I confess: I’ll start collecting early social security this year. Along with that perk, I’ve also developed arthritis in my knee and back, the tendons in my shoulder ache like crazy sometimes, and my balance isn’t as good as it used to be. But you don’t have to be my age to have problems on the court. In fact, sometimes the injuries can be worse for younger people, because they play even harder than we older folk do and assume their bodies are more indestructible. 

No one likes to think about injuries, especially not when they are connected to their favorite sport—pickleball. I always seem to take it personally when I meet someone who gave pickleball a try for the first time at my urging and fell, bruising their elbows, breaking wrists, or generally suffering from pain, wherever it might reside.

One of my cardinal rules has always been “Never run backward!” Now, my watchwords are slightly different: “Play safely!” That covers many more sins than just running backward.

Is this something you need to be concerned with? I mean, you’ve been playing for years, and nothing bad has happened yet, right?

Would you go out on the court with a paddle that was close to breaking? Or with shoes that were coming apart? Wouldn’t you take time to mend that paddle or put some duct tape on your tennies? (What you’d really do is buy a new paddle and shoes, but using this analogy, you can’t buy a new body, so you have to take care of the one you have.)

When you’re sick, your body is telling you to rest. If you play pickleball then, you may make your illness worse. When you’re injured, the pain is sending a message that something needs to heal before you injure it further. Heed these warnings.

Besides listening to your body, you can take steps to prevent injury from occurring in the first place.

Don’t Run Backward. It’s the easiest way to tumble. Instead, turn sideways, shuffle, and hit the ball—or—turn around, run forward, and turn again to hit the ball.

Maintain Balance. When reaching for a shot, whether to one side or overhead, take care not to reach so far your center of gravity isn’t centered anymore. Unless you’re in a tournament and the match point depends upon your getting the shot, don’t attempt dangerous maneuvers. (Let your partner know that you would rather be safe than sorry.)

Make Sure the Court Surface Is Safe. Don’t play on a wet surface or when litter might cause someone to slip. Also remove any obstacles that might cause you to trip.

Wear Good Shoes. The soles should have a good grip and should fit you properly. Over time, shoe uppers tend to break down, providing less support, and the soles wear away. When this happens, get a new pair.

Maintain Fitness in General. Doing core exercises, strength training, yoga, Pilates, and cardio workouts all help to make you more fit for pickleball. 

Warm Up Before You Play a Game. That could mean you go out on the court and hit a few balls and call it done. A better warm-up would be to walk, stretch, and then do that pre-game play to make sure all the muscles you’ll use while playing pickleball—and that’s mostly all of them—aren’t tight and prone to injury.

Learn to Fall Properly. That’s not as silly as it sounds. Nearly everyone falls eventually. Learn to do it well, and you may come away with only a bruise or two (and a few laughs from your friends). Texas Woman’s University created a great video that shows how to fall safely: http://www.twu.edu/rm/FallingSafely.asp.

Note: Many people who fall don’t take time enough after a fall to properly assess if they’ve been injured. Those who rush back onto the court, saying, “I’m fine, I’m fine,” may well be, but it’s better to take a few minutes to make sure before going back out and injuring yourself further.

Take these precautions for safety's sake, and then go out and have fun!

Earlier this year, my doctor advised me to try yoga to alleviate some joint aches and muscle pains. It wasn't the first time someone suggested it, and I'd even tried it a couple of times without success. But I decided to go to a local yoga class again and see how it went.

I learned that there are many types of yoga, and I'd probably tried to do things in the past that were too difficult or that weren't suited to my ability. This class was hard, but I could feel the benefit of the stretches and poses for the first time. I signed up for more.

I soon discovered that my body responded more favorably on the pickleball court, too. The changes were subtle but real: my "bad" knee didn't hurt as much anymore; my shoulder pain was gone. My breathing capacity increased, and I generally felt much healthier while I played. I think I was becoming faster, too, although I can't say that was the result of yoga, but perhaps. 

One of the most interesting things I discovered recently was when my partner and I were being beaten badly. I lost my focus and found myself concentrating on everything I was doing incorrectly. I sighed and, without thinking about it, started deep breathing, as if I were doing yoga, trying to relax. I made a good hit and we won a point. As I walked to the other side of the court to serve, I took another deep breath and let it out slowly, concentrating only on the breath and relaxation. We won another point. 

We came back in that game and won, and I'm convinced that breathing and relaxation made the difference. I do this routinely now, and my play seems better for it.

Breathing -- deep and regular breaths -- are a core part of yoga. Many types of breathing are done, but the Do Yoga With Me website shows a few you can try. I recommend the Upper Chest, Mid-Chest, and Abdominal breaths individually first, followed by combined breathing techniques. Of course, you can't do these on the court, but I never really knew what a deep breath was before learning to breathe this way, and I find it has made a difference in my stamina during a game. Perhaps it will for you, too.

When I decided to write this post, I did an internet search for "pickleball yoga." I found only one relevant entry: a blog post on Pickleball Central's site about yoga poses and their benefit for pickleball. I then searched for "yoga tennis" and discovered other posts listing the same poses and their benefits for tennis players. 

Here's what Pickleball Central has to say: "Pickleball may be relatively low impact, but as a sport with repetitive movements, it still puts strain on the body that can lead to injuries. Unlike a lot of sports, pickleball demands more from a player’s dominant side – their paddle hand side – resulting in repetitive misalignment that can put uneven wear and tear on that side of the body. Here are some pickleball specific yoga poses that can help strengthen arms, backs, and shoulders, even out hips, and lengthen both sides of the body evenly helping to avoid injury, recover from the strain of court time more quickly, and make your game more powerful."

Take a look at the poses on the Pickleball Central blog post and give them a try. As with all things, start out slowly and build up as your body can tolerate the positions more easily.