Here’s why warming up and cooling down are essential to your game — plus, how to do each properly.
We’d be shocked if you hadn’t heard of the game that serves as a spicy cocktail of fun, fitness, and camaraderie. Yes, we’re talking about pickleball, AKA the fast-growing sport that exploded in popularity a few years ago, and is especially popular among older crowds. With its easy-to-learn rules, shrunken court, and low-impact nature, pickleball is a welcoming arena where seniors can not only stay active but also forge courtside kinships.
“Pickleball has a reputation for being easy for seniors to play, but it’s a really fast-paced sport — even more fast-paced than tennis,” says Lauren Hannigan, a yoga teacher and Humana Neighborhood Center Coordinator in Louisville, KY, where she teaches members how to play this pastime. “It’s an excellent sport if you can do some light running and simple squats. It’s also a great way for you to get back into health and wellness if you haven’t been moving your body for a while.”
Although you might like to pretend you’re Coco Gauff — or Katie Couric, for that matter — and give it your all during every match, there’s no need to overdo it. “I tell everyone in the room, ‘We’re playing at 75 percent today — nobody should be playing at 100 percent,’” says Hannigan. “If people play too hard, I’ll tell them to pull back. We’re not playing for a trophy or professionally; it’s about getting our hearts beating and making new friends.”
And just like with any other competitive sport, it’s crucial to maintain the practice of warming up before and cooling down after each match. While warming up primes your body for all of the action, cooling down afterward playing helps your body recover. And combined, these habits are the perfect recipe for helping prevent serious pickleball injuries, such as falls and ankle twists.
How to properly warm up for pickleball
You don’t instantly go from zero to 60 mph in your car when a red light turns green — and that same mentality applies when you’re revving up to play a sport, like pickleball. “A gentle warm-up for five to 10 minutes can really make or break your practice,” says Hannigan. “The warm-up is about checking in with the body as much as it’s actually moving the body. You might be like, I feel sore right here, or I didn’t notice that my arm was feeling this way. It’s a prime time for doing a quick full body scan, to see what you could work on stretching out.”
Hannigan’s typical warm-up involves:
- Marching gently in place to get the hip flexors moving. “If you’ve been sitting for a while and suddenly try to get up and run, it can be difficult on the body,” explains Hannigan.
- Side shuffling — move from from left to right, right to left, and also forward and backward.
- Stretching your biceps, because “a problem a lot of people have in pickleball is tennis elbow,” says Hannigan. “Working to lengthen the biceps can help with that.”
- Rolling the ankles and wrists in simple circular motions to wake them up.
- Standing against a wall on one foot, similar to a tree pose in yoga, and then switching to the other foot. “Falling can be dangerous for older adults in America,” says Hannigan. “Practicing gentle moments of balance can help prevent falls.”
Any way you tackle it, easing into “Taking it slow, waking up the body gently, and easing into your practice are the keys to warming up properly,” says Hannigan, “rather than jumping in all at once.”
How to cool down after pickleball
Taking time to recenter your body after a back-and-forth on the court is just as important as warming the body up.
“At the end of yoga is when we do shavasana, a really powerful practice of letting the body absorb all the benefits from the past hour of work and exertion. It’s about letting the body relax,” says Hannigan. “That recovery time is really important in any sport you do.”
A simple cooldown routine after pickleball can look like:
- Marching in place to let the heart rate drop back to a steady hum.
- Forward folding while either standing or sitting in a chair, to let the body come back to homeostasis and even out your breathing.
- Breathing in for four counts and out for four counts. “This is an equal breathing exercise,” says Hannigan.
- Then, try breathing in for four counts and out for five counts: “A lengthening breath extends the exhalation to help the heart calm,” says Hannigan.
“A cooldown routine helps you go back into your regular daily routine with more mindfulness and intention,” says Hannigan.
“You shouldn’t be in any pain while you’re playing pickleball,” says Hannigan. “If something hurts, it’s probably because you pushed past your ’75 percent effort’ threshold. The hope is that your warm-up and cooldown can let you touch base with your body before any injuries or aches happen.”
Ready to serve? Humana Neighborhood Centers, a nationwide community resource for seniors, offers in-person pickleball programming throughout the year to provide an accessible and easy way to stay active and healthy.
In October, many Centers will offer pickleball classes and games every Friday throughout the month. Times will vary by location, and each Center will have balls, paddles, and nets for participants. Humana Neighborhood Centers offer year-round educational events, programs and activities, both in person and online. These are free and available to anyone, including those who are not Humana members. Learn more and find a Center near you here.
