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Exercises

Pickleball warm up: a 7-minute routine before you step on the court

Published October 24, 2026

Do 2 minutes of jumping jacks and butt kicks, then 3 minutes of moving mobility: 10 leg swings each way per leg, 10 ankle circles per foot, 10 arm circles each direction and 5 cossack squats per side. Add 15 band pull-aparts and 10 lateral band steps each way, then 1-2 minutes of quick side shuffles or ladder steps before you start dinking at the kitchen line. Seven minutes, and the dinks themselves become the last stage.

  1. Jumping Jack Calves, Quads
  2. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  3. Ankle Circles Calves
  4. Cossack Squat Quads, Adductors
  5. Band Pull-Apart Shoulders, Upper Back
  6. Lateral Band Walk Abductors
  7. Skater Hop Glutes, Quads, Abductors

Raise your temperature: 2 minutes

Pickleball is a game of short bursts, so wake up your legs and calves first. Alternate 30 seconds of jumping jacks with 30 seconds of butt kicks until you are lightly breathing.

Raise, full body

Jumping Jack

Calves, Quads

It warms the calves and shoulders together and needs only a patch of court.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, heels touching, arms hanging at your sides.
  2. Hop your feet out a little wider than your shoulders while your arms sweep up overhead.
  3. Hop back to the start as your arms come down, and keep a steady, springy rhythm.

Cues

  • Land soft on the balls of your feet
  • Arms travel all the way up

Common mistakes

  • Landing flat-footed and heavy: stay light and let your calves absorb each hop.

Swap for: Star Jump, High Knees, Jump Rope

Build a session with Jumping Jack

Raise, hamstrings and quads

Butt Kicks

Hamstrings

Butt kicks get the back of the thigh moving after you have been sitting in the car.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and jog in place on the balls of your feet.
  2. Flick each heel up toward your glutes as it leaves the floor.
  3. Keep your knees pointing down and your arms swinging easily.

Cues

  • Heels to glutes
  • Knees stay under you

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the knees forward: the thigh stays nearly vertical and only the lower leg moves.

Swap for: High Knees, Skipping in Place

Build a session with Butt Kicks

Move the ankles, hips and shoulders: 3 minutes

Most of the game happens in a low ready stance with quick side steps and overhead reaches for lobs. These four drills take the ankles, hips and shoulders through more range than a point will.

Hip mobility

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Lunging for a ball pulls hard on the hamstrings. Front-to-back swings take them through range first.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to a wall or post and rest one hand on it.
  2. Swing your outside leg forward and back like a pendulum, letting the range grow each rep.
  3. Do all reps on one leg, then turn around and switch.

Cues

  • Loose leg, still torso
  • Let the range grow

Common mistakes

  • Rounding your back to kick higher: only go as high as your torso can stay upright.

Swap for: Walkout, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Leg Swings

Ankle mobility

Ankle Circles

Calves

Every split step and side shuffle starts at the ankle, and cold ankles feel stiff in the first games. Circles are the quickest fix.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one leg with a hand on a wall, or sit, and lift the other foot.
  2. Trace slow, full circles with your toes in one direction.
  3. Reverse the direction, then switch feet.

Cues

  • Move only at the ankle
  • Full, slow circles

Common mistakes

  • Rushing small circles: make each one as wide as the ankle allows.

Swap for: Standing Calf Raise, Jump Rope

Build a session with Ankle Circles

Shoulder mobility

Arm Circles

Shoulders

Overheads and lobs need the shoulder to move freely, and big circles get it there in under a minute.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your arms straight out to your sides at shoulder height.
  2. Draw small forward circles, then let them grow larger over the set.
  3. Reverse the direction for the second half.

Cues

  • Small to big
  • Ribs stay down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging up into your ears: keep the shoulders low while the arms circle.

Swap for: Band Pull-Apart, Plate Halo

Build a session with Arm Circles

Lateral lunge range

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

It rehearses the low side lunge you use to reach wide balls, slowly and with no paddle in hand.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about twice shoulder width, toes turned slightly out.
  2. Shift your weight to one side and sit down into that knee while the other leg straightens, toes up.
  3. Push back to center and sink to the other side.

Cues

  • Heel of the bent leg stays down
  • Chest proud

Common mistakes

  • Dropping deeper than your hips allow: stop where your heel starts to lift, and go a little lower each rep.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Lunge, Kettlebell Lateral Lunge

Build a session with Cossack Squat

Activate the hips and upper back: 1 minute

Side steps against a mini band get the outer hips ready to stop you on a lateral lunge, and pull-aparts set the shoulder for the paddle arm.

Shoulder activation

Band Pull-Apart

Shoulders, Upper Back

It wakes up the back of the shoulder, which slows the paddle arm down after every swing.

