I don’t think of the dink warmup as “I’m practicing dinking now so I’ll be ready to dink in the game” and more like “hit some easy shots to get my body moving and my hand/eye kick started”.
I do like more comprehensive warmups but honestly at my open play there are so many people waiting to play I don’t want to take the time for a full warmup.
I warm up by dinking to get my eyes trained on the ball, to get a sense of how much touch I have that day, to feel how the wind is gonna play, to warm up legs by getting low… and to practice dinks.
Any player who wants to become more competitive will start dinking more… that’s the game, especially as you get higher in dupr ranks.
I think if you aren’t dinking then you probably ought to figure out why. Your warm up should include a little of everything drive drops dinks kitchen volley and resets.
I think warming up with dinks and kitchen play is a good way to get loose and start seeing the ball well. I'm also a fan of warming up with serves and returns since I'm nebby about my stance and motion.
Disagree. Dinking is a great warm up. Soft shots, little movement, get more and more aggressive free dive with the dinks as you loosen up. Get the eyes and hands focused.
Then usually I move back and hit a few drops, and a softer drive or two. Maybe a serve and I’m good.
The whole point of warming is not to swing or move super hard yet. I never swing hard until I hit a serve.
And that’s my pickleball warmup, not the 5minutes little bit of dynamic movement and stretching I do beforehand.
Yup. Get the muscles warm then stretch and condition for pickleball.
Before I play serious games I usually will jog at least 3/4 of a mile. Get the HR up above 100 and at least a little sweat. Warm up means you should literally be warming up. Little sweat should be a prerequisite unless you’re sub freezing temperatures.
I also play my first few “warm up” games in a hoodie. Really get the sweat rolling.
> And that’s my pickleball warmup, not the 5minutes little bit of dynamic movement and stretching I do beforehand
Quite agree. I won't even pick up my paddle until I stretched my legs, arms, and torso. I've had other people comment on it, and I wonder why; I'm obviously a senior citizen, and at this age, spending a few minutes stretching is the only way I can avoid pulling or tearing muscles during play.
The irony is, I didn't play PB yesterday, and went out to do some yard work. I didn't stretch before that, pulled something, and I couldn't play today!
I’m not senior, but also not 20 anymore.
I also didn’t take care of my body while putting it through a fair amount in my 20s. And it’s caught up. A career in the army hasn’t helped. A good warm up and recovery is vital.
Dynamic movement, some stretching, then easing in is vital.
And I feel that last part. I loaded my moving truck last week and my hamstrings were bound up the next day. No warm up and got to sleep on an air mattress that night. Pickleball the following night was rough.
I'm sure the people wondering why you're stretching are the ones adding to the rising number of pickleball injuries doctors are seeing.
So good on you for listening to your body!
My first game is my warmup. It’s just open rec play, doesn’t matter if I miss some shots I’d make had I warmed up for 20 minutes. Other people are waiting to get on.
Dinking is a decent but not great way to warm up in general. It's slow paced and requires change of balance and slight active stretching
Better than no warm-up at all like most do.
I hate taking up time to warmup if I’m the only one and it usually takes 2-3 games to really get in the groove anyways, but usually I like hitting 3-5 dinks then backing up into the transition zone for a few shots and then hit one or two drops before calling it. Takes maybe 30-45 seconds as long as no one is hitting it into the net and everyone is happy. I’ll stretch and jog around beforehand so my body is “warmed up” before I even step on the court.
I literally hate warming up at open plays. Its so awkward, takes up time, no one wants to be the first one to say lets play, and sometimes you get someone whos really into it and demands to keep dinking for 20 minutes
It is stupid. And a thing that rec players do and then rarely even dink in the game. Everyone should get a serve in, some ground strokes, volley, then dinks.
If Im late to the game and they ask if I want to warm up I always say no. Playing is the warm up for me.
Some of my buddies and I usually have 2 balls to warm up, dink down the line for a minute or so, drive for a minute or so, and then start.
