Prevent On-Court Falls: Test Single-Leg and Tandem Stance, Then Train Marches, Multidirectional Steps, and Reaches
Summary
Selkirk TV notes that almost every pickleball player has fallen, seen a partner fall, or watched it happen nearby — and balance work is the overlooked way to lower that risk. The lesson starts with two at-home assessments (next to a chair, table, or counter if you need a hand): a single-leg stance for up to 30 seconds on each leg, first with fingertips on a stable surface and then without if you can; and a narrower tandem stance, one foot in front of the other, also up to 30 seconds on both sides. Pickleball spends a lot of time on one leg — walking, running, lunging — so these are worth improving.
Those assessments can double as daily exercises. Then come three progressions: a standing march (brief single-leg support) that becomes a walking march with a half-second hold if the standing version is easy; multidirectional steps outside your base of support — forward, back, side, and a rotational step behind you — pushing back to stand tall each time so you can absorb a loss of balance instead of drifting into a fall; and the hardest, single-leg reaches, tapping the floor forward, side, at a rotation angle, and back, then returning to stand tall, on both legs. Stay next to something sturdy, and only progress if the earlier work felt solid. After a few weeks, retest the single-leg and tandem assessments.
Key takeaways
- Assess balance with a single-leg stance and a tandem stance (one foot in front of the other), up to 30 seconds each, on both sides, next to a sturdy surface
- Train a standing or walking march so you spend controlled time on one leg
- Then step and reach outside your base — forward, side, rotational, and back — and push back to stand tall; the single-leg floor-tap reach is the hardest progression
Action items
- Today, test both assessments (single-leg and tandem, each side, up to 30 seconds) next to a chair or counter
- If either is shaky, practice the standing march daily; if both feel easy, add the multidirectional steps and then the single-leg reaches