Check out my 10 minute workout video with these exercises: https://youtu.be/SF7wxpicun8
In my experience as a physical therapist, I’ve never seen a sport gain so much interest so quickly with the older adult population than pickleball.
After playing it while visiting my family in Salt Lake City, I can see why- it’s a lot of fun and brings with it a great community of people!
Plus, it’s fairly easy to learn. What’s nice about this sport for seniors in particular is that it’s much easier on the joints than say tennis, which requires more running than pickleball. Additionally, only underhand serves are permitted, so if you have limited motion in your shoulder, you can still participate in all aspects of the game.
If you’ve never played, or you don’t know what pickleball is, I recommend checking out this video (this video shows an outdoor court, but pickleball can be played indoors as well):
While I love that this game provides a fun way to increase one’s heart rate, endurance, and strategic planning, I don’t love seeing the injuries that come out of this sport.
The most common pickleball-related injuries are: ankle sprain, Achilles tendonitis, hamstring or quadricep strain, shoulder impingement, and wrist fracture.1
I’ve personally also seen clients after hip fractures and hip replacements caused by a fall while playing pickleball.
The above information is not intended to discourage anyone from playing pickleball! Of course, whenever you participate in sports there is a chance for injury.
When it comes to pickleball injuries, however, I think many of them could be avoided or at least lessened by incorporating some strength and agility training into one’s daily life.
Not only will these exercises help prevent injury, but they will also hopefully improve your game, as you will be more quick on your feet, have better motion, and increased strength.
**Dog Warning!: In the following clips you will see my dog, Blue, occasionally. I left her in them because who doesn’t want to see a cute dog? BUT, if you have a pet, please be sure to keep them away while you are exercising to avoid tripping over them!**
7 Exercises for Pickleballers:
1. Forward and Backward Run
While there may not be a lot of consistent running in pickleball, it’s important to train for the moments when you need to make quick moves.
This exercise will help you improve your ability to:
1. Get to tough serves and short shots
2. Get to balls that are going to land in the backcourt
3. Avoid getting hit with a ball in the kitchen
This exercise will help prevent:
1. Backward falls, because you are training yourself to feel more comfortable stepping back
2. Muscle strains, because you’re training yourself to step, rather than lunge for a ball
3. Fractures, because you’re more comfortable stepping quickly, you’ll be less likely to fall back and land on your hand/hip.
1. Start standing upright.
2. Bend your knees so you’re in a partial squat position.
3. Take three big, quick steps forward (like you’re running up to receive a short serve).
4. Take a pretend swing like you have a pickleball paddle in your hand.
5. Take three big, quick steps backward (like you’re standing in the kitchen and the ball is about to hit you).
6. Take a pretend swing.
Keep moving forward and backward like this for a minute (remember to keep your partial squat position the whole time), then take a 30s to 1 minute rest, and complete the next exercise.
2. Counter Top Walks
Unlike tennis, where a lot of your power in your shot comes from your legs, pickleball is often played closer to the net, so shots/returns come from more shoulder/arm/wrist motion. Therefore, it’s important to work on upper body strength and stability.
This exercise will help you improve:
1. Wrist strength, allowing you to add more English on the ball.
2. Upper body strength, increasing the force behind your shot.
This exercise will help prevent:
1. Wrist/arm fractures, due to increased strength in bones
2. Elbow injuries, due to increased stability from increased muscle in arms
1. Place your hands on the counter top.
2. Take a step back with each foot as if you were going to do a push up against the counter.
3. Pretend you are on a clock and 12 is directly in front of you. 11 is to your left and 1 is to your right.
4. Your hands start facing 12, about shoulder distance apart.
5. Keeping your feet still, move your left hand to 11, then move your right hand to the left so your hands are shoulder-distance apart again, facing the 11 O’clock direction.
6. Move your right hand back to 12, followed by your left hand (you’re back at your starting position).
7. Move your right hand to 1, then move your left hand to the right so your hands are shoulder-distant apart facing the 1 O’clock direction.
3. Side Steps/Hops
As we age (particularly after age 50) breakdown of bone occurs at a faster rate than building of our bones.2
This can lead to increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures. To combat this, we must perform exercises that stimulate the cells in the bones to build our bones.3
Jumping is a great way to stimulate those cells and increase bone health!