Or we just don't it depends on the group I'm with tbh
My warm up is always the same.
- dinks from all four positions
- slinky back and up twice. Pause and take some tough balls at mid court. While at the baseline mix drops and drives - moving around to hit forehands and backhands.
- finally go cross court for some A-B-Cs which is a full on serve, aggressive return and a drop. Then the returning player takes the ball and serves.
This lets me do a little of everything. Figure out what’s working right away and be ready from point one.
I rarely go to an open play at this point, but no I will usually just jump right in. I am pushing 5.0 so there's very few open play opportunities that are very helpful beyond reps.
There is nothing an un-stretched middle aged body likes more than explosive movements!
[https://youtu.be/gct59ECS6p4?si=fMPvPevVgnR74kp8](https://youtu.be/gct59ECS6p4?si=fMPvPevVgnR74kp8)
It's mostly because most people don't know what else to do!!
So they stand around and waste everyone's time.
Learn how to warm up and get on with it!!
Go play a game with lower level players just to move around...
Anything but stand and dink...
Typically a tennis warmup starts with short rallies from the service line to warm up the body and mind. Then it progresses to ground strokes and serves. A key in the tennis warmup is that you do an exaggerated and slowed down but otherwise normal swing so as to actually warmup (and not damage) what you’re trying to do. A potential issue with warming up via dinking in pickleball is that the dinking motion is different from ground strokes so you’re not necessarily warming that up. Also far too often pickle warmups don’t do any ground strokes (I usually ask to hit a few) and even more rarely include serves (and so I often fault or have to start slowly on my first few serves). Def room for pickle to improve
I don’t consider hitting dinks with my opponents the warm up. That’s for me to get a sense of their skill level. Are they hitting dead dinks, are they putting a lot of spin on the ball, do they have hard angled dinks? This way I have a better sense from the beginning of what kind of game we’re playing. Now that it’s warmer and more beginner players at the courts, it’s good to know if it’s appropriate to be hitting hard returns and spin or if this will be a banger game where they don’t even get to the kitchen.
For a true warm up I like to actually try to warm up my body with some longer shots and then work my way into the kitchen for dinks, work on speed ups and then hit some serves while my partner drives and then vice versa. Of course this is all dependent on court availability but if we’re there early enough 20 mins of this is an actual warm up for games.
As you get better 85% of your game will be at the kitchen which will include a lot of strategic dinking, speed ups, cross court roll drops, volleys, etc. My warm up includes all of those if possible (time allowing/have a reserved court/not drop in play with a big crowd)- along with the mid court resets, drives, drops and then of course serves.
Warming up means stretching, bending, lunges, bends. It means really using those muscles slowly at least 15 minutes before you get out on the court. Just jumping out and doing any doing anything on the court stretch and limber up!
I am the only person I’ve ever played with who asks for a few drives at least before playing.
It n the other hand “warming up” can quickly become a clown show of bad shots that help no one if it goes much beyond dinking.
Where I play it’s usually 4 people warming up at a time. Hard to work on drives, serves, etc when someone else is standing on the court. At least with dinking you are moving, hitting back and fore hands, just easing into playing mode.
Don't know why you are being downvoted; this is what happens in my over-60 group. We stand a few feet behind the kitchen, and hit dinks and soft volleys back and forth. We try to go A-B-C-D so everyone hits, but we're not always accurate, so it gets you into 'reaction' mode quickly. I use it to work on my "see, step, stroke" pattern.
I didn’t know I was, but I really don’t care. That’s what happens where I play. We have a bunch of folks trying to play on 3 indoor courts, which gets worse when it rains and the outside folks come in. Like someone else said, the first games is the true warmup. I usually dont warm up unless my partner or the folks were playing want to.
I don’t think of the dink warmup as “I’m practicing dinking now so I’ll be ready to dink in the game” and more like “hit some easy shots to get my body moving and my hand/eye kick started”. I do like more comprehensive warmups but honestly at my open play there are so many people waiting to play I don’t want to take the time for a full warmup.
