Pickleball Magazine 3-3 | Page 77

ZERO ZERO divides the body to create upper and lower halves and generally refers to motion that rotates or pivots, such as with serving, overheads, forehands, backhands, and sudden changes of direction. The sagittal plane bisects the body into two halves (left and right) and motion in this plane includes running forward, backward, and bending forward (or backward). Of the three planes, the transverse plane poses the greatest challenges to balance and dynamic stability and most lower extremity injuries occur during transverse plane movements. However, the majority of traditional strength and conditioning exercises occur in the sagittal plane. Typical exercises include bicep curls, chest press, push- ups, running, and cycling (all sagittal plane movements). By training exclusively in the sagittal plane it’s impossible to effectively prepare a pickleball player for all movements of the game. To learn some drills and exercises encompassing multiplanar training, visit www.thepickleballdoctor.com for more information and video demonstrations. Dynamic Warm-Up Does this sound familiar? You get to the courts, and just cannot wait to play! You hit a few dinks, a few third shots, a couple serves, and maybe a couple of overheads, then let the games begin! You’re not alone. Most pickleball players do not take the time to properly warm-up when playing recreationally (or even in tournament play!) Performing a proper Dynamic Warm-Up has been shown to reduce the incidence of injuries, especially in the lower extremities. The goal of a dynamic warm-up is to increase your body temperature and tissue extensibility in preparation for playing. It should be different than hitting pickleball shots and should take between 10 and 15 minutes. I would recommend making it part of your scheduled playing time and being disciplined about it. It will pay off in the long run! Visit my website for an example of a dynamic warm-up and modify it to fit your needs. Playing Through Pain Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong, and it should not be ignored. Don’t be afraid to consult a Sports Physical Therapist in order to determine the cause of your pain and to help get you safely back onto the court. Physical Therapists are the experts in movement and rehabilitation, and they can change your game and life for the better. You can contact me with questions through the website thepickleballdoctor.com and I will help as best as I can. • SAVE! SAVE 15% ON ANY AMAZIN’ ACES PRODUCT W W W. A M A Z I N AC E S .C O M A M A ZIN ’ PA D D L E S. A M A ZIN ’ P RI C E S. USE CODE USAPAMAG AT CHECKOUT EXPERT ADVICE CALL & SPEAK WITH KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF OVER 12,000 PRODUCT REVIEWS OVER 2,000 PRODUCTS IN STOCK – GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED THE PICKLEBALL SUPERSTORE 888-854-0163 Noe Sariban is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Pickleball Teaching Professional through the IPTPA, and a USAPA Rated 5.0 player. Noe started his website www.thepickleballdoctor.com to provide pickleball players around the world with a reliable and free source of information. MAY/JUNE 2018 | MAGAZINE 75