Knee Exercises for Pickleball Champions: Ace Your Game

Bulgarian split squats:

Bulgarian split squats are a famous exercise to increase power and strength of your leg muscles, such as the quads, hamstring, glutes, and claves. 

On top of it, it enhances the knee’s ability to balance. 

To do this exercise, you will need a bench that has a height of 12-18 inches. 

Stand about 12 inches apart in front of the bench and turn 180 degrees facing your back to the bench. 

After that, make sure your spinal code is straight, and your hands are in a normal relaxed state. 

Lift your left leg in a backward direction and put it on the bench. Then slowly lower your body and bend your right knee. Repeat it for your other leg as well.

Elevate your back leg with your front foot in line with your knee about a yard in front. 

Slowly lower your body to the ground while keeping your front knee stable. 

It is advised to do this exercise for 20-30 seconds for each knee.

Single-leg box squats:

Single-leg box squats is good for developing your leg’s coordination ability. Besides, this exercise can significantly reduce the pain in your knees, and it can increase the core strength of your knees. 

Moreover, you can go for those difficult shots that you have always strived for and increase your effecting covering radius. 

To do this exercise, first, you have to stand on one foot, and you have to keep another foot a few inches above the ground in the forward direction. 

Now you can use both of your hands for balancing body weight with counterbalance. Keep your spine straight and slowly lower your body to sit on the box behind you. 

Remember not to put your foot down while you are trying to balance and sit. 

Now stand up on one leg while keeping the other leg up. 

Follow this exercise for both of your legs.  

Single-leg hip thrust:

Improve your hip extension and power with Single-leg hip thrus, and prevents knee injuries. 

If you want to do this exercise, you have to lie down on a bench using your shoulder blades. 

Now raise one of your legs and Make sure your body is making a 90-degree angle. 

Then slowly practice kicking using your lifted leg. And while doing this exercise, make sure to tuck your chin on your chest.

Side-lying hip abduction:

Side-lying hip abduction promotes strength and stability in the hip muscles.

And this exercise is important for making twisted shots and drive shots while playing Pickleball as well as running and walking. 

To perform this exercise, first, you have to lie down on one side, left or right, and then you have to put your top leg straight to the ground. 

While doing this, make sure you are keeping your torso, hip, and knee in a straight line. 

Now bring your leg back up high. And make sure your pelvis is not rotating when you bring up your leg.

Jumps squat:

Jump squat targets muscles such as the glutes, quads, hips, and hamstrings, and it increases the explosive power of your upper and lower body to take make difficult shots in Pickleball. 

Jump squats give you the ability to move faster and quicker. Besides, jump squats ensure your knee muscles and tendons are not getting raptured when you are moving faster with more sprints. 

To do a jump squat, first, make sure your feet and shoulder are widths apart. Then lower your body into a squat position. 

Then the last task is to explode into the air making and make sure your knees are fully extended. 

Now you can land and get back into the same squat position for the next jump.

I would recommend you use yoga pants or flexible pants while doing Jumps squats.

Knee full extension exercise:

This exercise specifically targets your tendon and muscles around the knees. And doing this exercise ensures strength and stability in the knee area. 

For doing this exercise, you should start by sitting in a chair. And make sure the chair is high enough so that you can bend your knee 90 degrees. 

Now both of your legs are bent, slowly raise one of your legs and make it horizontal. Now hold the lifted leg for five seconds. 

Now slowly put the leg down to the ground and follow the exercise for his other leg.

Now that you know how to do this exercise, you can practice twenty repetitions every time before the match.

Straight leg lift exercise:

This exercise targets muscles around the knees and pelvis area. And doing straight leg lift increases strength in the pelvis and hips too. 

To do this exercise, first, you have to lay on a flat surface and then bend your leg left upward. 

And keep the right leg straight and extended. 

Now slowly raise your right leg without moving your hip and raise your right leg to a 45-degree angle. 

And hold it in that position for 5 seconds. Slowly lower the leg to the resting position. Repeat this exercise 15-20 times for each of your legs. 

These are some most commonly practiced knee exercise that increases the stability, flexibility, and strength of your knee tendon and muscles. 

But you have to make sure you are doing these exercises properly without putting too much pressure on your knee.