One of the easiest things to do in pickleball is convince yourself you’re better than you actually are.
I know because I’ve done it.
You have a good game, hit a few great shots, win some points that feel really good, and walk off the court thinking, “Yeah, I played pretty well.”
Then you watch the video.
And suddenly you’re wondering who the hell that guy was standing on your side of the court.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve become such a fan of PB Vision.
It isn’t just a way to record your pickleball games. The interesting part is what happens after the game.
Watching Yourself Play Is Brutally Useful
I’ve spent a lot of time playing pickleball, and one thing I’ve learned is that what you think you’re doing and what you’re actually doing can be very different.
You might think you’re getting to the kitchen quickly.
You aren’t.
You might think you’re being patient and waiting for the right ball to attack.
You’re attacking a ball at your shoelaces.
You might think your third-shot selection is improving.
You’re still giving your opponents the same easy ball over and over.
When you’re actually playing, you don’t have the mental bandwidth to analyze every decision. You’re trying to win the point.
Watching the game afterward is completely different.
You can stop and ask:
Why did I do that?
This Is Where PB Vision Gets Interesting
PB Vision takes your recorded match and uses AI to analyze it.
I’ve uploaded a lot of my own games to PB Vision, and I’ve found the biggest value isn’t necessarily being told whether I hit a forehand or a backhand.
It’s getting another perspective on my game.
One of the more interesting things for me has been the AI rating. After uploading 64 videos, PB Vision’s AI assessment put me around a 4.17.
I wouldn’t suggest treating that number as gospel, and I certainly don’t think an AI rating automatically determines how good someone is.
But it gives me another data point.
And more importantly, I’ve got the video behind it.
The Real Value Is Finding Patterns
This is where I think PB Vision becomes genuinely useful.
One bad decision doesn’t mean much.
If I attack one ball I shouldn’t have attacked, who cares?
But if I watch a bunch of matches and see that I’m consistently attacking balls too early, that’s different.
Now I’ve found something I can work on.
Maybe I consistently stand too far back from the kitchen.
Maybe I’m leaving the middle open.
Maybe I’m taking unnecessary risks on third shots.
Maybe I’m missing opportunities to attack because I’m being too conservative.
Those patterns are incredibly difficult to see while you’re playing.
Video makes them much easier to recognize.
It’s Especially Useful As You Get Better
I actually think video analysis becomes more valuable as you improve.
A newer player can watch themselves and see some obvious mistakes.
But once you’re reasonably competent, improvement starts becoming much more about small decisions.
Do I speed this ball up?
Do I reset it?
Do I move forward?
Do I stay?
Do I attack the middle?
Do I take the ball out of the air?
Those decisions happen incredibly quickly.
And they’re exactly the kinds of things that are difficult to remember accurately after a game.
I Also Like It From a Coaching Perspective
As someone who coaches pickleball, I really like the potential here.
Instead of telling a player:
“You need to be more patient.”
You can show them the five points where they attacked balls they shouldn’t have.
Instead of saying:
“You’re getting caught out of position.”
You can actually show them when it’s happening.
That’s a much better coaching conversation.
And it fits with something I emphasize in my own coaching: decision making is a huge part of pickleball.
Having video gives you a chance to actually examine those decisions.
AI Isn’t a Perfect Coach
I’m also not going to pretend PB Vision has somehow solved pickleball.
AI analysis has limitations.
Pickleball is complicated, and context matters. The right decision can depend on your opponent, your partner, the score, your position and what happened two shots earlier.
But I don’t think PB Vision needs to get everything right to be useful.
If it helps you identify a few recurring patterns that you wouldn’t have noticed yourself, that’s already valuable.
Is PB Vision Worth Trying?
If you’re brand new to pickleball and just out there having fun, you probably don’t need AI match analysis.
But if you’re actively trying to improve, especially if you’re already recording your games, I think it’s worth trying.
Try PB Vision and use code DINKDYNASTY to get the an extra 240 mins of processing time when you sign up.
I’ve certainly learned things from watching myself play that I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.
And occasionally, I’ve learned something I really didn’t want to know.
But that’s probably part of getting better.
Sometimes the most useful person to watch play pickleball is yourself
