How important is fitness training compared to on-court drilling for improving at pickleball?
- Jessie, CA
Hi Jessie,
Thanks for the great question. The fact that you’re curious about the subject tells me you’re already on the right track in your development. There’s a lot to unpack here so let’s take a look.
Firstly, I want you to remember one phrase: "Never play pickleball to get fit, get fit to play pickleball." My first tennis coach told me that when I was very young. He was the former world #2 squash player and used it convey the deep physical requirements of the torture that is elite level squash. The maxim now holds true in high level pickleball, not only to improve performance, but also to prevent injury. I want you to think of the two aspects as the twin pillars that hold up your game, and drive you to new heights.
On-court drilling
If your game is the engine of a car, then your drilling is your fine tuning. This is where you become a precise instrument and the paddle slowly but surely starts to feel like an extension on your body. Create specific drills that mimic in-game scenarios to help build shot tolerance under a little pressure. Use generic drilling on dinks and drops to build muscle memory with shear repetition. Drill your serves, returns, and drives to keep them sharp and consistent. Overall, this is where you hone your skills. However, drilling alone does not guarantee that your skills will hold up after long periods of play.
Fitness training
Back to the engine. Sorry. I love a good combustion engine and the metaphors are endless. If drilling is the tuning of the engine, think of your fitness training as the fuel efficiency and durability. If you’re short on time, then 15 minutes of agility ladder drills before you drill can make a big difference in the quality of your drilling, especially at the kitchen line. If you can devote a couple of sessions a week, then put some work into your endurance on low impact machines or soft sand in order to protect your joints. Building your overall strength will aid in the power of your serves, returns, and drives. And, lastly, working on your core stability and balance will help you maintain control over the ball in awkward positions.
Combined efforts
Neither of the two elements is sufficient alone. If you only ever drill then all your wonderful skills can easily break down when you’re in tough positions, it’s late in the day, or your opponent is trying to simply bully you with power. In contrast, if you focus too much on your fitness but neglect your drilling, then you won’t have the refined skills to keep the ball out of harm's way, or be consistent with all the touchy feely shots (drops, dinks and resets).
Every player needs to find the right mix of fitness training and drilling and finding that mix starts by taking a good look at your physical strengths and weaknesses. For me, a 43-year-old man, the basic physical benchmarks to demonstrate a good level of fitness are:
- Run a 10-minute mile.
- Squat my own body weight.
- Perform a farmer's carry with my body weight for two minutes.
- Complete five unbroken pull-ups.
- Pass the sit-and-raise test.
- Perform 25 unbroken push-ups.
- Maintain a dead hang for two minutes.
So Jessie, I want you to measure your fitness and see where you're lacking. Devote just a little time towards it each week and I’m sure you’ll start to see the results on the court.
Thanks again for the great question, good luck…and see you at the kitchen.
Cheers,
Morgan.
