Pickleball Magazine 3-3 Courtesy of Pickleball Tournaments | Page 74

PICKLEBALL INSTRUCTION
It’s All
About
the
BY SHARON MACKENZIE
Base!
M
BY SHARON MACKENZIE
ost people who teach pickleball to seniors are unaware
of the responsibility they are taking on. It's not just
about the equipment, rules, where to stand on the court and
how to hit the ball. As the sport’s popularity explodes, there is
a pickleball health crisis looming, especially for senior players.
The danger involves a devastating number of falls being witnessed on the court.
Pickleball is an easy game to learn and play, especially for those who were not
athletically inclined in their youth or not particularly active since their younger years.
But the ease of the game often fools players into playing beyond their current physical
abilities.
A skilled and thorough pickleball instructor has the responsibility to help his or her
students avoid serious injuries. This can be accomplished with a simple physiology
lesson and then incorporating the concepts into beginners classes.
There are four basic fitness components:
•
•
•
•

Strength: The muscles ability to do work
Endurance: The ability of a muscle to work over a period of time
Flexibility: The range of motion in a joint
Balance: As we age, there’s a decline in these components, which drastically
affect balance—the body's ability to stay upright
There are two basic principles of balance we need to learn:
1. The wider the base, the better the balance.
2. The lower the center of gravity, the better the balance.
Being unaware of how the aging process can drastically affect a player’s ability to
perform during a lesson or while playing, puts seniors in danger.
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