You’ve learned how to play pickleball; now, it’s time to dominate the court.

You’ve mastered the skills you need, found the perfect pickleball court, and secured your equipment. But… you’re still missing something! In fact, you’re missing one of the most important pieces of the sporting puzzle!

You still need to learn how to stretch!

Don’t fret! This blog post is all about stretches. I’ll even highlight some of the reasons why you should consider certain routines. After all, you need to be at your best to rule the court!

Why You Should Stretch Before Playing Pickleball

You’ve heard it for years: “Stretch before you exercise!”

It’s not just a nice phrase; it’s an imperative. Those seemingly mundane stretches prime your body for the game; we have the science to prove it! (To be fair, we also have some studies that suggest otherwise, but the widespread professional opinion remains firmly in the “stretch before you play” court.)

Improve Your Overall Performance

Outside of a pickleball game, regular stretching improves your overall performance. I’m not just talking about your serving skills, either. Daily stretching can improve your everyday life, too!

Think about it.

Most of us spend the majority of our time in an office. We’re not engaging in many active movements, and that standing desk is no replacement for some old-fashioned exercise. Ultimately, while our inactive lifestyles aren’t inherently unhealthy, they force our muscles into abnormal positions. Doctors at Harvard have even noted that prolonged inactivity tends to result in tense, stiff muscles.

Stretches loosen and prime those formerly inactive muscles!

Sure, stretching before you play pickleball improves your game. But it also helps you stay in motion! Even a few basic exercises before your day job can make a huge impact on the tension and soreness you may feel every day.

Increase Your Range of Motion

Limbering up also improves your flexibility.

Now, I’m not saying you’ll be able to do the splits! However, targeted stretches — like the ones I’ll be explaining later — train certain muscle groups. Think of it as ongoing physical therapy.

You’re improving your overall strength and health with gentle, purposeful motions.

Reduce Injury Risks

Finally, all that training (yes, even for a few minutes) tells your body it’s game time!

Once you’ve stretched, you’re more capable of tackling the challenges of the sport. You literally warm up your body, and that boost makes you less prone to injury. The boost in performance may even help prevent injury altogether!

And, yes, you can injure yourself by playing pickleball. In fact, there are a few common injuries, and all of them will hamper your ability to play! Pickleball players should be especially wary of such injuries, namely:

• Achilles Tendonitis: This ankle injury is caused by repetitive strains. Symptoms range from dull to sharp pain and muscle spasms, particularly in the calf.
• Pickleball Elbow: Another repetitive strain injury, this affliction causes dull or throbbing pain in your elbow. You may also experience stiffness and weakness in the affected arm.
• Various Shoulder Injuries: Sprains, strains, and tears are common occurrences on the pickleball court!
• Wrist Injuries: In addition to carpal tunnel, pickleball players have broken wrists when falling!

What to Focus on When You Stretch

With that in mind, let’s quickly review the key pickleball muscle groups:

• Ankles
• Arms
• Core
• Hips
• Knees
• Shoulders
• Wrists

All of these muscles are used frequently, so focus on them as you stretch! Doing so can prevent injuries and improve your overall performance.

For the sake of convenience, I’ve broken our stretches into groups. Each set of exercises will focus on a specific muscle group, from your toes to your head! So, keep reading to learn how to prime your body for an amazing game of pickleball.

Arm Exercises

This first set of stretches focuses on your upper body, primarily your arms.

You’ll be swinging and hitting with your paddle, so neglecting these muscles would be a huge mistake! These stretches are especially important for the finely-tuned muscles of your elbows and shoulders. Both of these areas (and your wrists, too!) are prone to repetitive strain injuries, and even a quick warm-up can reduce your risk of a game-ending repeat injury.

Arm Circles

This simple exercise may not be the most exciting of warm-ups, but it’s a wonderful way to promote a bit more blood flow. Moreover, it can be done standing up or lying down!

