Mobility is the foundation of all movement, and should
be at the top of the list when starting to work on
improving your physical capabilities.
Once adequate mobility has been achieved, it’s
important to develop stability in order to control
our body while performing athletic movements.
With stability and mobility established, you can start
training functional movements, which include various
basic movements such as a squat or
more advanced pickleball-specific
movements such as side steps, lunges,
shuffle steps, etc.
Once you have developed proper
mobility, and flexibility, stability, and
can perform functional movements, it’s
time to start adding strength training.
At this point, we know the body can
perform all necessary movements,
and therefore loading the body with
weight training has a decreased risk
for injury. Finally, the last step is to
develop power, which is the ability to
exert a maximal amount of force in
the shortest time possible, therefore
leading to more explosive movements,
and improving performance over time.
Step 1: Mobility
This is the foundation of all athletic prowess (beyond
talent and skill). It is the base of our pyramid and
should not be overlooked. Can someone perform well
without good mobility? In the short term, possibly,
but down the line, a lack of mobility is bound to lead
to injuries. Mobility (and flexibility) are the most basic
requirement of athletic performance, as it enables our
body to move efficiently while maintaining its structure
and integrity with athletic movements. Skipping this
step in your training would be a vital mistake as adding
strength training and power development on top of
a poor mobility baseline is a recipe for disaster, and
ultimately has been shown to lead to injury. Consulting
a movement specialist (no matter what your level of
play) such as a Physical Therapist who can help identify
impairments is a great first step if you are unsure of how
to develop adequate mobility.
Step 2 & 3: Stability and Functional Movement
Once Mobility has been established/restored, it’s
important to develop stability around your joint in order
to decrease your injury risk while performing athletic
movements. In addition, improving/perfecting basic
functional movements is key to ensure we are prepared
for all the different movements required in pickleball.
Functional movements include squats, lunges, hopping,
jumping, balancing, etc. A good thing to incorporate in
your training is something called Multiplanar Training.
This is often overlooked as people focus solely on the
necessary skills required for their sport. However,
adding this in your training will greatly improve your
performance. There are three planes
of motion and Pickleball movements
occur in each of them simultaneously.
The frontal plane bisects the body
into front and back halves. Movements
in this plane include sidestepping and
bending sideways, as when someone
hits a dink wide to you.
The transverse plane 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.
Step 4 & 5: Strength and Power
Strength and Power can be developed after Steps 1-3,
and also need to be trained in multiple planes of motion.
To learn drills and exercises encompassing
multiplanar training, visit www.thepickleballdoctor.com
for more information and video demonstrations. •
Noe Sariban is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified
Pickleball Teaching Professional through the IPTPA, an
Engage Sponsored Athlete, and the Team Engage Physical
Therapist. Please visit www.thepickleballdoctor.com for more
information on injury prevention and rehabilitation tips. Noe
started his website to provide pickleball players around the
world with a reliable and free source of information. Please like
his Facebook page www.facebook.com/pickleballdoctor for
updates and new information.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 | MAGAZINE 69