Currently ranked World No. 6 in men’s singles, Roscoe Bellamy revealed five key tips that helped him transition from a top player at his home courts to competing against the very best in the sport.

1.     Learn how to lose

“Learning how to lose helped me start winning more,” mentioned Bellamy. “I stopped taking losses personally, and started taking them like feedback. Every loss shows you something.”

Bellamy advised reflecting after a loss by asking yourself: Why did I lose that match? Where did things go wrong? What did my opponent do better? And what decisions would I change next time?

“These questions are data to teach you how to get better,” he insisted. “So the real action is to stop hiding from losses. Study them, learn from them, and let them get you better.”

2.     The kitchen line is king

Bellamy said a major turning point in his game came when he committed to making the kitchen line a non-negotiable priority.

“In pickleball, there’s one spot on the court where you have the most opportunity to create, attack, and win the point,” he noted. “The kitchen is the most dominant position in pickleball.”

Earlier in his career, Bellamy used the baseline to try to slip shots past his opponents, but that approach became less effective as he moved up to higher levels of play. To adjust, he focused on improving his transition game, drilling drops, resets, and returns while sharpening his mid-court skills to consistently work his way up to the kitchen line.

3.     Train like you compete

While Bellamy enjoys playing with friends, he realized that the top players dedicate their time to drilling and training with a focus on competition.

“I incorporated drilling into my routine and I noticed that I was not only becoming a better player, I was becoming more confident in my shots and abilities. This doesn’t mean you stop playing rec, it just means you need to find the right mix,” he shared. “And when you’re in rec games, act like you’re in a real match and implement your ideal way of playing.”

4.     Watch film with purpose

“There’s so many parts of your game that you aren’t able to notice when you’re playing,” he mentioned. “Seeing your decisions, tendencies, and body language—this is where the real insight lives. It’ll also make your training sessions more valuable because you’ll know exactly what you need to work on.”

5.     Respect the transition zone

According to Bellamy, top players approach the transition zone as a bridge connecting the baseline to the kitchen.

“When I learned this, I began to use the mid-court as a way to take the pressure off hitting the perfect third shot drop. I learned how to reset the ball and get to the kitchen line in a couple shots, rather than one,” he insisted. “Learn to use the mid-court to your advantage and this will help take a lot of pressure off your game.”

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