How to Play Like Anna Bright

If you have ever watched Anna Bright dominate a pickleball court and wondered, "How does she do it?" you aren't alone. As the number two professional pickleball player in the world, Bright gets that question a lot.

While it's easy to write off a pro's success to natural athleticism or a high-level tennis background, the reality of what separates the elite from the everyday player is much more actionable. In a recent breakdown, Anna Bright pulled back the curtain to share the five brutally honest reasons why she is simply better at pickleball than the average player.

Here are the five key habits that set Anna Bright apart, and how you can implement them into your own game.

1. She Drills More Than You

We have all heard it before: you need to drill to get better. Instead of simply participating in standard drills, Anna Bright actively prioritizes them over casual games.

In her first few months of playing, she rarely drilled because rec play was enough to see rapid improvement. But eventually, everyone hits a plateau. To break through it, Bright shifted her routine. Today, she maintains a staggering 65/35 (and sometimes even 3:1) split of drilling to rec play.

Why it matters: Drilling gives you vastly more touches on the ball than a standard match. It allows you to refine new skills and get dedicated repetitions of your weakest shots. If you want to move a shot from the practice court to a high-stakes match, you need to find a drilling buddy and learn to love the process of improving.

2. She Hates Missing More Than You

Pickleball is supposed to be fun, but if you want to get better, you need to care about your mistakes. According to Bright, the top pros who consistently make tournament finals like Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters, and herself share a common trait: they absolutely despise missing.

This isn't about throwing your paddle or throwing a tantrum on the court. It's about being deeply bothered by unforced errors and handing out "unearned points."

Why it matters: If you casually brush off your unforced errors and immediately move to the next point, you aren't mentally logging what went wrong. Bright estimates that 98% of amateur players could improve their DUPR score by a solid half-point simply by decreasing their unforced errors by 10%. Stop giving your opponents free points.