Road to 4.0: Why I'm Making My Pickleball Progress Public
There is something uncomfortable about putting a number next to your pickleball game.
Especially when everyone can see it.
Right now, my DUPR is around 3.77.
I believe I can play at a higher level than that number suggests in certain situations.
But the great thing about ratings is that opinions eventually stop mattering.
If I want the number to change, I have to earn it.
So instead of avoiding the rating, I decided to turn it into a project.
Road to 4.0.
Then hopefully Road to 4.5.
And eventually Road to 5.0.
Getting Better Gets Harder
When you first start playing pickleball, improvement happens quickly.
You learn how to serve.
You stop standing in no man's land.
You discover what a third-shot drop is.
You learn why everyone keeps telling you to get to the kitchen.
A few changes can make you dramatically better.
Then progress starts slowing down.
The difference between levels becomes smaller and more complicated.
At higher levels, you usually know what you are supposed to do.
The problem is doing it consistently.
Can you reset the fifth ball when someone attacks your feet?
Can you recognize a dead dink before your opponent does?
Can you speed up the right ball instead of simply speeding up more balls?
Can you hit the same drop when the score is 9-9 that you hit during warmups?
That is where the game becomes interesting.
I Play a Lot. That Doesn't Mean I'm Practicing Enough.
I am on a pickleball court constantly.
But one thing I have started paying more attention to is the difference between playing and training.
Playing four hours does not necessarily mean you spent four hours improving.
During games, you naturally rely on your strengths.
Training requires spending time on things you would rather avoid.
That could mean hitting transition resets repeatedly.
Practicing the same third-shot drop over and over.
Playing skinny singles.
Working through uncomfortable patterns.
Losing practice games because you intentionally tried a shot you are still developing.
That part is not as satisfying as winning.
It is probably more important.
The Rating Gives the Journey Structure
A goal like "get better at pickleball" is almost meaningless.
Better at what?
By how much?
By when?
A rating creates a scoreboard.
It is imperfect. Everybody knows ratings have limitations.
But it gives the process a measurable target.
For me, 4.0 is the first checkpoint.
It is close enough to feel attainable while still requiring improvement.
Once I get there, the question becomes whether the level of my game actually matches the number.
Then the next goal begins.
I Want to Document the Parts People Usually Skip
Most sports content shows the finished product.
The tournament win.
The highlight.
The perfect ATP.
The crazy hands battle.
The shot that worked.
I am more interested in everything that happens before that.
The drill where I cannot hit the shot.
The paddle I thought I would love but did not.
The tactical adjustment that completely changes how I approach a point.
The tournament where something exposes a weakness I did not realize I had.
The days where I feel like I am getting significantly better.
And the days where I somehow forget how to hit a third-shot drop.
That is what improvement actually looks like.
Equipment Is Part of the Experiment Too
One of the things I enjoy about pickleball is equipment.
Not because I believe buying a new paddle magically makes someone better.
It doesn't.
But different equipment can make certain parts of your game easier or harder.
Recently, I have been testing paddles while looking for something that gives me the combination of control, power, spin and feel that fits the way I want to play.
That process has forced me to think more critically about my own game.
Do I actually need more power?
Do I need more forgiveness?
Am I blaming equipment for a technical mistake?
Would a different paddle help, or do I just need to get better?
Those questions are part of the journey too.
Why Share It Publicly?
Accountability.
If I tell people I am trying to reach 4.0, eventually someone is going to ask whether I did it.
That's good.
It also creates an opportunity to talk about improvement without pretending I already have everything figured out.
There are better players everywhere.
I want to learn from them.
Train with them.
Ask questions.
Try their drills.
Test their advice.
Then share what actually works for me.
Some of it probably will.
Some of it probably won't.
That is part of the experiment.
Road to 4.0 Is Only the Beginning
The goal is not really 4.0.
If I reach it, I already know what is going to happen.
I'll want 4.5.
If I reach 4.5, I'll start thinking about 5.0.
That is the problem with getting obsessed with improvement.
There is always another level.
But maybe that is also the best part.
The rating provides the destination.
The interesting part is everything required to get there.
So this is the starting point.
3.77.
Road to 4.0 begins now.