.
This time, I told my coach:

“Tell me where my flaws are.”
I even asked to learn forehand slice.

My coach’s 3 golden rules:
Unlearn my tennis.
Use only 60–70% of my force.
Breathe in, breathe out.

Why I still drill alone with ball machine?

Maybe it’s because I come from endurance sports.
I’m used to training alone, doing reps, repeating the same thing until it’s right.

Yes, I can still play socially.
Yes, I can still have fun.
But I need to be honest with myself.

I won’t confuse activity with progress.
I won’t expect magic from mindless whacking.
I wouldn’t train for a marathon by jogging casually around a park.

I’m still learning.
Still slicing.
Still breathing.
One ball at a time.

And yes
next time someone jio me during drill time…
I’ll politely say,

“Not today.”