Sufficient mobility is vital to continue to maintain the range of motion necessary to be competitive in both pickleball and tennis. If you are an athlete, you’ve probably already realized this and know that maintaining mobility is a no-brainer.
As we age, this is one of the first things to become limited and lead to injury. Athletes who are limited on time (nearly everyone) often let mobility fall to the back burner because, simply put, it’s boring and time consuming.
These are three of our “best bang for your buck” mobility exercises that incorporate several joints of the body into one movement. This optimizes efficiency and helps get you into the game feeling loose without wasting 30 minutes stretching your entire body.
Worlds Greatest Stretch – Watch the video for a demonstration of this one if you’ve never heard of it, but the name speaks for itself! This movement mobilizes the hips, shoulders, mid/low back, ankles, and hamstrings. The dynamic nature of this stretch also keeps things interesting and better prepares you for sport than just statically holding a position.
Hip 90/90 – This is our favorite exercise for hip mobility, and is surprisingly challenging for most people! Opening your hips like this into some dynamic, end-range rotation will help you when in your athletic stance during play, and encourage free movement for cutting and sprinting for the ball.
Shoulder Clocks – This is probably the best feeling stretch I’ve ever done. There’s nothing quite like opening up your shoulders and mid back into a full range. This is a staple before any kind up upper body workout. If you struggle doing this one properly, then you’re strokes and serves are definitely suffering!
Watch the video for explanations, demonstrations, and progressions/regressions for all of these exercises, and let us know if you have any questions!
Are you an active adult or athlete living in Roswell, Johns Creek, or Alpharetta, and experiencing some pain or other issue that is holding you back from playing tennis or pickleball? Since 2008 our proven 3 step plan has helped people stay in the game and keep doing all the awesome activities they love. Please give us a call or text at 678-400-0300.
