Once adequate mobility has been achieved , it ’ s important to develop stability in order to control your body while performing athletic movements . With stability and mobility established , you can start training functional movements that include various basic movements such as a squat , as well as more advanced pickleball-specific movements such as side steps , lunges , shuffle steps , etc .
Once you have developed proper mobility , flexibility and 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 , leading to more explosive movements and improvement of 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 requirements of athletic performance , as they enable the body to move efficiently while maintaining its structure and integrity with athletic movements . Skipping this step in your training would be a vital mistake , since 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 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 .
Steps 2 and 3 : Stability and Functional Movement
Once mobility has been established / restored , it ’ s important to develop stability around joints to decrease injury risk while performing athletic movements . In addition , improving / perfecting basic functional movements is key to ensuring that you 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 particular sports . However , adding this to your training will greatly improve 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 , most of the 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 is impossible to effectively prepare a pickleball player for all movements of the game .
Steps 4 and 5
Strength and power can be developed after steps 1-3 and need to be trained in multiple planes of motion . To learn some drills and exercises encompassing multiplanar training , visit thepickleballdoctor . com for more information and video demonstrations . •
Noe Sariban is a doctor of physical therapy and owner of Move It Physical Therapy in Chapel Hill , NC . He is a certified pickleball teaching professional through the IPTPA , and the tournament physical therapist for the world ’ s # 1 men ’ s player , Ben Johns . Noe has a physical therapy business as well as a pickleball coaching business . If you ’ d like to register for camps or lessons , email thepickleballdoctor @ gmail . com .
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2024 | MAGAZINE 69