Pickle ball, its like tennis, only better! Sure the equipment and rules are a bit different, but it is similar and doesn’t involve as much running as tennis. Thank goodness and count me in! You can find pickle ball courts popping up just about everywhere these days. Really, it’s the place to be and it is such a great way to stay active and social. Like any activity, especially when it is new, there is potential for injury, but I’m going to share a few ideas and exercises with you to minimize your risk for injury. I’m not making any promises, but it may not only reduce injuries, but may also improve your game.
In pickle ball, there are a lot of movements of changing directions quickly, moving side to side and stopping short. You will be challenging your legs, your shoulders your core and your fitness in general. So you need to be sure to work on strength and flexibility. Here are a few exercises to do just that. Go to the resource tab to find out how to do these exercises.
- For flexibility:
- Seated hamstring stretches
- Standing calf stretches
- Wall angels
- Low back rotations
- Forearm stretches
- For strength:
- Squats
- Clock lunges
- Side kicks
- Heel and toe raises
My recommendation is to do these exercises 2-3 times per week and as long as your muscles are warmed up a bit from a short walk around the park or something, you can do hamstring and calf stretches before playing a game.
So there you go! Easy peasy! No get out there and swing that thing!! Please post me a comment and let me know how this has helped your game.
