It is 10–10. You step behind the baseline, hear the score, and start thinking about what this point could mean.
The serve you practiced is still available. So is the temptation to change everything: aim closer to the line, swing harder, or guide the ball because missing suddenly feels expensive.
Give yourself a familiar place to begin.
Exhale. Choose the target. Commit.
Build a pickleball pre-point routine you can use at any score
A pre-point routine is a short sequence you rehearse before play resumes. It gives you a specific task when your attention wanders toward the outcome.
A 2026 position statement from Exercise and Sports Science Australia identifies pre-performance routines among the strategies that can support performance under pressure. It draws on research across sports; it does not test this three-step sequence in pickleball. Our routine below is a practical starting point to try and refine.
1. Exhale
Before your serve, take one comfortable breath and let it out without forcing it. Use that moment to notice your grip and shoulders.
You do not have to make every nervous feeling disappear. The breath is a cue to begin your preparation, even when the score matters and you still feel the pressure.
Keep it brief. Fit your routine within the match’s serving and readiness rules.
2. Choose the target
Give yourself one clear intention. A serve toward a broad area of the service box is more specific than “don’t miss.” Choose a target that fits your practiced ability and what you have observed about the opponent.
In doubles, settle shared decisions before the rally: who is covering an uncertain middle ball, and what is your starting plan? A short agreement is easier to act on than a last-second collection of instructions.
The routine can stay familiar while your target changes. Consistency in preparation still leaves room for tactical adjustment.
3. Commit
Once you have chosen, bring your attention back to the task. Use a short cue such as “through the target” if it helps you.
Commitment means attempting the shot you intended. It does not require extra pace or a smaller margin. During the rally, keep reading the ball and the court; your pre-point plan cannot account for every reply.
On return, complete your preparation before the server begins and stay ready. The return itself is reactive: the incoming serve determines your timing. You cannot treat it as a self-paced action or assume you control the clock.
Practice before the pressure arrives
Try the sequence during an agreed practice session. Start with ordinary points, then play a short game beginning at 8–8 or 9–9. Treat this as an experiment, rather than a promise of better results.
Afterward, ask:
- Did I use the routine consistently?
- Did I choose a clear, realistic target?
- When I missed, did I attempt the intended shot or change my mind during execution?
Keep the cue that helped. Shorten anything that felt distracting. If a point goes badly, identify one useful adjustment and prepare for the next one.
The title is a principle for preparation, not a demand to play every score identically. Let the match inform your decisions. Give those decisions a repeatable starting point.
CONTROL THE MOMENT.
Control the Moment. Earn Every Point.
Sources and perspective
This original Dink & Grind article was inspired by The Dink Media Team’s “Handling Pressure at 10–10” (October 8, 2026). Research background: Matthew J. Schweickle and colleagues, “Performance Under Pressure in Sport: A Position Statement from Exercise and Sports Science Australia”, published in Sports Medicine on June 10, 2026.
The research supports considering routines within sport-specific contexts. It does not establish that this exact routine improves pickleball results. Dink & Grind apparel represents these values; it is not a performance intervention.
Build the habit with your partner
Pair your individual routine with three questions for better doubles communication. For the philosophy behind focusing on your next choice, read Stoicism and the pickleball mental game.
The Composure pickleball T-shirt collection represents this approach through minimalist design.
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