🏓Pickleball: Play Strong, Stay Injury-Free

Pickleball is on the rise — one of the fastest-growing sports for a reason! It’s social, low-impact, and offers a fun combination of fitness and competition. Whether you’re playing for fun with friends or in a competitive league, pickleball engages your whole body and keeps you active.

However, as more people hit the courts, the list of pickleball-related injuries is growing.

Common injuries include:

• Pickleball Elbow (lateral epicondylitis):Overuse of the forearm muscles from repetitive swings and gripping.

• Ankle Sprains:Quick lateral movements and sudden stops.

• Knee Strains or Meniscus Issues:From twisting, pivoting, or sudden lunges.

• Shoulder Strains (rotator cuff or biceps tendinitis):Repetitive overhead swings and serving motions.

• Achilles Tendonitis:From explosive push-offs or inadequate warm-up.

It’s not that pickleball is inherently “bad” or unsafe — the issue is that the body’s muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints often aren’t fully prepared to meet the sport’s demands. Sure, you might get away without preparing properly, but skipping prep greatly increases your risk of injury. Most of these overuse injuries happen from doing too much, too fast, too soon.

If you want to improve your play and reduce injury risk, here’s how to prepare your body for the court:

🏃‍♂️Gradual Progression

• Gradually increase the intensity of your play over several sessions.

• Practice with friends or in low-stakes games before competing.

• Allow your body to adapt to the demands of the sport rather than jumping straight into intense play.

🔥Warm-Up Method

A proper warm-up is essential to activate muscles, lubricate joints, and prepare the body for movement. Focus on:

R – Raise:
Increase heart rate and body temperature — light jog, side shuffles, mini-jumps.

A – Activate:
Engage key muscle groups that you will use — RDLs, bridges, wrist rolls, banded shoulder pulls, calf raises.

M – Mobilize:
Move joints through range — traditional dynamic stretches: arm circles, leg swings, hip openers, ankle rolls.

P – Potentiate:
Prime for performance — short sprints, directional changes, quick volleys at low intensity gradually building intensity so the body is prepared for faster reactions.

This sequence preps your body for the demands of play and reduces injury risk.

💪Programming for Performance & Injury Reduction.

A well-rounded training routine helps your body meet the demands of pickleball while reducing the risk of injury: Consider adding these components to your programming.

1. Strength Training (Upper & Lower Body):

• Squats, lunges, step-ups, bridges (adding in lateral movements)

• Rows, shoulder press, band pulls, rotator cuff exercises

2. Power & Agility:

• Short sprints, change of direction drills, medicine ball throws, jumps

• Emphasize controlled explosive movements

3. Balance & Stability:

• Single-leg balance exercises

• Dynamic balance movements like catching a ball while balancing

4. Recovery & Mobility:

• Stretch major muscle groups post-play

• Hydrate, refuel and allow recovery days between sessions

📝Sample Routine

Here’s an example of how to put it all together in a week:

Before Play:5–10 min dynamic warm-up (arm circles, leg swings, shuffles)
During Play:Focus on movement technique and building intensity with warm up court play.
After Play:Stretch, light mobility work & refuel

Optional Off-Court Training:

• 2–3 strength sessions per week

• 1–2 balance/agility-focused sessions

• Progressive power drills once strength is established

🎯Bottom Line

Pickleball is a fantastic sport for fitness, fun, and competition. Preparing your body with warm-ups, progressive strength, and stability work reduces the risk of injury while improving performance. By following these tips, you can enjoy the game longer, play stronger, and stay in control on every point.

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