1. Splay your arms apart. Think about forming a ‘T’ or giving someone a big hug! Your elbows should be straight.
2. Move your arms in small circles. Your shoulders should be doing most of the work.
3. Perform the motion for several seconds.

It’s that simple! You can do arm circles for as long as you want. You can even have your fellow players join in on this dynamic warm-up. Just don’t tire yourself out before the first serve!

Scapular Circles

Here’s a fun one! This motion improves the flexibility of your shoulders; as a bonus, it’s also a slight workout for your core. Start this stretch by standing upright, with your back straight, then:

1. Bring your arms forward. Your palms, forearms, and elbows should be touching.
2. Angle your elbows. From the side, it will look like you’re making an uppercase ’L’ with your arms.
3. Reach up and open your elbows. This is a two-part motion. With your palms together, slowly spread your elbows outward as you raise your hands above your head. You’ll look like you’re ready to dive into a pool!
4. Open your hands and slowly pull your elbows down. Separate your hands and slowly lower your arms to the side. Bend the elbows as you move. Your arms should form a ‘W’ from one side to the other.

For a deeper stretch, press your shoulder blades together as you perform the fourth step. This may cause some discomfort, so feel free to tweak the exercise to fit your needs.

Wrist Rotations

This is a simple exercise that works for sports and daily life!

Hold your arms out and slowly rotate your wrists in small circles. Ensure that you’re running them through the full range of motion! Move them clockwise for 15–30 seconds, and repeat in the opposite direction. Keep in mind that this is a great exercise for office workers, too! It’s the perfect way to release tension from a day spent typing.

Core Exercises

These exercises aim to prevent injuries to your abdomen and spine, although the added stability may also reduce your risk of falling. Never start playing pickleball (or any sport, for that matter!) without doing at least one or two of these critical stretches! At the very least, you’ll feel that mistake the following morning.

Back Extensions

Like wrist rotations, back extensions are a simple but essential part of a warm-up routine. You start this exercise by standing upright, ideally with your feet together. However, this stretch may also be done on a stool. From the starting position, follow these steps:

1. Place your hands on your lower back. If you need an idea of placement, think of how people in cartoons express lower back pain.
2. Open your chest and arch your back. Press your chest slightly forward for a deeper stretch.

This exercise should be done slowly and with particular attention to comfort. You want to feel your muscles working, but you should not feel any pain. Know your limits! Stop if you experience excessive discomfort.

Lateral Side Bends

These movements focus on your abdominal stability. Anyone who’s ever done a bit of yoga (or, perhaps, played some Wii Fit) will recognize this exercise! Start by standing upright with your feet together. Your toes should point forward.

1. Place your left hand on your hip. If you’re doing the other side, your right hand goes on your hip.
2. Stretch your right arm over your head and bend to the left. The inverse movements place your left arm over your head as you bend to the right! Keep the outstretched arm somewhat straight, as if you’re forming the ‘C’ in the “YMCA” dance.
3. Hold this pose for a few seconds. This step isn’t entirely necessary, but it’s an excellent way to get a nice, deep stretch!

Repeat this motion a few times, then switch sides.

Leg Exercises

Finally, it’s time to get our legs ready!

These stretches prevent painful injuries like pulled hamstrings, twisted ankles, and sore knees. Like core exercises, they also increase your overall stability. These routines focus on key joints, like the ankle, hip, and knee.

Heel Raises

Heel raises are a gentle, low-impact way to improve your athletic performance. You probably won’t feel much of a strain when performing this simple routine, but this motion has profound effects on the body. When performed properly, it looks a bit like a modified high knees exercise.

Begin heel raises by standing upright, with your feet spaced roughly one hip-width apart. Your toes should point forward throughout this stretch. Many prefer to lean against a solid surface while doing this exercise; ideal supports include sturdy tables and countertops.

1. Slowly raise one knee, bent, to your chest (or as high as possible).
2. Hold this position for a few seconds. If you’re not looking for a deep stretch, you can skip this step.
3. Slowly lower your foot.
4. Repeat the exercise for the other side.

