Pickleball Warm Up
- Yasmine Mucher
- Apr 27
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 27
So many of our clients love Pickle Ball! And we love that for them! Its a great way to get moving, and stay social.
What we don't love is how many clients we see getting injured playing Pickle Ball. (We know if you haven't been injured yourself playing Pickle Ball, you know someone who has). So, we're teaming up with JEM Pickle Place and Social Club to offer a Warm Up Workshop. Our goal is to help decrease risk of injury, and promote better movement for strong and resilient Pickle Ball players.
Just a reminder: this is not medical advice. If you are struggling with an acute or recurrent injury from Pickle Ball, Yasmine is a Kinesiologist and Athletic Therapist, specialized to working with injuries to muscles, bones, and joints. Contact us here to book your initial assessment and get back to the courts ASAP.
Watch the full Pickle Ball warm up below, or keep scrolling for more detail on each movement.
Start from the Centre and Move Out
First up, let's get the upper back and chest ready for reaching and twisting. When doing these movements, think about how your ribs and spine are moving too, not just the arms; give attention to how your shoulder blades move away and in as well.
Shoulder Circles
Next up, let's get the shoulders moving. We'll do 8 circles around in each direction with each arm. Focus on reaching into your full range of motion with each circle, moving a straight arm from the shoulder, not a bent arm from the elbow.
Happy Cuff, Better Stuff
Now that we have mobility, let's add some stability. First up, use a miniband to perform external rotation of the shoulder joint. Keep your elbow in tight at your side as you push your palm away; this helps make sure that the shoulder rotates rather than lifts away.
Next, we'll warm up a deep but important muscle of the shoulder girdle, the serratus anterior. We care about this muscle because it enables us to reach the arm away. You know when you are running to keep that ball in play and are reaching with all your might from your shoulder to your finger tips? Serratus Anterior is so important here. A weak SA can lead to an overactive trapezius (that tight muscle around your neck). Push the back of your palms out against the band, and push your elbows in towards each other while reaching the hands upwards and lowering back down without losing that tension.
Fire Up the Forearms
Between our phones and computers, our forearms don't get nearly the love they deserve, and this is a perfect time for it. Using your knuckles, press into your forearm on the palm side just below the hand, and maintain pressure as you pull up to your elbow. Repeat this motion 5-10 times on the other side, then both on the other forearm.
Wake up those tight muscles by quickly opening and closing your fingers like little fire works. Continue this fast motion at the hands while reaching the arms up overhead and then down again back by your sides.
Hips Don't Lie
Chances are you've sat for a while today. Let's open those hips before we ask them to sprint back and forth across the court. Start with a quick heel to bum stretch, opening through the front of the body. Keep your knees together and squeeze your glutes; try not to scrunch your body sideways.
Then we're going to make circles, 5-10 times per direction: up and around, then from the side to the front. Use a wall if you need some balance support and only lift your leg as high as you can without bending or scrunching your torso.
Monster Walks
Using your miniband, start with it around the middle of your calves. Keeping your toes facing forwards, knees soft and forward facing, and hips behind you (like you're starting to sit in a chair) take 10 side steps one way, then take 10 steps back the other way. Don't turn around.
Last one! Drop the band around your ankles and take ten steps per side forwards, then ten steps per side backwards while keeping your toes facing forwards, knees soft and forward facing, and hips behind you (like you're starting to sit in a chair).
This is a lot to remember! Click below to download a printable warm up checklist.
Write on it, doodle the movements, and keep in your Pickle bag.
Altogether, this should take 5-7minutes. Give it a try before your next Pickle Ball session, and comment below to let us know how you feel!
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