Pickleball Performance Training

It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained...

Why do you play pickleball? Most of us do it for fun. Some do it for the exercise (in addition to the fun). Others do it to satisfy their competitive nature (in addition to the fun). For those and other reasons we all want to play pickleball as often as we can, as many years as we can, and as well as we can. So what limits us from more play, more years, and better quality play? More importantly, what can each of us do to overcome those limits?

Before I answer those questions, we need to agree on one basic truth. Pickleball is a game of movement. Players must move to get properly positioned to make the right shot. Sure, there are other important elements - understanding options, executing the shot, etc. But little of that matters if a player is not properly positioned to hit the ball.

When we think of pickleball training, we generally think of working with instructors on strategies, tactics, and shot-making skills. We rarely, if ever, think about movement skills. But the reality is that movement is one element of our skill set that we control and that addresses the questions above. Learning proper movement technique makes us more efficient and less tired, allowing us to play more often. Learning proper movement techniques makes us less vulnerable to injuries, allowing us to play later in life. Learning proper movement techniques makes us more agile and faster, allowing us to be better players.

Have you ever thought about the reasons tennis players advance to high levels of  pickleball play so quickly? While one driver is their familiarity with paddle/racquet skills, I would submit that the difference maker is their knowledge of movement techniques. They come to pickleball having developed proper techniques for lateral and vertical steps. In contrast, pickleball is so easy to learn that many newcomers have limited exposure to such training in their past. For many, pickleball is the first real athletic challenge in their lives.

Where can the untrained turn for help? There are plenty of resources to find generic training in movement, but pickleball specific training is a new development. In the last few months we have seen the rise of the Pickleball Doctor, Noe Sariban. I wrote about him in The Pickleball Doctor in which I showed his stated purpose as  "Injury prevention and rehabilitation tips from a Doctor of Physical Therapy and avid Pickleball player to help you play the sport you love!"

While Noe's videos are great, there is no substitute for hands-on training. Such training is now available in the Hendersonville/Asheville area at Xcel Sportsplex. Xcel's Parisi Speed Training instructors have developed a program called Pickleball Performance Training. The program's objective is "Agility, Speed, and Strength Training for the Dedicated Pickleball Player". It is structured toward the senior player in our area and is amazingly inexpensive. The cost is $80 for 10 one-hour sessions each Wednesday at 11:30 beginning March 14. A copy of the details from their brochure is below.

If you are serious about pickleball or injury prevention, consider this program. Please contact me through the blog or any other method you have available. I will be your classmate.