Sometimes you just need a change of pace. That's really what this whole cornhole thing has been for me. I haven't stopped playing pickleball, and I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon. But after playing a lot of pickleball, I felt like I needed to step back for a little bit and get into something different. So, naturally, I went back to cornhole. It's been a couple of years since I really played consistently, and getting back into it has been interesting. Some things came back pretty quickly, while other things have reminded me exactly why cornhole can be so frustrating.
I originally had plans to play fall league, but I ended up missing that opportunity. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to getting into a regular league again, but that's just how things work sometimes. I haven't completely given up on the idea, though. I'm still finding opportunities to get out and throw whenever I can during the week, and I've also been practicing a lot more at home. Honestly, that's been a nice change of pace. One of the things I like about practicing cornhole is that I don't have to hunt down three other people just to get some reps in. With pickleball, if I want to play doubles, I need three other people, a court, a time that works for everyone, and preferably a court that's actually available. Now that the weather is getting colder, it becomes even more of a challenge. Some guys don't love the idea of paying for a court rental, which I completely understand. But I've always found that a little funny because I'll happily pay to play cornhole for a night, and to me, it's basically the same thing. You're paying for the opportunity to get out, play, compete and have some fun. The difference is that with cornhole, I can walk outside, set up the boards and start throwing. There's something really nice about that.
One of the things I've noticed getting back into cornhole is just how different it feels from pickleball. I've always thought of pickleball as a very strategic sport. You have your partner, you have your opponents and you have a lot of different ways to attack the game. You can decide who you want to target, where you want to place the ball, when to speed things up, when to slow things down and how you want to set your partner up for the next shot. There's a lot going on. Cornhole is different. In a lot of ways, it's much more of an individual sport. You have your bags, your board and the hole. Then you have to throw. Get it in the hole. That's basically it.
Obviously, there's more strategy to it than that. You have different bags, different boards, different conditions and different shots you can make. You can block, collect, push, cut and try to control the board. But at the end of the day, nobody else can throw the bag for you. And I think that's what makes cornhole so difficult for me. In pickleball, if I'm not playing great, I can still contribute in other ways. Maybe I can make a good strategic decision, set my partner up, get a ball back that I shouldn't have or figure out something that's giving our opponents trouble. Cornhole doesn't really give you that escape. It's a little more like bowling, but with a twist. You have your shot, you have your target and you have to execute. There really isn't anywhere to hide.
And that brings me to probably the biggest thing I'm working on right now: focus. I've always had a problem staying focused. I get distracted easily, and maybe I have a little bit of ADHD in me. Who knows. I'm not diagnosing myself, but I know my mind can wander, and competitive sports seem to expose that more than anything. I've been working on trying to push out the noise and the visuals around me, stay relaxed and focus on what I'm actually trying to do. Some days I feel like I've finally found my throw. I'm throwing four baggers, cutting well, collecting bags and everything just feels right. Then the next day I can't hit the board. It's crazy how quickly it can disappear.
I know I can play well. I've seen it happen. I just need to find some consistency. That's probably what frustrates me the most about competing in anything. I feel like I can play well, but I can never seem to win. I'm trying not to do that this time. I've had a couple of chances recently to get back into some competitive throwing. Last week was probably the better week. I had some really fun games and felt pretty good about how I was throwing, even though I didn't win most of them. That's something I'm trying to remind myself of. Not every good game has to end in a win. Sometimes you can walk away from a loss knowing you threw well, made some good shots and had fun. That's probably a healthier way for me to look at competition right now.
This week I got a chance to sub, and let's just say it wasn't quite as good. I didn't do terrible, but I definitely didn't have the same feeling I had the week before. That's cornhole, I guess. One week you feel like you've figured something out, and the next week you're wondering if you've ever thrown a bag before. 😂 But that's also part of why I'm enjoying getting back into it. I'm not expecting to come back after a couple of years and suddenly be the player I might have wanted to be. I'm just trying to get comfortable again, get some reps and figure out what works for me.
I've also learned that getting back into cornhole isn't necessarily about proving anything. I originally thought getting back into it might just be a temporary break from pickleball. Maybe I'd play for a little while, get it out of my system and eventually go right back to playing pickleball all the time. But I'm enjoying it more than I expected. There's something satisfying about standing at the front of the board, taking a breath, picking a shot and seeing if you can execute it. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you absolutely don't. 😂 And that's okay.
I'm still going to play pickleball. I'm not going anywhere. I still enjoy the strategy, the competition and, of course, getting out there with friends. But I think taking a step back from it has been good for me. Getting back into cornhole has given me something different to focus on. It has also reminded me that sometimes you don't need to completely walk away from something you enjoy. You can just take a little break, try something else and come back with a fresh perspective.
And honestly, practicing at home has been a nice change. I can throw for 30 minutes, an hour or however long I feel like throwing without having to coordinate with three other people. No court reservation. No trying to find a fourth. No texting a group chat trying to figure out who is available. Just me, the boards and a pile of bags. Sometimes that's all I need.
So for now, I'm going to keep finding opportunities to throw during the week, keep working on my consistency and keep enjoying the process. Maybe I'll get back into a league at some point. Maybe I'll play more tournaments. Maybe I'll just keep throwing whenever I can. I don't really know yet. And that's okay.
I'm not stepping away from pickleball. I'm just taking a step back, giving myself a little change of pace and getting a fresh take on cornhole. The goal is pretty simple: relax, focus, throw my throw. And hopefully, every once in a while, actually put the damn bag in the hole. 😂
