Tournament Preparation Guide

Sep 25

As we approach our Fall/Winter and Nationals tournament season, here’s our updated tournament preparation guide. The goal isn’t to completely change your game before competition—it’s to sharpen what you already do well, prepare for the situations you’re likely to face, and arrive at the tournament feeling fresh, confident, and ready to compete.

Good luck out there, and don’t forget to share your experiences and successes with us!

Two Weeks Before: Build Your Game

This is the time to get as many quality reps as possible.

Drill the shots and patterns that are already strengths in your game.
Identify the shots or situations opponents are most likely to expose.
Spend extra time on those areas without neglecting your strengths.
Work on point construction, not just individual shots.
Practice playing with purpose: What are we trying to accomplish with this shot? What happens next?

The goal is to make your best patterns automatic while improving the areas most likely to be tested.

One Week Before: Practice Like You Compete

Shift your focus toward high-level match play with your partner.

Play against teams with different styles: aggressive, defensive, patient, fast, and counterattacking.
Communicate with your partner about what works well for you as a team.
Practice identifying opponents' patterns early.
Pay attention to strengths, weaknesses, positioning, tendencies, and preferred shots.
Practice making adjustments during the match rather than waiting until things aren't working.

Most importantly, start thinking like a team. Know what you want to do when you're serving, returning, defending, transitioning, and playing at the kitchen.

Visualize

Spend a few minutes visualizing tournament situations:

Starting a match well.
Playing from behind.
Closing out a tight game.
Handling a bad call or frustrating point.
Resetting after making an unforced error.
Executing the game plan when you're tired.
Communicating calmly with your partner.

Don't just visualize winning. Visualize executing well in different situations.

Night Before: Recover and Reset

The night before isn't the time to squeeze in another hard workout.

Do something that takes your mind off the tournament—watch a movie, spend time with friends, read, or simply relax.

Keep alcohol to a minimum, prioritize hydration, and get a good night's sleep.

Your job is to arrive rested, not to squeeze in one last training session.

Pre-Match Nutrition & Hydration

The goal is simple: start fueled and hydrated without feeling heavy.

1–2 Hours Before Playing

A meal or snack such as:

Oatmeal
Banana or other fruit
Protein
A moderate amount of peanut butter or another healthy fat

Drink water steadily rather than trying to consume a huge amount right before playing.

If you're playing multiple matches or spending a long day on the courts, plan your food and fluids for the entire day, not just the first match.

30 Minutes Before

If you know you sweat heavily, begin topping off fluids and electrolytes before you play.

A small carbohydrate snack such as half a banana can also work well if you tolerate it.

During long sessions, continue drinking and replace electrolytes according to your sweat rate, the heat, and the length of play.

Important: More electrolytes aren't necessarily better. Follow the product's dosing instructions and avoid overhydrating.

Supplements

Don't use tournament day to experiment with supplements.

If you take vitamins or supplements, keep your normal routine and make sure your choices are appropriate for you. Supplements are not a substitute for adequate food, fluids, sleep, and recovery.

Warm-Up: Prepare, Don't Exhaust

Start your warm-up roughly 30–45 minutes before play, depending on the tournament schedule and how your body feels.

Off-Court Warm-Up

I like using a lacrosse ball to loosen up the hips and feet, followed by dynamic mobility.

A simple progression might include:

Light jogging
Jump rope
High knees
Frankenstein walks
Glute kickbacks
Hip circles
Arm circles
Window wipers
Dynamic stretching

The goal is to gradually raise your body temperature, improve mobility, and prepare your nervous system—not create fatigue.

On-Court Warm-Up

Start simple and gradually increase intensity.

Dinking

Begin with straight-ahead dinking and establish rhythm with your partner.

Then progress to:

More aggressive dinks
Cross-court dinking
Straight-ahead drops
Cross-court drops

Transition & Volleys

Progress into transition shots and hand-speed work at the kitchen.

Focus on:

Compact swings
Soft hands
Resetting under pressure
Countering when appropriate
Staying balanced after each shot

Skinny Singles

Finish with a few skinny-singles points, starting with serves and returns.

This gives you a chance to get your competitive mindset engaged while also getting your serve, return, movement, and point construction dialed in.

Tournament Warm-Up Tip

Don't waste your limited warm-up time trying to hit every shot in your repertoire.

Warm up the shots you use most frequently and the shots you're most likely to need against your opponents.

For example, if you expect an aggressive team, spend extra time on counters, blocks, resets, and defending against speed-ups.

The warm-up should have a purpose.

Pro Tip: If you are pressed for time in your warm up, jump straight into skinny singles.

Between Matches

This is where tournament performance can really be won or lost.

After a match:

Rehydrate.
Eat something with carbohydrates and protein.
Get off your feet when possible.
Stay warm if you're playing again soon.
Review the match briefly with your partner.
Identify one or two adjustments—not ten.
Then mentally move on to the next match.

Don't spend 30 minutes replaying the previous match in your head.

Learn. Adjust. Reset.

After the Day Is Done

Once you're finished competing, prioritize recovery.

Have a quality meal containing:

Lean protein
Carbohydrates
Vegetables or fruit
Plenty of fluids

Then give your body some recovery time.

Depending on what your body needs:

Light stretching
Easy mobility work
Foam rolling
Lacrosse ball work for the hips and feet
An easy walk

Ice baths can be useful for some athletes, particularly when managing soreness between days of competition, but they aren't mandatory for recovery.

Most importantly: eat, hydrate, relax, and sleep.

The Tournament Mindset

You don't need to play perfect pickleball to have a great tournament.