“I know how much Katie loves playing pickleball,” Katie’s Pilates instructor Ashley Patten says. And you probably know too, since Katie’s written all about her obsession with the summertime sport and her must-have workout wear. But the sheer joy of athletics and the accompanying cute styles (who doesn’t love a kicky little tennis skirt?) are only part of the story. To indulge in any summer sport, you also need a solid pickleball warm-up routine to prevent injury and to play better. Luckily, Patten is sharing a video tutorial that outlines a pre-match regimen, designed to help you avoid any muscle-based mishaps on the court. 

In case you were wondering, it does turn out that you absolutely need to warm up, regardless of whether you’re a seasonal pickleball fanatic, a weekends-only surfer, or a daily swimmer. Warming up your body slowly increases your heart rate and temperature, which gently prepares your heart and blood vessels for high-intensity activity. 

Plus, warm-ups can reduce muscle soreness and injury: “This dynamic warm-up will help activate muscles to help you find more power on the court,” Patten points out, “and safely stretch muscles so you can be agile and quick on your feet.” So if you’re a fan of… being able to get out of bed the morning after a tennis match, you should definitely spare the four and a half minutes that it takes to complete this tutorial.

Patten says that her routine is “easy enough to do on the court or sidelines while you’re waiting for your turn to play” — you only need enough floor space to lunge and get into a pretty basic push-up position. Which means that all you need to do is prop up your phone, clear some space, and hit play. Bonus points if you get your opponent in on the fun: Think of it as being a gracious (future) winner.