Exercises for Pickleball Players

If you’re one of the people who recently took up the sport, helping it to that number-one spot, or are considering getting started soon, you should be aware of the sport’s physical demands and how you can best prepare your body before you next hit the court.

Playing pickleball and other racket sports requires a degree of dexterity, agility, and fitness, as well as good coordination and balance, and working on those is a good way to improve your overall pickleball game. 

In addition to working on your general conditioning, you can also target specific muscle groups, the ones most used when you play pickleball, to enable you to move about the court more freely and to help you hit more powerful shots.

We’re going to run through the best exercises for those who love pickleball, including some warming-up and cooling-down routines, to help you hit the court in tip-top condition and take your game up a notch or two.

In addition to providing a solid cardiovascular workout, when you play pickleball, you are also working on some specific muscle groups. Moving around the court engages your leg muscles; striking the ball involves the arm and shoulder muscles, as well as improving hand-eye coordination; reaching for the ball engages the back muscles; and playing pickleball also works your core muscles.

Having a daily exercise routine that targets these specific muscle groups will not only help you improve your overall game but will also strengthen these areas so you can stay fit and healthy, avoid injury when on the court, and improve your overall well-being.

So, without further ado, here are some exercises that you can work into your daily routine to help you improve your game and avoid common injuries, such as tennis elbow or ankle sprains.

Exercises For Your Arms

Every time you hit the ball, you’re working your biceps, triceps, and forearm muscles, and having a few exercises to help strengthen those muscle groups will help improve your game:

Push-ups: Traditional push-ups are a great way to work your upper body. Not only will they help strengthen your triceps, but they will also help tone your pectorals and shoulders. 

To perform push-ups, place your palms flat on a mat with your hands shoulder-width apart and fingers facing forward. Your shoulders should be positioned over your hands, with your feet together behind you, and your back should remain in a straight line. 

Slowly lower your body toward the floor until your chest or chin touch the ground, and then push upward with your arms until you are back in the starting position with your arms straight, and repeat.

Suitcase/Backpack Curl: To put your biceps through their paces without the need for any specialized equipment, simply grab a suitcase or backpack and some books. Pop the books, or other weighty objects, inside the bag and then hold it in front of you. Then pull your shoulders down and back, and bend your elbows to curl the bag upwards, then slowly lower it back to the starting position and repeat.

Exercises For Your Shoulders

Your shoulders are used every time you swing your racket to strike the ball. Improving your shoulder strength and working your rotator cuff muscles can help you hit more powerful shots, which will make life more difficult for your opponent. 

Standing shoulder row: To perform this exercise, you’ll need an elastic exercise band and something to fix it onto. Attach the exercise band to a door or other sturdy point, then, while standing, grip the band with both hands. 

Inch backward until your elbows are straight and there’s slight tension in the band, then pull and bend your elbows, keeping your arms close to your body. The aim is to get your elbows to a 90-degree bend while your forearms remain parallel to the ground. Return to the starting position and repeat five times.

Chair dips: Chair dips require no additional equipment and are a good way of strengthening your shoulder joints as well as your triceps. Find a sturdy chair or bench and sit on the edge of it, then put your hands down next to your hips and lift your bum up and forwards so it’s over the floor with your knees slightly bent. 

Slowly lower your body until your elbows form 90-degree angles, then push back up to your starting position with your arms fully extended.

Exercises For Your Legs

In pickleball, lower body strength is just as important as upper body strength, and giving your legs a workout will help you get about the court better, prevent knee injuries, and allow you to put more power into your shots.

Squat: Squats are another simple exercise that requires no additional equipment and help tone your thighs and your glutes. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your feet flat on the floor. Keeping your heels flat, squat down slowly until your hips are lower than your knees, then slowly stand back up in the starting position and repeat.

Lunges: Lunges are a great lower body exercise that can help strengthen your quads, glutes, calves, and hamstrings. They help you lunge for the ball when you’re on the court and are very simple to do. Start by standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, and then take a big step forward with one leg. 

