Avoiding Injuries When Playing Padel
Padel is a fun, dynamic and addictive game that we all love. In comparison to a lot of other sports, it is also very safe. However, there are some fundamental points that we wanted to share, which focus on keeping padel players safe and avoiding injuries. Beginners especially need to understand some of the key safety points of padel, which they won’t necessarily learn from watching the WPT!
On our recent padel course at Hello Padel Academy, Mauri Andrini and Dan Troy were focussed on safety throughout and this is an important point, to ensure everyone enjoys their games safely over the long term. Here are some of the key padel safety pointers that you may not have known.
Wear the wrist cord on your bat at all times: You know that little cord on the bottom of your bat? It is there for a very important reason. In the early days of padel, there were some very serious injuries caused by bats slipping out of players hands. Therefore, it is now compulsory for bats to be manufactured with a wrist cord and it is essential for players to wear the wrist cord tightly when on the court. Look after the players around you and if someone forgets to use the cord, give them a polite reminder to keep everyone safe.
Beware of stray balls on the court: Stepping or tripping on a padel ball on the court is a sure fire way of ending up with a twisted ankle or knee injury. In tennis, players, have a habit of rolling the ball to the back of the court. However in the enclosed padel court, any balls that are not picked up will always remain on the playing surface, making your game more hazardous. Make sure you always pick up stray balls and give a shout to your friends who may not have seen a ball in their vicinity.
Warm up and cool down: Like any sport, it is important to warm up properly before playing your match. We have often said that padel can be easier and lower impact, but this does not mean you can skip that warm up! You can keep enjoying your games multiple times every week if you can avoid those injuries, so make sure you turn up early to have a good warm up before your match.
Court environment: Whilst you may be familiar with the padel court, always ensure you check the conditions arrival. There may be many things that can change the playing environment, which may include: The weather (wet courts can be a particular hazard), equipment left from previous sessions, bats left lodged in the side of the fence (a bad habit), low lighting levels and so on. So before you walk onto the court (after your warm up) just give the court a once over to ensure there are no hazards before you enjoy your game.
The back glass: We have all seen the video of the guy who runs into the padel court back glass (don’t try it at home) and the recent photo of Charles Puyol after running through the glass wall! Now while these issues are extremely rare, it is still worth a mention that the back glass can be a hazard. You may be hugely competitive and chase down every ball, but do remember that you have that glass wall to contend with. Always make sure you are familiar with your court position and have time to slow down after chasing down that ball. Children around a padel court should also be supervised at all times to avoid injury. Lastly, all clubs should ensure there are safety markings to highlight the glass, so if this is not in place, it should be installed.
There are plenty more things to consider and we know this isn’t the most exciting of padel posts, but hopefully this post makes you think when playing in future.
Please do stay safe when playing your games # Padel #SafetyFirst