Stretching
As all of us know, it is important to warm up our muscles and joints before engaging in any physical activity. No matter how mild the activity, it is important to warm up before you begin.
This page outlines a simple stretching routine that takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and because it could be done at home before going to the courts I hope everyone will use it. Teachers and coaches if you were to demonstrate the routine, beginners would start doing it and hopefully follow through. It is important to keep beginning players safe and avoid injuries.
I would suggest teachers of students use a warm up appropriate to their physical education classes that will be more strenuous than the one outlined here.
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Stretching the Upper Back and Shoulders
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Stretching the Upper Back and Shoulders
Raise head and tail bone up as high as you can so you feel the stretch. Hold. |
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Abdominal Stretching
Lie down with palms flat. Lift legs six inches off the ground. Lift up with your arms only. Hold. Go slowly down and back up again. |
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Torso Stretch
Put one arm on your waist and gently stretch the other over your head. Hold and repeat on the other side. A paddle could be held in your hand if you are doing these at the courts. This might help you with the stretch. |
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Forearms and Wrists
Kneel with palms flat and the fingers pointing back toward knees. Gently lean backward keeping palms off the floor. This exercise is critical if you have tennis elbow. Make sure do not stretch too much if your elbow is bothering you. You should do this without your elbow brace if possible. |
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Triceps Stretching
Reach the left arm over the shoulder as far as you can comfortably and reach behind the head and pat yourself on the back. Reach right hand to left elbow and gently pull the elbow to the right. Hold. Reverse and repeat. |
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Stretching Arm and Chest Muscles
Hold arms straight out to the side with palms forward. Take arms back gently until you feel the stretch. Hold. |
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Shoulder Stretch
Hold left arm straight across the body. Bend right arm up to left elbow and pull left arm gently toward body. Again stretch gently and hold. Repeat on the other side. |
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Stretching the Lower Back and Buttocks
In this exercise you may chose to do one leg at a time or both. Make sure you are pulling the leg from below the knee never above. Pull the leg(s) back gently until you feel the stretch in your lower back. Hold and repeat If you have lower back problems spent more time on this exercise |
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Stretching Inner Thighs and Groin
Spread legs with feet together and gently push on the knees until you can feel a slight pull on the inner thighs. This exercise also helps loosen the lower back. |
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Stretching the Hamstrings
The last exercise focus on the legs. With legs as straight as possible reach down and gab your the back of your ankles and hold. Each time you do this exercise try to reach lower. Hold a gentle stretch |
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Calf Stretching
To stretch the calves lean against a wall, fence or stable object, put one foot back and the other against the wall a push forward. Hold a gentle stretch. |
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Quad Stretch
The last stretch is a gentle stretch of the quad muscles in your legs. Stand on one leg and reach back with the hand and grab the toes. Gently pull forward. You may wish to use a chair, table or similar object if you feel unstable standing on one foot. |
This is a light stretching program that can be done by any age. Your muscles will be warmed up to start to play. You may wish to raise your heart rate by running on the spot or some jumping jacks.
Adapted from Total Body Fitness
Pickleball is a game that keeps us fit. Now you are fit for the game.
