Off-Court Training for Pickleball Players: Strengthening and Injury Prevention (With some tools to help)
You’re here, the ball’s there and you left the better part of your ankle ligaments over there. Ouch!!! As you know, pickleball is fast sport that requires quick reflexes, agility, and a great deal of lateral movement. It can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels. But, like any sport, pickleball can also lead to injuries if players are not properly trained and conditioned. In this article, we will discuss the importance of off-court training for pickleball players, and provide some tips and exercises that can help improve play and decrease the risk of injury. The Pickleballologist also shares some link for tools to help you stay healthy and make fitness gains.
The Importance of Off-Court Training for Pickleball Players
One of the primary benefits of off-court training is injury prevention. Pickleball involves a lot of lateral movement, which can put stress on the knees, hips, and ankles. Engaging in strength and conditioning exercises off the court can help strengthen these areas and decrease the risk of injury. Off-court training can also help prevent common pickleball injuries such as tennis elbow, shoulder impingement, and lower back pain. With proper training, you can make gains to bolster your pickleball game by improving speed, agility, strength, and endurance.
Types of Off-Court Training Tips for Pickleball Players
- Cardiovascular Training: Cardiovascular training is essential for any sport, and pickleball is no exception. It is important for players to have good endurance and stamina to play at their best. Activities such as running, biking, and swimming are great ways to improve cardiovascular fitness. Keep it fun with group runs or give back to the community by training for a charity run event. Or hop out on the road with a functional fitness bike like this offering from NordicTrack.
- Strength Training: Strength training is crucial for pickleball players, as it helps develop the muscles needed for the quick, explosive movements required in the game. Exercises such as squats, lunges, and calf raises can help strengthen the lower body, while push-ups, pull-ups, and planks can help strengthen the upper body. Think about finding a weekly HIIT class or group to supplement your game. Or work out at home with a quality set of home weights like these.
- Agility Training: Agility training is important for pickleball players, as it helps improve quickness and reaction time. Ladder drills, cone drills, and agility hurdles are great ways to improve agility. Or give high tech options like the BlazePod Flash Reflex and Reaction Training LED Light Pods a try for a fun and varied challenge.
- Flexibility Training: Flexibility is crucial for pickleball players, as it helps prevent injuries and improves range of motion. Stretching exercises such as hamstring stretches, hip flexor stretches, and quad stretches can help improve flexibility. Flowing yoga can be a great way to calm the mind and increase flexibility. Make it fun with you own custom designed yoga mat… decorate it like a pickleball court to keep you focused. Bonus: relaxing in downward dog keeps your hands and feet out of the kitchen.
- Balance Training: Balance is important for pickleball players, as it helps improve stability and reduce the risk of falls and injuries. Balance exercises such as single-leg squats, standing on one leg, and stability ball exercises can help improve balance. Adding a Bosu Ball to exercises you’re already doing is a great stability hack.
- Plyometric Training: Plyometric training involves explosive, high-intensity exercises that can help improve power and speed. Exercises such as box jumps, jump squats, and explosive lunges are great for pickleball players. Creative home options like these resistance bands can help too.
Footwear for Off-Court Training
Cross-Training Shoes: Cross-training shoes are designed to provide support and stability for a variety of activities, including strength training, cardio, and agility exercises. They often have a wider base and more lateral support than running shoes, making them a great choice for pickleball players. The Nike Metcon 6 is a popular choice for cross-training shoes, offering a wide base and lateral support for strength training and agility exercises available in both a men’s version and a women’s version. The ASICS Gel-Quantum 180 TR is another great option, with gel cushioning for shock absorption during high-impact exercises.
Incorporating off-court training into your pickleball routine can help you improve your game and prevent injuries. To help keep your game well-rounded be sure to include a variety of cardiovascular, strength, agility, flexibility, balance, and plyometric exercises in your routine. With a little sweat and hard work, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a stronger, more agile pickleball player.
Let’s review what you can do at home to improve on the court.
| Types of training | Tools to help you improve |
|---|---|
| Cardo | It can be as simple as running shoes or a jump rope or as expensive as a home stationary bike. |
| Strength | Gravity pulls one way, you pull the other with home weights. |
| Agility | A piece of chalk can draw a hopscotch course on the sidewalk. Or you can go super high tech with BlazePod Flash Reflex and Reaction Training LED Light Pods when money is no object. |
| Flexibility | A yoga mat and a YouTube video can take you a long way. |
| Balance | Try cooking dinner while balancing on a balance board for some stability gains. |
I hail from the picturesque landscapes of Denver, Colorado, where the pickleball scene is as vibrant as our city's sunsets. The game has changed my life in ways I never thought a sport could. You see, before I got hooked, my closest encounter with a racket was a fly swatter.
As far as my coaching credentials go, well, it's a classic underdog story. I was once the guy who couldn't tell a pickleball paddle from a pizza peel, and now I'm proudly sporting the title of Master Teaching Professional from the IPTPA. If that doesn't give hope to all my fellow klutzes, I don't know what will!
My love for pickleball goes far beyond the court. I run the In2Pickle YouTube channel, which is a blend of pickleball tactics, bloopers (mostly mine), and heartfelt stories from players whose lives have been touched by the sport. If you're more into listening than watching, you can catch me chatting about everything pickleball-related on my Pickleball Therapy podcast. And if that isn't enough, I've also penned a book titled "Play Pickleball", where I share everything from basic rules to advanced strategies, and of course, anecdotes of my own hilarious mishaps.
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