How to do it

  1. Hold a light band in front of your chest with straight arms and hands shoulder width apart.
  2. Spread your hands outward until the band touches your chest, pinching your shoulder blades.
  3. Let the band pull your arms back in slowly.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades meet
  • Arms stay long

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to finish the rep: use a lighter band and keep your ribs down.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, Band Rear Delt Fly, Band Scapular Retraction

Build a session with Band Pull-Apart

Hip activation

Lateral Band Walk

Abductors

The outer glutes control the knee as you push off sideways, and a few band steps get them working.

How to do it

  1. Place a mini band around your legs just above the knees or at the ankles.
  2. Sink into a quarter squat with your feet hip-distance apart.
  3. Step sideways with the lead foot, follow with the other without letting the feet touch, and keep tension in the band.

Cues

  • Stay low
  • Toes point forward

Common mistakes

  • Swaying the torso side to side: keep your shoulders level and take shorter steps.

Swap for: Clamshell, Band Standing Hip Abduction

Build a session with Lateral Band Walk

Footwork primers: 1-2 minutes

Finish with movements that look like the game: a few skater hops side to side and quick ladder steps, both at rising speed. Then go to the kitchen line and dink.

Lateral power primer

Skater Hop

Glutes, Quads, Abductors

Side-to-side bounds are the closest drill to pushing off for a wide ball, done at a speed you choose.

How to do it

  1. Stand on your right leg with a slight bend in the knee.
  2. Push off sideways and land on your left foot, letting your right leg swing behind you.
  3. Stick the landing, then bound back to the right.

Cues

  • Stick each landing
  • Push sideways, not up

Common mistakes

  • Taking off before you are balanced: pause for a beat on each landing.

Swap for: Lateral Box Jump, Single-Leg Jump

Build a session with Skater Hop

Footwork primer

Agility Ladder Drill

Calves, Quads

Quick in-and-out steps sharpen the small, fast steps you take at the kitchen line.

How to do it

  1. Lay an agility ladder flat and stand at one end.
  2. Step both feet into the first square, then step both feet wide outside it, and move forward one square.
  3. Repeat down the ladder, staying on the balls of your feet.

Cues

  • Quick, light feet
  • Eyes up

Common mistakes

  • Racing and clipping the rungs: get the pattern clean before speeding up.

Swap for: Skater Hop, High Knees

Build a session with Agility Ladder Drill

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Before open play

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You play social games a few times a week and want to feel loose from the first rally.

A complete court warm-up that takes seven minutes and needs only a mini band. It stays easy so you start your games fresh.

Court Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jumping JackSeconds. 2 × 30 4 10 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 1 × 30 4 10 s
Leg SwingsPer leg, both directions. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Ankle CirclesPer foot. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 5 4 15 s
Band Pull-Apart 1 × 15 3 15 s
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 1 × 10 3 15 s
Skater HopPer side. 2 × 6–8 3 30 s
How to run it
Do it on the court before your first game of the session.
How to progress
Once it feels easy, add a second round of skater hops at a faster pace.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Before a tournament match

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You play competitive brackets and need to be fast from the first point.

Adds the ladder and a second round of hops so your first rally is already at match speed. The order is the same; the last minutes get faster.

Match Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jumping JackSeconds. 2 × 30–45 4 10 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 12 4 0 s
Arm CirclesEach direction. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 2 × 5 4 15 s
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 2 × 10 3 15 s
Agility Ladder DrillSeconds. Faster each round. 3 × 20–30 3 30 s
Skater HopPer side. 2 × 6 3 30 s
How to run it
Start 15 minutes before your match, then dink for the last few minutes.
How to progress
Increase the speed of the ladder work before adding rounds.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Cold early-morning games

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You play outdoors early, and the first games feel stiff.

Longer raise and more ankle and hip work, because cold joints take longer to loosen. The primers stay short.

Cold-Weather Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jumping JackSeconds. 3 × 30 4 10 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 2 × 30 4 10 s
Ankle CirclesPer foot. 2 × 10 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 2 × 10 4 0 s
Arm CirclesEach direction. 1 × 12 4 0 s
Band Pull-Apart 2 × 12–15 3 15 s
How to run it
Use it on cold or early days before open play.
How to progress
Shorten the raise as the weather warms up.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do you warm up for pickleball?

Two minutes of easy cardio, three minutes of dynamic moves for the ankles, hips and shoulders, a little band work, and a minute of quick footwork. Then dink at the kitchen line.

What is a good dynamic warm-up for pickleball?

Leg swings, ankle circles, arm circles, cossack squats and skater hops, done in that order and getting a little faster as you go.

How long should a pickleball warm-up be?

About seven minutes is enough for most players. On cold mornings, take ten.

Should I stretch before playing pickleball?

Move rather than hold. Dynamic drills prepare you for the court, and longer static stretches fit better after you finish.

How do I train for pickleball?

Practice is the core, and two short strength sessions a week for the legs, hips and shoulders back it up. The exercises for pickleball page has a full program.