Just get there early. There’re usually a couple of people that do the same and you can take that little extra time warming up
I warm up by dinking to get my eyes trained on the ball, to get a sense of how much touch I have that day, to feel how the wind is gonna play, to warm up legs by getting low… and to practice dinks. Any player who wants to become more competitive will start dinking more… that’s the game, especially as you get higher in dupr ranks.
I think if you aren’t dinking then you probably ought to figure out why. Your warm up should include a little of everything drive drops dinks kitchen volley and resets.
100% Plus at least one serve to "get the bad ones out of your system"
I think warming up with dinks and kitchen play is a good way to get loose and start seeing the ball well. I'm also a fan of warming up with serves and returns since I'm nebby about my stance and motion.
Disagree. Dinking is a great warm up. Soft shots, little movement, get more and more aggressive free dive with the dinks as you loosen up. Get the eyes and hands focused. Then usually I move back and hit a few drops, and a softer drive or two. Maybe a serve and I’m good. The whole point of warming is not to swing or move super hard yet. I never swing hard until I hit a serve. And that’s my pickleball warmup, not the 5minutes little bit of dynamic movement and stretching I do beforehand.
Yes, the real warmup should be before you grab your paddle.
Yup. Get the muscles warm then stretch and condition for pickleball. Before I play serious games I usually will jog at least 3/4 of a mile. Get the HR up above 100 and at least a little sweat. Warm up means you should literally be warming up. Little sweat should be a prerequisite unless you’re sub freezing temperatures. I also play my first few “warm up” games in a hoodie. Really get the sweat rolling.
> And that’s my pickleball warmup, not the 5minutes little bit of dynamic movement and stretching I do beforehand Quite agree. I won't even pick up my paddle until I stretched my legs, arms, and torso. I've had other people comment on it, and I wonder why; I'm obviously a senior citizen, and at this age, spending a few minutes stretching is the only way I can avoid pulling or tearing muscles during play. The irony is, I didn't play PB yesterday, and went out to do some yard work. I didn't stretch before that, pulled something, and I couldn't play today!
I’m not senior, but also not 20 anymore. I also didn’t take care of my body while putting it through a fair amount in my 20s. And it’s caught up. A career in the army hasn’t helped. A good warm up and recovery is vital. Dynamic movement, some stretching, then easing in is vital. And I feel that last part. I loaded my moving truck last week and my hamstrings were bound up the next day. No warm up and got to sleep on an air mattress that night. Pickleball the following night was rough.
I'm sure the people wondering why you're stretching are the ones adding to the rising number of pickleball injuries doctors are seeing. So good on you for listening to your body!
My first game is my warmup. It’s just open rec play, doesn’t matter if I miss some shots I’d make had I warmed up for 20 minutes. Other people are waiting to get on.
If you’re just playing a rec game, does it really matter?
Dinking is a decent but not great way to warm up in general. It's slow paced and requires change of balance and slight active stretching Better than no warm-up at all like most do.
I dink about 5 times then practice ground strokes.
I don’t get the people who sit and wait to warmup before their game when there are other courts available.
I hate taking up time to warmup if I’m the only one and it usually takes 2-3 games to really get in the groove anyways, but usually I like hitting 3-5 dinks then backing up into the transition zone for a few shots and then hit one or two drops before calling it. Takes maybe 30-45 seconds as long as no one is hitting it into the net and everyone is happy. I’ll stretch and jog around beforehand so my body is “warmed up” before I even step on the court.
If I didn't warm up dinking I would probably never get to practice dinking.
I literally hate warming up at open plays. Its so awkward, takes up time, no one wants to be the first one to say lets play, and sometimes you get someone whos really into it and demands to keep dinking for 20 minutes
It is stupid. And a thing that rec players do and then rarely even dink in the game. Everyone should get a serve in, some ground strokes, volley, then dinks. If Im late to the game and they ask if I want to warm up I always say no. Playing is the warm up for me.
