Injury Prevention: Level 1, Part 1

Key Points

• Setup: Start on hands and knees with hands directly under shoulders and knees directly under hips; maintain a neutral spine (flat back).
• Execution: Engage shoulder and core muscles to hold a braced, stable position.
• Extend the right leg back and the left arm out to the side, then alternate sides (left leg, right arm).
• Keep movements slow and controlled to activate muscles fully.
• Key Techniques: Maintain neutral hips throughout the exercise to avoid shifting.
• Focus on bracing the core and activating glutes and shoulder girdle muscles.
• Ensure crossover coordination by practicing opposite arm and leg movements.
• Objective: Train the body to stay braced and stable during crossover movements, simulating on-court demands.
• Improve coordination, core engagement and stability for better dynamic performance on the pickleball court.
• Drill Objective: Activate glutes, improve hip extension, and support acceleration and deceleration for injury prevention.
• Setup: Use an ankle or micro band placed around the feet, ensuring the band stays flat and doesn’t roll.
• Lie on your back with feet hip-width apart and toes pulled back toward the body.
• Execution: Apply slight outward tension against the band to engage the glutes before starting.
• Push through the hips to lift, squeezing the glutes at the top, holding for 1-2 seconds, and slowly lowering back down.
• Keep feet parallel and knees slightly outward during the movement.
• Key Techniques: Press hands firmly into the ground for added stability.
• Maintain proper alignment of the feet and knees throughout the exercise.
• Focus on controlled, slow movements for maximum glute activation.
• Objective: Strengthen the glutes to enhance stability, improve court movement efficiency, and prevent injuries during acceleration and deceleration.
• Setup: Start in a full plank position, similar to the top of a push-up, with hands under shoulders and hips neutral.
• Engage posterior shoulder muscles to support the shoulder girdle and brace the core.
• Execution: Take legs slightly wider apart to create a stable base, mimicking an on-court stance.
• Lift one hand off the ground and tap the opposite shoulder, keeping movements slow and controlled.
• Key Techniques: Maintain neutral hips and prevent rocking by keeping the core braced and the back straight.
• Perform slow, fluid movements to increase core engagement and stability.
• Objective: Train the core and shoulders to remain braced and stable during movement, mimicking on-court demands and reducing injury risk.
• Drill Objective: Strengthen the glute medius, build stability, and promote proper low-court positioning for injury prevention.
• Setup: Place a micro band or ankle band around the feet.
• Stand with legs wide, toes pointing straight ahead, and sit back into a low athletic stance.
• Execution: Take three lateral steps outward while maintaining tension on the band.
• On the third step, squat down slightly, then rise up just a bit and reverse direction for three steps back.
• Repeat for the set duration.
• Key Techniques: Stay low throughout the exercise, keeping the core engaged and glutes activated.
• Avoid allowing knees to cave inward: maintain proper alignment.
• Objective: Strengthen glutes to reduce hip strain, improve court positioning, and prevent loner back overloading during play.