Between playing pickleball 5 days a week and starting to play softball my right wrist has experienced some tendinitis. To get around this, I started to play left handed. It's tough, but after 3 days of playing I am improving. My serve is decent, but the ground strokes need more work. Anyone else go thru a bout of tendinitis from too much play or have experimented playing with their non-dominant hand?
Between playing pickleball 5 days a week and starting to play softball my right wrist has experienced some tendinitis. To get around this, I started to play left handed. It's tough, but after 3 days of playing I am improving. My serve is decent, but the ground strokes need more work. Anyone else go thru a bout of tendinitis from too much play or have experimented playing with their non-dominant hand?
I was a really good paddleball player (I never played pickleball) and I wore running shoes. About 15 years ago I bought court shoes for my comeback attempt. I got plantar fasciitis. I'm not going to say running shoes are safer, but they do let you hold your leg out to the side while keeping your foot closer to its natural position in relation to your leg (no ankle bend). My running shoes also slid a little during quick changes in direction when my leg was out, which I found more comfortable. Not as responsive but less jarring and in a way I had more control.
We see a lot of people get pain in the elbow and shoulder here. In general my observation is it comes from having a substantial back swing or windmill swing where the player brings their paddle back beyond their shoulder and does a big wind up before hitting it. Over time this can cause repetitive injury. When we coach them how to make their swing more compact, using their core to build power rather than their arm and shoulder, the pain usually goes away.
The other cause of joint pain can come from using a cheap paddle that doesn’t absorb the vibration well. But I think I recall you saying you are using a high end Selkirk paddle, so that probably would not apply to you.
Court shoes are probably the most important equipment you will purchase for your pickleball career. Running shoes are a recipe for disaster.
I don't use a big backswing on any of my shots, but will use my wrist a bit. My paddle is a Gearbox GX6 which is 8.5 oz, so maybe a lighter paddle would help. I really do like my Gearbox though, so am reluctant to try something else.
That's true, it's very hard to feel what one is doing regardless of the sport. Slo-mo video reveals everything.That’s a good paddle too. One thing you might try is having someone take a video of you while you are hitting some shots so you can see what the stroke movement looks like. We develop muscle memory with our shots to the point where it may not be obvious how we are swinging the paddle until we see ourselves doing it.
I took a Level Up Camp last year with Tyson McGuffin and he reviewed a video of me hitting some shots. He showed me how I do a slight wrist roll before I hit my dink shot. Over a period of time that can put a lot of stress on my wrist. It also makes me less competitive since I can’t handle the faster dinks if I’m rolling my wrist before striking the ball. I had no idea I was doing it until he showed me on the video. Then when I saw it I was really surprised to see what I was doing.
Anyone else try any of these grip wraps?
Surprisingly, we discovered that tennis is easier, less athletically demanding, than Pickleball.
Another key factor is the availability of well organized games or access to courts.
The ideal is 5 or 6 people of close ability rotating through, with rest breaks, with courts that can be reserved.
You may also find that you have access to well organized pickle in one location, and tennis in another.
I would like to learn how to play but perhaps in the early morning or at night to escape the brutal sun and heat of the day.Interesting point.
We find many tennis players who are surprised at the level of athleticism needed to play Pickleball at a higher level.
The hand speed reaction time needed is probably the biggest surprise to many players.
I would like to learn how to play but perhaps in the early morning or at night to escape the brutal sun and heat of the day.
I've been playing with my Vanguard Omni for several weeks now and its made me a much better player. Not sure why, but I will say I was a better ping pong player as a youth vs tennis, and I think this paddle was designed more for folks that came from a ping pong background.
Thanks. Did not think about a fastball to the face at night. Perhaps safety glasses can be worn.Now that we are in the full summer swing, we start play at either 8am or 730am to avoid some of the heat. I don't really like playing at night, as the lighting is typically not super clear at times and even a second later in picking up a fast hit ball is too late.
Interesting as I use the Vanguard S2 which has a shorter handle and is a little closer to a ping pong paddle.
Its given me significantly better control and I am still learning how to apply the power with this paddle. My paddle weighed in at 7.9oz.
Serving into the wind does seem to effect lighter paddles, but it forces me to use more of my body which has also helped my serve under all wind conditions or lack thereof.