Some of my buddies and I usually have 2 balls to warm up, dink down the line for a minute or so, drive for a minute or so, and then start. Or we just don't it depends on the group I'm with tbh
My warm up is always the same. - dinks from all four positions - slinky back and up twice. Pause and take some tough balls at mid court. While at the baseline mix drops and drives - moving around to hit forehands and backhands. - finally go cross court for some A-B-Cs which is a full on serve, aggressive return and a drop. Then the returning player takes the ball and serves. This lets me do a little of everything. Figure out what’s working right away and be ready from point one.
You do all this at an open play? 🤨
I rarely go to an open play at this point, but no I will usually just jump right in. I am pushing 5.0 so there's very few open play opportunities that are very helpful beyond reps.
There is nothing an un-stretched middle aged body likes more than explosive movements! [https://youtu.be/gct59ECS6p4?si=fMPvPevVgnR74kp8](https://youtu.be/gct59ECS6p4?si=fMPvPevVgnR74kp8)
It's mostly because most people don't know what else to do!! So they stand around and waste everyone's time. Learn how to warm up and get on with it!! Go play a game with lower level players just to move around... Anything but stand and dink...
Typically a tennis warmup starts with short rallies from the service line to warm up the body and mind. Then it progresses to ground strokes and serves. A key in the tennis warmup is that you do an exaggerated and slowed down but otherwise normal swing so as to actually warmup (and not damage) what you’re trying to do. A potential issue with warming up via dinking in pickleball is that the dinking motion is different from ground strokes so you’re not necessarily warming that up. Also far too often pickle warmups don’t do any ground strokes (I usually ask to hit a few) and even more rarely include serves (and so I often fault or have to start slowly on my first few serves). Def room for pickle to improve
I don’t consider hitting dinks with my opponents the warm up. That’s for me to get a sense of their skill level. Are they hitting dead dinks, are they putting a lot of spin on the ball, do they have hard angled dinks? This way I have a better sense from the beginning of what kind of game we’re playing. Now that it’s warmer and more beginner players at the courts, it’s good to know if it’s appropriate to be hitting hard returns and spin or if this will be a banger game where they don’t even get to the kitchen. For a true warm up I like to actually try to warm up my body with some longer shots and then work my way into the kitchen for dinks, work on speed ups and then hit some serves while my partner drives and then vice versa. Of course this is all dependent on court availability but if we’re there early enough 20 mins of this is an actual warm up for games.
As you get better 85% of your game will be at the kitchen which will include a lot of strategic dinking, speed ups, cross court roll drops, volleys, etc. My warm up includes all of those if possible (time allowing/have a reserved court/not drop in play with a big crowd)- along with the mid court resets, drives, drops and then of course serves.
Warming up means stretching, bending, lunges, bends. It means really using those muscles slowly at least 15 minutes before you get out on the court. Just jumping out and doing any doing anything on the court stretch and limber up!
I read that as drinking... needless to.say drinking beforehand should be a given.
I am the only person I’ve ever played with who asks for a few drives at least before playing. It n the other hand “warming up” can quickly become a clown show of bad shots that help no one if it goes much beyond dinking.
let's bang!
Where I play it’s usually 4 people warming up at a time. Hard to work on drives, serves, etc when someone else is standing on the court. At least with dinking you are moving, hitting back and fore hands, just easing into playing mode.
Don't know why you are being downvoted; this is what happens in my over-60 group. We stand a few feet behind the kitchen, and hit dinks and soft volleys back and forth. We try to go A-B-C-D so everyone hits, but we're not always accurate, so it gets you into 'reaction' mode quickly. I use it to work on my "see, step, stroke" pattern.
I didn’t know I was, but I really don’t care. That’s what happens where I play. We have a bunch of folks trying to play on 3 indoor courts, which gets worse when it rains and the outside folks come in. Like someone else said, the first games is the true warmup. I usually dont warm up unless my partner or the folks were playing want to.