Pickleball warm-up: eight minutes before you step on court
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Almost nobody warms up before playing pickleball. And there's a logical explanation: since it isn't a sport that leaves you out of breath, you don't perceive it as demanding.
The problem is that pickleball's demand isn't cardiovascular, it's joint-related and repetitive. And there a warm-up does change things.
This routine is eight minutes, needs no equipment and is designed for the three movements you really repeat on court: lateral plant, deep knee flexion and forearm rotation.
Before you start: what warming up is and isn't
Warming up is not stretching. Long static stretches before playing don't prevent injuries and can reduce the power available in the first minutes. Leave that for afterwards.
What does work beforehand: raising your temperature, moving the joints through the range you're going to use and activating the muscles that will work.
Minutes 1 and 2 · Raise your heart rate
Anything that warms you up without tiring you.
- Walk briskly or jog gently around the perimeter of the court, 90 seconds.
- 30 seconds of butt kicks and high knees alternating, very gently.
You should end up breathing a little harder, not gasping.
Minutes 3 and 4 · Ankle and hip mobility
The two places where pickleball will ask for range.
Ankle against the wall
Standing facing the fence or wall, one foot forward by about a hand's width. Drive your knee forward trying to touch the wall without lifting your heel. 10 repetitions per leg.
It's the exact movement of the low position at the kitchen. If it's hard, you already know where the ache will come from.
Ankle circles
10 in each direction, each foot. It sounds old-fashioned and is among the most useful things before a lateral sport.
Hip opening
A wide lateral lunge, resting your hands on the floor or on your knee, and rocking from side to side. 8 passes.
Minutes 5 and 6 · Lateral activation
This is where this routine differs from a generic warm-up.
Lateral shuffles
From one side of the court to the other with short steps, without crossing your feet, in a mid-height position. Four round trips. Lower your center of gravity more than you feel like.
Half squats
10 repetitions, not going all the way down, staying at the height of the ready position. Don't look for depth: look to reproduce the movement you'll repeat a hundred times.
Gentle lateral hops
From one foot to the other, 20 in total, cushioning the landing. No explosiveness.
Minutes 7 and 8 · Forearm and shoulder
Pickleball punishes the elbow through the vibration of impact. Arriving with a cold forearm doesn't help.
Forearm rotation
Arm against your body, elbow at 90 degrees. Turn your palm up and down slowly, 15 times each arm. It's the movement of the backhand and the forehand.
Wrist flexion and extension
With your arm straight, gently pull your fingers up and down with the other hand. 15 seconds each position.
Shoulder circles
10 forward and 10 backward, big.
And the best warm-up of all: the first rallies
Spend the first three minutes of rallying on soft drop shots at the kitchen, without looking for power. It's the movement of the match at low intensity, which is the exact definition of a good specific warm-up.
The temptation is to start hitting hard from the baseline. Exactly the opposite of what your elbow needs.
After playing
Here the stretches do go, and three are enough:
- Calf and soleus against the wall, 30 seconds each leg.
- Quadriceps standing, heel to glute, 30 seconds each leg.
- Forearm, arm straight and fingers pointing down, 30 seconds each arm.
And if you played a lot, the sole of the foot: roll a ball under your arch for a minute per foot.
A necessary clarification
This is a general warm-up routine for healthy people. It is not treatment and does not replace a professional's judgment. If you're carrying an injury, have pain that doesn't go away or are coming back from time off, the person who has to tell you what to do is your physiotherapist, not an article from a shop.
What I can tell you for sure: eight minutes before going in costs less than six weeks out.
The warm-up you do already on court
When you're already in with the paddle in hand, five more minutes:
- Two minutes of cross-court dinks from the kitchen, soft balls, not looking for the point. It's the best thing there is for adjusting your hand.
- One minute of mid-court balls from the middle of the court, with the full movement but at 60%.
- One minute from the baseline, now with the full stroke.
- Four or five serves. The serve is the movement most people skip warming up and then miss the first one of the match.
If you're short on time, sacrifice everything except the dinks and the serves.
And when you finish: two minutes
You don't need a stretching session. It's enough not to leave the court cold:
- Walk a couple of minutes before sitting in the car.
- Calf against the wall, 30 seconds per leg.
- Forearm, arm straight and fingers pointing down, 30 seconds per side. It's the one you'll appreciate most if you play often.
When it's cold, double it
In winter, and especially on an outdoor court in the morning, double the times of the mobility part and don't start hitting hard until your hands feel warm. Cold tissue tolerates abrupt movements worse, and the serve and the smash are abrupt movements.
A windbreaker you take off after the warm-up solves this better than any extra routine.
Keep reading
Related guides
- Recovery after playing: a 10-minute routine
- What the dink is and how to practice it
- Back aches when playing and how to bend down less
If you usually play with a support, in our shop you'll find the STABIL ankle support and the FLEX knee support.
