It’s a gorgeous day in sunny Naples, and you’re in the middle of one of the most intense games of your pickleball life.
You’re up at the kitchen line and have a great volley going. Your opponent served this one, and the score is currently 13-12. You and your partner have worked so hard to get to this point. Nothing’s going to stop you from winning this rally. Nothing.
And then it happens.
The dreaded lob.
Instinctively, you begin to hastily backpedal. You can make it in time. Definitely.
Then, something goes wrong. Your equilibrium is thrown off. With all that momentum you’ve built up, you can’t recover your balance.
It all happens in half a blink.
You topple over, landing hard on your back. You lay there with your eyes closed for a second as you take in what just happened, and hear a single solid tap nearby as the pickleball you were pursuing hits the ground. A small crowd gathers around you.
You grumble as you slowly rise up from the ground. There are a few very sore spots that will definitely bruise, but nothing feels badly injured or broken. You are, however, pretty embarrassed and more than just a touch frustrated that you lost the point THAT way.
Frustration and bruises aside, the truth is that you were pretty lucky.
Thing is, falls will happen in all sports, to people of all ages. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that we can do to minimize the likelihood of them happening. After all, falls aren’t really something to scoff at, no matter how old you are
After all, did you know that falls are the #2 cause of spinal cord injuries in the United States? Concussions, wrist fractures, and hip fractures are also pretty common consequences of falls.
When it comes to going for a lob, many players are immediately tempted to move straight backwards for the ball. This is actually the least safe way to go about it, but fortunately there are a few different strategies that you can use to get those pesky lobs that will lessen the likelihood of you losing your balance.
The first technique is to turn around and run normally to the ball. Once you get to the ball, you’ll quickly turn back around as you prepare to return the shot. After the ball is back, seek out your opportunities to make it back to the kitchen line again.
The other option is to go for your partner’s lobs. In doing so, you or your partner will be moving back diagonally into each other’s courts to get lobs, meaning that there aren’t any large body turns or backwards movements involved.
If you use the above strategy, don’t forget to call to your partner that you’ll be doing a switch! That way, you won’t be leaving a whole side of the court open for your opponent to prey upon. Ideally, you and your partner have an understanding that this is your lob getting technique before the game starts, too.
Now, I do also want to mention that balance wise, people always tend to be the most stable when interacting with the world in front of them. Pickleball inherently requires us to do a lot of side-to-side motions and the occasional backwards stepping, which will provide quite a bit more of a challenge.
For a number of reasons, balance is one of those things that does tend to gradually worsen as we add years onto our lives. However, even if a 60 year old will never have the same balance that they had at the age of 20, they can still improve it considerably with the right interventions and practice.
Not only does working on your balance reduce your likelihood of having a fall, but it will also improve your coordination and reaction time. It’s not just good for your body and safety, it’s also good for your game!
What are the right activities to work on, then?
Well, truth be told, balance is influenced by a lot of different factors. Prior medical conditions, surgeries, pains, neurological issues, stiffness, weakness, vision, and disuse (among other things) can all impact your balance! As such, the perfect program is going to differ quite a bit from one person to the next.
Here at Serendipity, we specialize in working with pickleball players to help improve factors such as balance, flexibility, conditioning, and other factors that may impact your game. Additionally, we’re well equipped to help address aches and pains with our background in physical therapy.
If there’s anything that we can help you with, please get in touch at (239) 232-8155 (call or text), 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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