The Pickleball Warm-Up

Most recreational players walk on court cold and wonder why the first game feels stiff — or why their calf tweaked on the second point. A five-minute warm-up fixes both: it primes your body for pickleball's quick, lateral movements and is one of the most effective, free ways to prevent injuries. Here is a simple routine.

Dynamic, not static

The key principle: before you play, warm up with dynamicmovement — active motions that raise your heart rate and take your joints through their range — rather than holding long static stretches. Static stretching is best saved for afterward, as a cooldown. A good warm-up should leave you slightly warm and moving freely, not stretched to your limit. Start gently and build up.

Step 1: Raise your temperature (1–2 minutes)

Get your blood moving first. Walk briskly or lightly jog the length of the court a few times, add some easy side-shuffles in both directions, and throw in a few gentle skips. The goal is simply to warm the muscles and lift your heart rate before you ask anything hard of them.

Step 2: Dynamic leg and hip movements

• Leg swings— hold a fence and swing each leg forward and back, then side to side, to open the hips.
• Walking lunges— a handful in each leg to warm the quads, glutes and hips you use on every lunge to the ball.
• Side shuffles and carioca— lateral movement that mirrors exactly how you move in a rally and preps the ankles and hips.
• Ankle circles and calf raises— a few of each; the ankles and calves take the most load and are common injury sites.

Step 3: Upper body and rotation

• Arm circles — forward and back, small to large, to loosen the shoulders.
• Torso twists— gentle rotations to warm the core and back you use on every groundstroke and serve.
• Wrist and forearm circles — useful for anyone prone to elbow trouble.

Step 4: Ease into hitting

Finish the warm-up on court. Start with soft dinks at the kitchen, then gradually work back to mid-court and finally to baseline drives and a few serves. This grooves your timing and gives your body a gentle on-ramp to full-speed play. Do not make your first competitive point your first full-effort movement of the day — that is exactly when calves and Achilles tendons go.

Cool down afterward

After you play is the time for staticstretching, held gently for 20–30 seconds each: calves, quads, hamstrings, hips, shoulders and forearms. A short cooldown helps with recovery and flexibility over time. Combined with proper court shoesand sensible load management, this simple before-and-after routine will keep you on the court and off the sidelines — and let you enjoy the sport's health benefits for years.