If you get a little nervous before a pickleball tournament or other competitive game, work on building your confidence and dissipating your nerves by playing points during your warm-up. Never let your first point count in a tournament. In other words, play intense practice points or, if possible, even practice matches, before playing your first tournament match. Many players play better after a game or two. So, play practice points to get the nerves out of the way before stepping onto the court when it counts.
