Leigh Waters Reveals the Hidden Challenge: Leigh Waters, best known as the coach and mother of Anna Leigh Waters, is also guiding another rising star in pickleball—Christian Alshon. While Alshon’s skills and ranking prove his talent, Leigh says his emotions on the court are the real challenge in her coaching journey.
Balancing Two Star Players
Leigh Waters first met Christian Alshon at a local moneyball pickleball tournament. After leaving his college tennis career to focus fully on pickleball, Alshon asked Leigh to become his coach.
On the Pickleballers podcast, co-host Roscoe Bellamy asked Leigh,
“Who’s easier to coach? Anna Leigh or Christian?”
Anna Leigh quickly raised her hand, and her mother pointed to her in agreement.
“Christian is moodier than I am,”
said Anna Leigh Waters.
Leigh has coached her daughter for years, balancing the roles of parent and coach. With Alshon, however, the work requires more focus on mental control than technique.
Managing Emotions on the Court
“He was very forthcoming when he asked me to coach him. He never really had a coach in tennis, and it was because he didn’t want somebody telling him what to do or what he was doing wrong or right.”(Leigh Waters)
Currently, Christian Alshon is ranked No. 6 in singles and men’s doubles, and No. 3 in mixed doubles. His power and energy are clear, but his emotional reactions on court often stand out more than his strokes.
Podcast host Roscoe Bellamy believes those emotions also add to his game.
“The mentality of Christian now in pickleball is completely different. He clearly has matured, and you can tell he wants this so much more.
Yes, he shows a lot of emotion on the court, but I think it’s actually nice for the fans to see people showing who they are, showing their emotion, and how badly they want it.”
“I think he’s trying to figure all that out, honestly. I’ve seen different stages of how he shows his emotions in the past two years. But, he definitely wants it.”(Leigh Waters)
“There might be people out there that want it as much as him, but there isn’t anyone who wants it more,”
added podcast co-host Jared Paul.
“I think he wants to be the best in the world, and he will do whatever it takes.”
Finding the Right Balance
On the Talk Pickle to Me podcast, Leigh Waters explained more about her work with Alshon’s mindset.
“He wears his emotions on his sleeve a bit, so for him it’s about reigning it in or using it, and being able to get rid of it right away.
You can show the emotion, but you have to be able to switch it off and reset. He’s really been working on the mental side and we’ve seen improvement.
If he can figure out how to reign it in, the ceiling is so high. I’ve been working with Anna Leigh for eight years. I haven’t even scratched the surface with Christian. The sky’s the limit for that guy.”
What Lies Ahead
For Leigh Waters, guiding Christian Alshon goes beyond drills and strategy. The focus is on helping him control his emotions while keeping his competitive edge alive. With his rankings rising and his mental game improving, both Leigh and others in the sport believe his potential is far from being reached.
News in Brief: Leigh Waters Reveals the Hidden Challenge
Leigh Waters, coach of Anna Leigh Waters, is also training Christian Alshon, a top-ranked pickleball player. While his talent is clear, Leigh says managing his emotions on court is the key challenge. Alshon continues to improve mentally, with both coach and experts believing his ceiling in the sport is extremely high.
ALSO READ: How Anna Leigh Waters Became Pickleball’s Youngest Superstar—and Changed the Sport Forever