Pickleball Clinic Resources

Supplementary page for Pickleball clinic held in Vancouver during Fall 2023.

Disclaimer: For information purpose only and not medical advice. Please consult a Physician before making lifestyle and regiment changes.

🏋️‍♀️ Core concepts: athletic training

Strength Training, Conditioning, and Mobility Training are distinct types of physical training, each with its own set of objectives and methods. Here’s a breakdown of each:

Strength Training:
- Objective: Primarily aimed at increasing muscle strength and size.
- Methods: Involves lifting weights and using resistance bands or body weight to challenge the muscles.
- Benefits: Improves muscle tone, bone density, and metabolic rate.
Conditioning:
- Objective: Focuses on improving cardiovascular endurance, stamina, and overall physical fitness.
- Methods: Encompasses a variety of exercises such as running, cycling, swimming, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
- Benefits: Enhances cardiovascular health, burns calories, and improves energy levels.
Mobility Training:
- Objective: Aims to improve the range of motion in joints and muscles.
- Methods: Involves stretching and functional movement exercises.
- Benefits: Increases flexibility, reduces the risk of injury, and improves posture and movement efficiency.

Each type of training complements the others. For a well-rounded fitness routine, it’s beneficial to incorporate elements of strength training, conditioning, and mobility training. This way, you not only build strength but also improve your cardiovascular fitness and flexibility, which can contribute to better overall performance and injury prevention.

🧘‍♀️ Core concepts: rest and recovery

Recovery and active recovery are crucial components of an athletic training program, helping to ensure that athletes can perform at their best and reduce the risk of injury. Here’s how they differ and relate:

Recovery:
- Definition: Recovery is the time spent resting and recuperating after physical exertion, allowing the body to heal and regenerate.
- Methods: It encompasses various practices such as adequate sleep, proper nutrition, hydration, and sometimes complete rest or very light activity to allow the body to heal.
- Benefits: It helps in the repair and growth of muscles, replenishment of energy stores, and the elimination of metabolic waste products.
Active Recovery:
- Definition: Active recovery is a more gentle form of exercise done at a lower intensity and volume compared to regular training. It’s a part of the recovery process but is more active than simply resting.
- Methods: It includes low-intensity exercises like walking, cycling, swimming, or yoga, which are performed to keep the body moving, yet not stress it.
- Benefits: It helps to promote blood circulation which can aid in the removal of lactic acid and other metabolic waste, alleviate muscle soreness, and maintain a level of physical fitness while providing a mental break from more intense training.

The primary difference between recovery and active recovery lies in the level of activity involved. While recovery may involve complete rest, active recovery entails engaging in low-intensity exercises. Both are aimed at aiding the body in healing and preparing for future training sessions, but active recovery emphasizes moving in a way that’s restorative rather than taxing. By incorporating both recovery and active recovery into their routines, athletes can ensure that they are giving their bodies the time and movement they need to heal and thrive.

The recovery pyramid below outlines the main recovery strategies currently being used in high-performance sport. The recovery pyramid is built on the foundation of sleep, followed by nutrition and hydration. These three areas have the potential for the greatest impact on athletic performance. This foundation can then be built upon by incorporating other strategies such as hydrotherapy, compression, and massage, which have been the focus of less research attention. The top of the pyramid includes strategies based on minimal or no evidence and may be considered fads that are momentarily popular.

(Source: NSCA)

🤸‍♀️ Static & Dynamic Stretching

Static and dynamic stretching serve different purposes in a workout routine, and understanding their differences can help individuals decide when and how to use them effectively. Here’s a comparison based on various factors:

Definition:
- Static Stretching: Involves holding a stretch in a comfortable, fixed position for a specified duration, usually between 15 to 60 seconds.
- Dynamic Stretching: Entails moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both. It’s performed in a controlled, smooth, and deliberate manner.
Purpose:
- Static Stretching: Aims to increase the flexibility and length of the muscle and tendon. It’s also used to alleviate muscle tightness and promote relaxation.
- Dynamic Stretching: Primarily used to warm up the body before physical activity, improving range of motion, activating muscles, and increasing blood flow and body temperature.
When to Use:
- Static Stretching: Best done post-workout to help relax the muscles, reduce muscle tension, and improve flexibility.
- Dynamic Stretching: Ideal for pre-workout as it prepares the body for the movements it will perform during the exercise.
Benefits:
- Static Stretching: Improves flexibility, promotes relaxation, aids in muscle recovery, and helps in alignment correction.
- Dynamic Stretching: Enhances muscular performance and power, improves functional range of motion, and prepares the body for rigorous activities.
Examples:
- Static Stretching: Hamstring stretch, quad stretch, calf stretch, and shoulder stretch.
- Dynamic Stretching: Leg swings, arm circles, walking lunges, and high knees.
Risks:
- Static Stretching: If done improperly or too aggressively, it can cause muscle strains or worsen existing injuries.
- Dynamic Stretching: There’s a risk of injury if the movements are done too quickly or with poor form, especially if the muscles are not warmed up properly.

In summary, static stretching is more about improving flexibility and reducing muscle tension, typically done after a workout, while dynamic stretching is about preparing the body for movement and is done before a workout. By understanding their differences and purposes, individuals can incorporate them appropriately into their fitness routines to enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury.

(Further reading)

🤼‍♀️ Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching is a more advanced form of flexibility training that involves both the stretching and contracting of the muscle group being targeted. It’s often used to improve muscle elasticity and has been shown to have a positive impact on active and passive range of motion. Here’s a more detailed look at PNF stretching:

Techniques:
- Hold-Relax: A common PNF stretching technique where you stretch the muscle to its limit, then contract the muscle isometrically (without moving) against resistance, relax it, and then stretch it again.
- Contract-Relax: Similar to hold-relax, but in this technique, you contract the muscle while moving, then relax and stretch.
- Hold-Relax with Agonist Contraction: This involves the same steps as the hold-relax technique, but adds a concentric muscle contraction of the opposing muscle group during the final stretch.
Purpose:
- PNF stretching aims to increase the range of motion and flexibility of muscles and joints. It also helps in rehabilitating the musculoskeletal system, improving muscular strength, and promoting neuromuscular coordination.
Performance:
- PNF stretching is often performed with a partner who provides resistance against the isometric contraction and then helps with the subsequent stretch. However, it can also be done solo with the help of a strap or other stretching aids.
Benefits:
- Improved flexibility and increased range of motion.
- Enhanced muscular strength.
- Rehabilitation from injuries.
- Improved motor performance and neuromuscular control.
When to Use:
- PNF stretching is typically utilized as a part of a rehabilitation program or as a regular practice for athletes to enhance their muscle performance and flexibility.
Precautions:
- Due to its intense nature, PNF stretching should be performed with caution, under the guidance of a trained professional, especially if you have any pre-existing injuries or conditions.

PNF stretching is an effective and efficient method of improving flexibility and range of motion, though its complexity and the potential intensity of the stretches make it important to practice it correctly to avoid injury. It’s advisable to seek guidance from a trained professional, especially when starting with PNF stretching.