Note that this stretch is all about those movements. Take things slow and move with purpose. You want to feel the muscles around your ankles and lower shins, although you may also feel a slight pull in your thigh.

Lunges

Lunges are a great way to increase flexibility and get a pre-game workout!

To perform a lunge, stand with your feet 2–3 feet apart, as if you’re about to do a forward split.

1. Bend your knees. The back knee should nearly touch the floor. Don’t worry if you can’t stretch that far, though!
2. Push up and return to the starting position. Placing your weight on the front foot makes the motion easier.

Lunges are extremely common, but they’re often performed improperly! You want to keep your back straight and engage your core. Don’t twist or do any back-and-forth movements; these may contort your spine and cause discomfort.

Side-Lying Leg Lift

Another great way to get your heart rate going is the side-lying leg lift. This exercise strengthens your hips and thighs, increasing your stability. It’s a staple of many racquet sports prep routines, and it’s simple enough to do anywhere!

Unlike most stretches, this routine is done on the floor. Consider using a yoga mat or soft blanket if hard surfaces cause discomfort. Begin by laying on your side with your hips stacked.

1. Lift the top leg up and slightly behind your body. Keep your knee straight. You’ll feel a slight pull in your core, hips, and thighs.
2. Slowly lower the leg. Again, keep the knee straight. You should be engaging your core and using your abdominal muscles to power the lift.
3. Repeat for each side. This may be done as many times as desired.

Equipment to Enhance Your Stretching

Still feeling stiff?

That’s okay! Our modern lifestyles don’t leave much room for good, deep stretching. All that sitting and hunching is bad for your blood flow, though, so you may need some additional help. All of the exercises I’ve described can be done anywhere and without additional equipment.

However, you can really amp up your pre-game routine with a few small investments.

(Again, I want to stress that all of this is entirely optional. You don’t need any of this to stretch. These products just make it easier to perform certain motions.)

Foam Rollers

As you may have guessed from its name, these handy devices are used in foam rolling.

Place one of these on the floor to get a great spot to arch your aching back or feet. All it takes is a bit of gentle back-and-forth movement.

Foam rolling works as both a warm-up and cool-down exercise, by the way!

The Exercise Ball

This sporting good goes by many names. Ask a dozen people what they call that giant rubber ball at the gym; you’ll probably get a dozen different answers! Common names include the exercise, stability stress, Swiss, and yoga ball.

As one of its names implies, the yoga ball is a common facet of modern yoga classes. Practitioners support their body weight against the rolling surface, then perform a range of dynamic stretching exercises. However, you don’t have to go that far!

These rounded supports are great ways to perform static stretches. Using one as an office chair may improve your balance and give you a few opportunities to sneak a hamstring stretch between meetings.

Yoga Mats

I mentioned them before, but yoga mats are an indispensable fitness tool. They’re perfect for static and dynamic stretching, and you don’t need to be doing yoga to use one.

Note that these surfaces come in a variety of styles. Some have little support, while others can qualify as mini mattresses! If you can tolerate laying on a hard surface, a thin yoga mat will suffice. However, individuals with sore joints may prefer thicker options.

Stretching Shouldn’t Hurt

There are many other stretching routines to try, but these examples are specially formulated to target the muscles you use in pickleball! They’re a great way to warm up, and many find that performing these routines in groups enhances the fun of the game.

However, before we wrap up our blog post, I want to stress something important…

Stretching should never be painful! Yes, you may feel slight discomfort or straining, but you should never be in any pain. Stop immediately if any of these movements cause much more than a twinge. This may be a sign that you’re over-exerting your muscles or performing the stretch incorrectly.

Whether you’re doing dynamic stretches, high knees, lunges, small circles, status stretching, or even stationary cycling before your game, remember: If it hurts, don’t do it!

You’re Ready to Play Pickleball!

That’s it!

Give yourself a pat on the back, and get ready to play some pickleball!

And, if you’re still looking for more information, don’t forget to browse the rest of the blog for more pickleball tips and tricks.