Knee replacement and knee maintenance to keep playing
I covered gift giving in a previous edition. Remember, the gift of your time is the most precious present of all. Time on the courts, time drilling, time watching videos, time conditioning and training, time watching each other play, and time playing on the court together. Giving is so much more satisfying than receiving.
Knee replacement and knee maintenance
I would like to give a shout out to Michael Okrusko, one of our beloved snowbirds from Canada for inspiring my topic this week. Michael is coming back to pickleball after knee replacement last August. He saw my column and suggested advising folks on the proper way to restart the game without injuring oneself.
Check out the videos from excellent doctors, physical therapists, sports medicine professionals and personal trainers. They include stretches, exercises, personal stories and suggestions from the experts. https://rb.gy/puqzri http://tinyurl.com/2bbfyy2p http://tinyurl.com/yscswb47 http://tinyurl.com/y7y739d8 http://tinyurl.com/yc52fhfj
I had my left knee replaced in 2018. The physical therapy was at times difficult and painful, but very helpful and motivating. My personal input:
● Keep moving every day, every hour. They get you walking the day you get out of surgery.
● Commit to performing the stretches and exercises on your own, and not just with the therapist.
● When you are allowed, get in the pool. Range of motion, safe movement, and amazing results.
● Continue your rehabilitation even after your therapy sessions are over.
● Use alternative exercises or activities outside of pickleball until your body is ready for lateral, forward, backward, and quick movements. Walking, swimming, golfing, hiking, yoga, Pilates, biking.
● Do not get into unpredictable game situations. You can do ball handling, wall drills, controlled movement drills. You should not attempt to play games until your doctor approves it.
Coach Mary’s Tip of the Week
This week’s tip focuses on generating more power and spin with these serves.
Are you tired of hitting mediocre serves? Elijah from Pickleball Journey does a great job explaining and demonstrating two more advanced serves. Before he starts, he states:
“The serve is an opportunity to either win an easy point, or to create a bad/weak return from your opponent.”
Elijah reminds us to be aggressive, but also consistent.
Even better, his demos can help beginners and up and coming players with serving technique. Check out the attached video.
http://tinyurl.com/4stpze7e
Hard, deep serve
● Step with dominant foot, then non-dominant foot, then hit the ball, and step with the dominant foot.
● Your backswing will be high, but then you will bring it down below your waist to contact and follow through.
● Weight transfer is forward with your body moving to get ready for the return.
Spin serve
With the spin serve, curving to the left, curving to the right, you can cause some mischief.
Right handed perspective:
Two ranges of motion
● First, your paddle is moving through the ball, from the back fence to the net.
● Second range of motion: Paddle behind your body, finish through in front of the baseline. Right to left motion.
● Finish on the left side of your body.
● Second spin serve: Paddle is behind your body.
● Finish through in front of the baseline.
● Left to right motion.
● Looks a bit like a bowling motion. Creates topspin, plus side spin.
Elijah also demonstrates the left-handed perspective.
Check out the “walk-up” technique. Elijah demonstrates the footwork. It is like a “crow hop” for throwing a softball, and it generates forward motion behind your serve. I teach this option to my beginners, but I will now add it for the higher-level students.
Three key points:
1. You should get 95 to 100% of your serves in the proper service box.
2. This is a skill you can practice on your own! Get a bag of balls and get out there!
3. “Practice with Passion, and Perfect your serve with Persistence.”
Next round robin: Paddle in the New Year, Dec. 31, 2023, at Civic Center Park in Palm Desert. Email Mary to enter: mgbarsaleau@gmail.com See the flyer on PickleballBrackets.com.
Happy Holidays!