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The Significance of Hitting the Ball in Front of you - Pickleball Improvement and Injury Prevention


There are many movement issues that make pickleball players more susceptible to various injuries and worsened quality of play.  Though people can have numerous court movement issues for a wide variety of reasons, many of these problems would be greatly improved by honing their skills at one major thing - moving and positioning their body such that they’re able to hit the ball in front of them.

I would challenge you to make some observations the next time you go to your local pickleball spot - do you notice players (or yourself!) taking quite a few balls by reaching out to their sides, twisting, or extending their paddles behind them?

Why is this a problem?  Let’s start with the physical stuff.  

By not working to take the ball in front of them, players typically overuse their low back quite a bit in order to get the ball, either by over-twisting or over-bending.  Some of the most common problems these movements can cause include disc herniations, back muscle spasms, and sciatica.  The hips and knees also often take on more stress, and over-reaching can make the player’s dominant arm more susceptible to various overuse problems such as impingement (pinching shoulder pain) or muscle irritation (especially for the rotator cuff).  These methods of moving also make players less balanced, which can cause other assorted injuries and falls.  As I don’t like to spread fear among players, I will say that moving awkwardly on the court infrequently in a last ditch effort to save a point isn’t likely to cause major issues for most players, but players who overreach as a habit and don’t strive to hit the ball in front of them when possible do make themselves considerably more susceptible to injury.

What about quality of play?  

By not taking the ball in front of your body, a player will considerably reduce how fast they can react to the next coming shot.  To illustrate this, I recall being invited to drill with a coach back when I was on the lower end of 3.5.  At the time I was still fairly new to paddle sports, and the significance of taking the ball in front of me was not yet clear.  This coach started working on dink rallies with me, and with minimal effort he could get me to reach out to the side with my arm, then promptly would flick my return back and body bag me (respectfully) with it.  Despite having youth and good reflexes on my side, there was absolutely nothing that I could do to get back into position before getting hit repeatedly.

Beyond having worsened reaction times, players are more likely to mis-hit the ball when taking it out to the side, or behind them.  When a player does not strive to be positioned in front of the ball, they inherently put themselves in more imbalanced positions.  Additionally, the excessive movements involved make it less likely that the ball will make contact with the paddle’s ‘sweet spot.’  The end result is that the player who moves like this is more likely to pop the ball, hit it out of bounds, or thwack it into the net.  None of which are terribly desirable outcomes.

So, now that we know that the ideal is to attempt to position yourself in front of the ball, what do we do about it?  In truth, this is an issue that can be caused by many different things. 

Understanding WHY you’re doing this is key to fixing the issue.  Here are a few of the possibilities:


1: Lack of footwork

Players may err away from using proper footwork due to a lack of knowledge, poor balance, poor leg strength, and limited agility, just to name a few potentials.  Most of these are areas that I’m able to help players with!


2: Not anticipating the ball

This one is huge!  If you aren’t always paying attention to your opponent’s paddle position and their stance, you often won’t be ready to get into position in time to take the shot in front of you.  You should generally have some idea of where the ball is about to be hit, and be prepared to get there before the opponent’s shot is actually made!  This can take a lot of practice to get used to.


3: Aches and pains of the lower body 

I often meet people who don’t utilize proper positioning and footwork due to pre-existing physical issues.  They don’t like to bend or move out of fear or hurting something - the problem with this is that these players often end up with new pains elsewhere, eventually.  As a doctor of physical therapy, this is something that I’m able to help players work through.


4: Bad habits

One of the great things about pickleball is its inclusivity - many players have gotten into the sport without any prior paddle sport history, and that’s a truly wonderful thing!  Unfortunately, most new players don’t put much focus into how to move, and whatever strategies they come up with tend to stick.  Habits can be truly tricky to break, but with time and effort, it can be done.  You can practice positioning movements off-court, and find yourself a drilling partner to isolate and practice moving properly.  Taking a lesson with a coach is also a great idea to help you identify bad habits and learn methods to fix them.


No matter how much effort it takes, mastering the skill of hitting the ball in front of your body is one that is very much worth the effort!


As a doctor of physical therapy who specializes in working with pickleball players, helping players move better and play better is my passion! So if you’re trying to master your positioning and footwork, or working on getting some other movement pattern down, please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need assistance!


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As the owner of Serendipity Physical Therapy and Wellness, I’m an avid pickleball addict in Naples, Florida, with a goal of keeping pickleball players moving at their best and injury free. I work with players for anything ranging from reducing various pains, weakness, or tightness, to helping with injury prevention, proper conditioning, and good technique.


If you’re new, you can check out more of my advice and content here: https://www.serendipityptw.com/blog.


If there is anything I can help you with or you have questions, please send me an email at Contact@SerendipityPTW.com. I would love to see how I can help get you moving at your best!


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