Last week, I talked about 3 areas of the body that are commonly tight for pickleball players, and how they can impact a person’s game. I initially intended to include 5 critical areas, but since the post became a little long, I figured that it would be better to split the topic into two posts.
If you missed part 1, you can find it right here: https://www.serendipityptw.com/post/3-commonly-tight-areas-that-may-impact-your-pickleball-play
All caught up?
Good. Let’s get this show on the road then, with our next 3 commonly tight areas for pickleball players.
4. Hip Extensors
If you’re standing fully upright, your hip is considered to be in neutral. Extension refers to the ability to bring the leg backwards, beyond this position.
Hip extension mobility is one of those things that tends to get worse for one reason or another as we add decades onto our lives. For most individuals, the reason behind this becoming tight likely involves multiple factors as opposed to just one. If it’s stiff enough, limited motion here is going to have a distinct impact on very basic day-to-day functions such as walking. From a pickleball standpoint, limitations here are going to impact your footwork, as well as the ability to take some common game stances as you stabilize yourself in anticipation to return a ball.
Hip extension can also be very important for balance. If you hang around the courts often enough, you may have noticed that when a pickleball player unfortunately experiences a fall, they often go down backwards. The ability to take a solid backwards step can be critical in helping a person recover their balance on the courts. Falls, of course, can have a ton of nasty short and long term repercussions, so anything that will help to lessen the risk of one happening is a big deal.
5. Shoulder Flexion
Shoulder flexion is the ability to raise the arm fully overhead. Full shoulder flexion technically implies that a person can raise their arm fully above the body (an entire semicircle from its resting position), though depending on how you’re built, slightly less than that may still be considered normal.
This movement isn’t used quite as frequently as external rotation (#1 from last week’s post), but full flexion is still important when reaching for those overhead shots. Do keep in mind that full, unrestricted shoulder motion involves a lot more than just the shoulder joint itself. The shoulder joint is a little complicated, because it actually receives over 30% of it’s overhead motion from the scapula and its relationship with the thoracic spine. When limitations exist, all three areas should be looked at to make sure that you’re able to get the best possible results.
6. Ankle Dorsiflexion
Okay, I’ll admit that I had to put quite a bit of thought into what to choose for the last critical motion (Truth be told, it was a tossup between talking about the above mentioned ankle motion and the ability to fully straighten the knee).
For sure, there are many motions that are often tight that will impact pickleball play, but all things must come to an end, and I can’t let this become a book.
Ankle dorsiflexion is the ability to raise your ankle upwards, in the same way that you would if you were taking your foot off the gas pedal while driving (unless you’re one of THOSE Naples drivers, of course).
Because of the way that our joints are structured, dorsiflexion is actually a pretty small motion. Just 10-20 degrees is considered normal, but those few degrees have a huge impact on how we move.
Ever had an ankle sprain? Though ankle sprains do heal and the pain eventually goes away, repeated ankle sprains are actually one of the most common reasons for people experiencing a chronic loss of ankle dorsiflexion. It’s also very commonly tight after traumatic ankle injuries and following many types of ankle surgery.
Out on the courts, someone who lacks this motion is going to have more issues with their footwork, and they’ll have a more difficult time making quick movements and running. Because dorsiflexion causes the toes to elevate, people who are stiff here may also run into more issues with tripping as they maneuver around the court.
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And there we (finally) have it! Here are 6 areas that are commonly tight for pickleball players, and how they can have a negative impact on your game.
As I mentioned in the last post, we at Serendipity offer wellness services to work on factors such as tightness that can impact a pickleball player’s game. Wellness services exist not only to help improve your play and performance, but also play a big role in injury prevention.
If you’re experiencing tightness or other physical issues that may be impacting your pickleball game, please give us a call at (239) 232-8155, or send us an email at Contact@SerendipityPTW.com. We would love to see how we can help get you moving at your best!
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