This exercise will help you improve:
1. Power in your legs, so you can make it to the ball more quickly
2. Balance/stability on one leg, so you can reach for tough shots without falling
3. Agility, so that you can adjust your body to the right position faster
This exercise will help prevent:
1. Hip/leg fractures, due to increased strength in bones
2. Ankle sprains, due to increased stability/strength in ankle muscles
1. Start standing upright with feet close to each other.
2. Lift your right foot slightly off of the floor. (If you can’t completely lift your foot off, try just having your toes touch the floor for balance).
3. Push off from your left foot to step or hop to the right, landing on your right foot.
4. Repeat, moving to the left.
4. Towel Twists
In pickleball, a lot of our strength/power and control in our shot comes from our arm/wrist. This leads to increased risk of muscle strains and tendonitis- especially in our forearm muscles (where our wrist flexors and extenders live)
Tennis elbow is a condition that is caused by overuse of the forearm muscles. In order to prevent this from occurring, it’s important that these muscles are strengthened.
This exercise will help you improve:
1. Strength in your wrists/forearms to increase your control in your shot
2. Grip strength, to increase the power/control in your shot
3. Shoulder strength, to also help increase the power/control in your shot
This exercise will help prevent:
1. Overuse injuries, like tennis elbow
1. Start holding a towel roll out in front of you (or with your elbows tucked in by your sides).
2. Grip the towel with both hands.
3. Pretend you are ringing out the towel by bending your right wrist forward while pulling your left wrist backward.
4. Move your wrists back and forth in this motion.
5. Standing Hip Abduction
Hip strength is so, so important for our daily lives. None of us (myself included) work our hips enough.
This exercise will help improve the strength and stability in your hips, which we need for everything from walking on the court, running to get a ball, and stabilizing as we lean forward to hit a ball before it bounces.
This exercise will help you improve:
1. Strength in hips, so you can walk and run with greater ease.
2. Balance, so you can reach for that shot that’s a little outside your base of support.
3. Power in your long-range shot from back court.
This exercise will help prevent:
1. Falls/fractures, due to increased stability in your legs
2. Knee pain, due to improved strength in your legs, your knee joints won’t have to take all of the load.
1. Start with your hand on the counter or stable surface and a slight bend in your standing leg.
2. Lift your other leg out to the side, keeping your toes pointing forward.
3. As you bring your leg back to center, try not to let it touch the floor, then bring it out to the side again.
4. Perform on both sides.
6. Shoulder External Rotation
Like I said before, in pickleball, a lot of our strength/power and control in our shot comes from our arm.
Our rotator cuff muscles are what help us to bring our paddle back and forth during our overhead swing.
As we age, the rotator cuff muscles are at higher risk for tearing, so it’s important that we keep these muscles are strong as possible.
This exercise will help you improve:
1. Strength in your shoulder to increase the strength in your overhead shot
2. Stability in your shoulder
3. Range of motion, so you can get to a ball that’s returned high
This exercise will help prevent:
1. Tear in your rotator cuff
1. Tuck a towel roll between your elbow and your rib cage.
2. Wrap a theraband around your hand (or you can do this motion without a band).
3. Start with your closed fist on your belly button (thumb should touch your belly button).
4. Keep your elbow bent and towel in place as you move your hand upward and to the side (aim for moving towards the point where the wall meets the ceiling).
5. Repeat on the other side.
7. Scapula Push ups
Movement of our scapulae is very important in order to maintain overhead mobility/motion.
The muscles that surround the scapula also play a vital role in improving our ability to have good posture. If we have poor posture, and stand with our shoulders rounded forward, we decrease our range of motion in our shoulder/arm as well.
We need all the range and strength within that range as possible to improve our power in our shot, and our ability to reach for high returns.
This exercise will help you improve:
1. Strength in your shoulder to increase the strength in your overhead shot
2. Posture
3. Motion in your scapula, so you can get to a ball that’s returned high
This exercise will help prevent:
1. Decreased range of motion in your arm
1. Place your hands on the counter top.
2. Take a step back with each foot as if you were going to do a push up against the counter.
3. Keep a slight bend in your elbows.
4. Move your chest towards the counter, while squeezing your shoulder blades together.
5. Push away from the counter top, bringing your chest back up (feel like your pushing your shoulder blades away from each other).
I hope you enjoyed this article! As always, please subscribe and comment with any questions/suggestions!
Have the strength to live life to the fullest!
Sources:
- https://www.thecenteroregon.com/medical-blog/pickleball-injury-prevention/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20injuries%20in,others%20can%20be%20game%2Dending.
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/osteoporosis/osteoporosis-what-you-need-to-know-as-you-age#:~:text=From%20about%20age%2025%20to,at%20the%20time%20of%20menopause.
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/exercise-can-help-you-keep-your-bones-strong
