#1036: The Beauty of Pickleball "Flow"
#1036: Tracie welcomes pickleball coach and competitive player Benjamin Grant to unpack the idea that may explain why people can get so thoroughly obsessed with pickleball: he calls it flow. Inspired by Benjamin’s article by that name in The Dink, they discuss what happens when challenge and skill line up just right on both sides of the net and you become completely immersed in a game—no phone, no busy brain, no thinking about anything except that little plastic ball coming back at you. Benjamin explains why pickleball makes it unusually easy to find that elusive flow state, how games with longer rallies where the players have a complementary skill level keep us chasing “one more game,” and why playing with stronger players can help push us into the sweet spot where real improvement happens. They also dig into the social magic of open play, the difference between flow and control at higher levels, and Benjamin’s 20-60-20 rule for choosing who you play with. Maybe pickleball isn’t an addiction after all. Maybe we’re just hooked on being completely, gloriously present.
Read Benjamin's article in "The Dink" here: https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/pickleball-and-the-pursuit-of-flow/
In this episode you’ll hear:
What “flow” actually is — and why pickleball creates it so easily
Why balanced games matter more than perfectly matched players
How playing better opponents can help you find your next level
Why pickleball forces us to be wonderfully present
The community and connection that continue even between games
Benjamin’s 20-60-20 rule for choosing who you play with
Why “one more game” may be less about obsession than chasing one more perfect flow state
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