can lead to injuries . One of the biggest risk factors I see on the courts leading to potential injuries is improper positioning .
Why is positioning so important ? Everything in pickleball is about positioning . The better your position is on the court , the more successful you will be at hitting the next shot . When positioning is not ideal , people resort to compensations ( from a movement perspective ) in order to contact the ball . These movement compensations place our bodies in — at times — awkward positions that can increase our injury risk .
Here is a concrete example :
You are at the kitchen line , and someone hits an angled dink that is outside of your comfortable reach ( we ’ ll define comfortable reach as a ball within a wide base of support ). You were late to notice that the ball would be outside of your comfortable reach , so now the ball has bounced and is moving away from you to the side . Since you had not moved your feet early enough , you now bend over and twist while reaching away from your body to contact the ball .
This is a common situation that occurs in pickleball ( that does not occur in tennis , for example ), as the nature of a dink is that the ball will be low . The combination of the reaching , bending and twisting can be a vulnerable position for the lower back ( lumbar spine ). This is only one example but it is a good representation of how poor positioning increases someone ’ s injury risk .
So , what can be done ?
Working / drilling intently on your footwork is critical in developing proper motion around the court . There are four main steps used in pickleball to move effectively and efficiently . They are : sidestep , side shuffle , pivot step , and cross-over step .
Sidestep : Self-explanatory … From your athletic stance ( wide base of support , chest leaning forward , buttocks back ), take a step to the side . This allows your base of support to be wider and makes your comfortable hitting zone larger . You should use this step when the ball is hit slightly away from you .
Side shuffle : When the ball is hit a little farther to your side , using the side shuffle is the next step . This is the progression of the sidestep , and allows you to move laterally and relocate your hitting zone to match the location of the shot .
Pivot step : This is one of the most underutilized steps at the amateur level . Just as the name implies , the pivot step is like a basketball pivot . This should be used when the ball is going to land near the player ’ s foot . This is a ball that could maybe have been volleyed ( hit out of the air ), but possibly misjudged so that the ball would now land near your foot . It is imperative to move the targeted foot out of the way with a pivot step , in order to allow an alley for your shoulder to swing and enable you to be positioned behind the ball at contact .
Cross-over step : The final step is the cross-over step . This step can be considered an emergency step in some cases ( also a higher-level step on the backhand side ). When the ball is hit away from your body ( strong angle ), you may not have time to side shuffle or sidestep , and so utilizing the cross-over step is quicker and more efficient . The downside of this step is that your base of support will be narrower , making you less stable at the time of contact . Less-stable positions lead to more errors making shots , but the benefit gained by the efficiency of the movement can be worth it at times .
Utilizing proper footwork and movement prior to striking the ball is the key to getting your body positioned properly to hit the ball . Better positioning leads to your body not needing to compensate , which in turn leads to a lower risk of injury . A high-level , quality instructor should address your movement on the court to ensure that your positioning is optimal to reduce your injury risk .
If you ’ d like to learn more about this , you can contact The Pickleball Doctor at thepickleballdoctor @ gmail . com . The Pickleball Doctor works with the sport ’ s No . 1 men ’ s player in the world , Ben Johns . •
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 , an Engage sponsored athlete , and the Team Engage physical therapist . Visit thepickleballdoctor . com for more information on injury prevention and rehabilitation tips .
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2024 | MAGAZINE 81