We all know the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle . The beauty of pickleball is that anyone can play . It is accessible and easy to learn , then becomes more technical and complex as you progress . Pickleball has enabled so many to start enjoying an active lifestyle because it ’ s a lot of fun , and they can ’ t wait to play again . As a result , it ’ s led to many people transitioning from a sedentary lifestyle .
As you continue to play and improve your on-court performance , off-court training can be extremely beneficial . This is especially true for older , less active individuals whose bodies are not quite ready to handle the physical demands of the sport . They may be able to play at low levels , but strenuous activity may be too difficult . The good news is , by starting to train off the court , endurance , strength and cardiovascular fitness will improve , enabling you to play longer and achieve higher levels on the court . So where do you start ? You could start going to the gym . You could hire a personal trainer or consult a physical therapist who specializes in pickleball . No matter which method you choose , there are certain priorities when training for athletic activities :
• Individualized programs . In order to make improvements , your program should be tailored to your needs . Everyone has different needs and limitations . Therefore , having a trained professional assess which program would be most effective for you is crucial .
• Full-body assessment . Determining your strengths and impairments is critical . This will establish whether you need mobility work , stability work , strengthening , agility work , balance work , etc .
• Establish goals . Whether big or small , it ’ s important to know what your objectives are for your health and pickleball . Do you want to go pro or just enjoy an occasional game with your friends ? Are you looking to play in tournaments , or just want competitive recreational games ? All options are fine , but knowing what you ’ d like to achieve will impact the kind of training you should undergo .
• Specify training . Once you have determined your goals , planning a training program that targets your goals is the best way to achieve them . For example , if you ’ re looking to maximize your pickleball performance , all your training should be specific to pickleball . If you ’ re looking to lead an overall healthy lifestyle , then including exercises and movements that would be good for activities other than pickleball would make sense . But let ’ s focus on pickleball for now .
If you want to plan your workouts for maximizing your performance on the pickleball court , then most ( if not all ) of your exercises should be applicable to pickleball . It has been shown time and time again that exercises directly related to an activity have better effects on the activity than general exercises . Therefore , the exercises you perform in the gym should be relevant to movements that would be performed on the court .
For example , there are many exercises that can help strengthen the quadriceps muscle ( main muscle in the front part of the thighs ). One of the typical exercises for this would be using a leg extension machine ( at a gym ). If you trained on this extension machine for six weeks , you would see an increase in strength and size of your quads . However , the strength developed in your quads by performing that movement would have almost no impact on your pickleball performance . This is because we rarely perform a leg extension movement in pickleball like the one for that machine at the gym .
In contrast , performing a mechanically sound squat and practicing that movement over six weeks will also lead to stronger quads in a more functional way , and will certainly help you with your performance when you are at the kitchen line squatting down and reaching for a ball out of the air to apply pressure on your opponent .
While both exercises above target the quads , one is a specific movement that is utilized in pickleball ; the other is not .
This reasoning can be applied to every muscle group in the body and should be used when considering a training program to maximize your performance on the court . Therefore , consulting someone who is knowledgeable in mobility , strengthening and conditioning as well as the specific demands of pickleball — while being able to assess an individual ’ s needs and limitations — is extremely important in order to devise a program that fits your specific goals and hopes for pickleball . •
The Pickleball Doctor works with pickleball ’ s No . 1 player in the world , Ben Johns . He is also a founding member of Train100 , an online fitness training company geared toward pickleball players . If you ’ d like to learn more , contact The Pickleball Doctor at thepickleballdoctor @ gmail . com .
MARCH / APRIL 2025 | MAGAZINE 75