Your leading foot should be flat on the ground, with the heel of the trailing leg raised. Allow your knees to bend approximately 90 degrees as you lower yourself, then forcefully push off from your leading leg to return to the starting position. 

Complete ten repetitions with your right leg forward, then switch legs so your left leg is leading, and repeat.

Exercises For Your Back

Twisting and turning on the court and reaching for high shots require good back strength. Having a strong back can also help you prevent injuries and to twist into more powerful strokes on the court.

Bent Over Row: The bent over row is a good all-around back exercise that works the latissimus dorsi (the large wing-like muscles in your back), the middle and lower trapezius, the rhomboids, and the posterior deltoids. 

Stand holding a barbell loaded with light weights (or a backpack with a few books inside it) and with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your back straight, bend forward at the hips until your body is at a 45-degree angle. 

Next, contract your glutes and core as you pull your elbows up and behind you, bringing the bar towards your rib cage. Keep pulling your elbows behind you and squeeze your shoulder blades together while keeping your back straight. Briefly hold it, then slowly lower the bar/bag back to the starting position with your arms extended and repeat.

Exercises For Your Core

There are many benefits to working your core muscles. Improving your core strength can increase stability, reduce injury, and maintain mobility when pickleballing.

Plank: Performing regular planks can help your back, chest, shoulder joints, neck, and abs become stronger. To perform it, lie with your forearms and palms flat on a mat and your legs supported by your toes behind you, with your body in a straight line. 

Tuck your chin in and tighten your abdominals, then hold that position for 30 seconds, and rest and repeat.

Exercises For Your Cardio

Having a good level of cardio fitness adds endurance to your game and allows you to play harder for longer.

Daily walk: A simple way of improving your cardiovascular fitness is to go for a daily walk. You just need to put your right foot in front of your left foot and repeat. Start by walking a couple of miles each morning, and then as your fitness improves, you can push the distance a little farther.

Exercises For Your Agility

Agility exercises are great for improving on-court mobility, balance, and your all-around game.

Single-leg-balance box jumps: You’ll need an exercise box, or something similar and sturdy, to perform these box jumps. Place the box about one foot away from you, then stand in front of it with your feet wide apart and slowly lift your left foot off the floor and distribute your weight evenly over your right leg, and balance on the right leg. 

Then slowly bend a little before pushing off with your right foot to jump and land right-footed on the box, focusing on your balance. Then switch sides to the other leg, lifting your right foot and jumping with the left.

In addition to improving your fitness levels with these exercises, you should also take time to make sure you complete a solid warm-up before playing and a good cooling-down routine afterward. This can help you reduce injury risk when you play.

You’ll want to warm up your rotator cuff muscles, loosen up your legs, and shake out your shoulder joints before playing to loosen everything up. The USA Pickleball Association recommends at least five minutes of warm-up before play.

Before Playing: Warming Up

To get your body warmed up and ready to perform, a few simple exercises can go a long way. A good way to start your warm-up is to complete a couple of forward and backward runs across the court. 

Start by running forwards to the other side of the court, then keep facing the same direction and perform a backward run to your starting point.

You’ll also want to make sure your arms and the shoulder joint of your racket hand are also nice and loose. Arm circles are a quick and easy way of doing this. Simply stand straight and rotate your right arm in a circular motion for a minute, then switch and repeat with the opposite arm.

After Playing: Cooling Down

A solid cooling-down process can also help you avoid injuries and to recover before your next pickleball battle begins. A simple way to give your body a chance to cool down properly is to take a short walk, which will help lower your body temperature and to get your heart rate slowly back to normal.

• Improving your all-around fitness can improve your pickleball game.
• The most important muscle groups are the arms, legs, shoulders, and back.
• Better fitness leads to fewer injuries.
• Should you get an injury, consult a qualified physical therapist for professional advice.
• A good warm-up and cool-down session is also important.
• Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun every time you hit the court!