Warm up with dynamic stretches before playing

A 5–10 minute dynamic warm-up before playing raises your body temperature, increases blood flow to muscles, and loosens joints. This significantly reduces injury risk compared to jumping straight into a game.

Upper Body Warm-Up

• Arm circles: Forward and backward in big, medium, and small circles
• Wrist rotations: Gentle circles to prepare forearm muscles
• Trunk rotations: Gentle torso twists to loosen the core

Lower Body Warm-Up

• Dynamic side lunges: Both sides to warm up legs and hips
• Gentle side-to-side hops: Ease into lateral motion
• Knee lifts: Activate hip flexors for quick movements
• Leg swings: Forward and lateral to increase hip mobility

Tips

• Use dynamic stretches (movement-based), not static holds. Static stretching before play does not help warm muscles
• Focus on shoulders, knees, and hips — the three areas most prone to pickleball injuries
• Follow up with 2–3 minutes of gentle dinking to ease into gameplay