Ben Johns, considered the greatest pickleball player of all time, changed his base in March by moving from Austin, Texas, to Boca Raton, Florida, the bustling training hub for pickleball.

Johns, currently World No. 1 in mixed doubles alongside his partner Anna Leigh Waters, lost his No. 1 position in men’s singles to Federico Staksrud in the 52-week rankings on August 18, 2024.

After residing in Texas for a few years, he relocated to the Sunshine State to better prepare himself. His mixed doubles partner, Anna Leigh Waters - with whom he won 16 events in a row between March 2023 and February 2024 and 31 titles overall - also trains in Florida, along with several other top players.

Johns intends to spend more quality time fine-tuning his game by training at America’s pickleball hotspot.

“I love Florida,” said Johns. “I got a house with a nice backyard, cold plunge, pool, and a sauna. I play a lot of pickleball, and I do a lot of reading.”

“In Florida, there’s a higher quantity of high-level pros, so it’s beneficial to have that because you can set up games and drill,” he explained.

Florida is home to and a training hub for several top pickleball players, including Anna Bright, JW and Jorja Johnson, Gabe Tardio, Christian Alshon, and Johns’ mixed doubles partner, Leigh Waters. They have all settled on the southeast coast of the state.

“Anna Leigh and I practice together occasionally, but we mostly just drill. We don’t play too many games because we play so many matches together on tour,” shared Johns. “But it’s good for the partnership to be close by.”

With the change in base, Johns' training regimen has also shifted.

“I used to strictly drill 100 percent of the time with Collin [Johns]. I did not play any games. But after moving to Florida and utilizing the high level of pickleball players in the area, I now drill maybe 20 percent of the time and play 80 percent games,” he noted. “Those games are definitely beneficial.”

The transition has also brought positive changes to Johns’ game.

“It has encouraged some positive things,” said Johns. “Some skills are really great for drilling, and others are better to put into practice. Not that I felt like I was capped out on certain skills, but I had a lot of things I really needed to work on. Playing games allows you to apply those skills, so games have been the impetus for me at the moment.”

While pickleball remains at the heart of his move, Johns also makes time for fun activities to keep himself relaxed.

“I make time to do the things I enjoy, like reading a good fantasy book or playing Fortnite. If I don’t do that, it’s hard not to get complacent or fall into a monotonous routine,” he said. “It’s good to have these other things, and then I can come back to pickleball and still be motivated.”

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