How To Prepare For Pickleball Tournaments

🏆 Tournament Season Is Here. Are You Actually Prepared to Perform?

Tournament season isn’t about playing more. It’s about showing up fresh when it matters.

At AIM7, we’ve worked with athletes at every level, and the difference is simple: the best players manage their tournament weeks with intention.

Here’s what that looks like 👇

1) Match Load

More isn’t better. Stacking tournaments week after week is the fastest way to feel flat, fatigued, or hurt. Space them out so you can actually show up fresh.

2) Practice Quality

You practice with intention:

• Game-speed reps to simulate pressure

• Low-impact sessions to refine skill

• Light “priming” sessions before competition

3) Strength & Conditioning

You don’t need to crush yourself in the gym right now.

During tournament season, one well-executed strength session per week goes a long way in maintaining power and durability.

4) Recovery, Travel, and Off Days

This is where most players fall apart.

Travel + competition adds up fast. If you’re not intentionally recovering, you’re slowly digging a hole.

So how do you actually put this into a week that makes sense?

That’s exactly what we built for you.

Download our free Weekly Tournament Scheduling Guide and take the guesswork out of your prep so you can stay sharp when it matters most.

Why is Hip Pain So Common for Pickleball Players?

Quick, explosive movements in pickleball place a significant amount of stress on your lower body, so it’s no surprise that a large number of players experience hip pain while playing. When you lack strength and mobility in your hips, pain comes knocking at the door.

The main culprit? A lack of rotational hip mobility. 

Specifically, internal rotation is usually the first range of motion we lose, and the most neglected aspect of hip training.

Dr. Kyle Richmond, AIM7’s mobility & rehab specialist, says that 10 minutes of mobility work per day can likely alleviate your hip pain and prevent if from happening in the future.

👇 Get started with these 3 hip mobility exercises! 👇

Remember, you should avoid any movements that cause pinching or pain in the hip. These exercises are designed to help you safely improve your hip mobility and function.

Ready to take your mobility training seriously? We’ve got you covered.

Start your 12-week guided mobility program with Dr. Richmond in the AIM7 app. The program is specifically designed to help pickleball players move pain-free on the court!

Sleep Might Be the Biggest Performance Edge You’re Ignoring

Just one poor night of sleep can slow your reaction time by ~17% the next day.

On a pickleball court, that’s everything…at the net, you’ve got about 14 feet to read and react to a speed-up. When you’re sleep-deprived, it’s like that distance shrinks to ~11.5 feet.

Same shot. Less time. Worse outcome.

If you want to stop getting jammed up (or body bagged) at the kitchen line, it starts the night before.

We won’t overcomplicate this. Focus on these three things:

1) Duration

Get 7–9 hours. This is your baseline for recovery, focus, and decision-making.

2) Consistency

Go to bed and wake up at the same time—even on weekends. Your body performs best on a stable rhythm.

3) Timing

Earlier sleep = better outcomes. Even shifting your schedule earlier by an hour can meaningfully improve mood, energy, and performance.

Simple, but not easy. Nail your sleep, and you’ll feel the difference the next time you need quick hands at the net!

A New Way to Win More Pickleball

We’re proud to have SLAMIT Hydration as our exclusive hydration partner—and that means a big 20% discount for you.

Just use the discount code AIM7 when you check out at slamit.com

Pickleball places unique physical and mental demands on players, and SLAMIT is addressing a major performance gap with two purpose-built products designed specifically for the sport: SLAMIT HYDRATE and SLAMIT FOCUS.

Performance hydration is quickly becoming the next major differentiator in pickleball. SLAMIT was founded by exercise scientist Mady Wolfe, who partnered with world- renowned formulator Shawn Wells, MPH, LDN, RD, to build the formulas from the ground up. Shawn has developed hundreds of performance and longevity supplements and is known for creating clinically substantiated, research-driven formulations.

SLAMIT didn’t develop these products in isolation. Over the past year, professional players and respected creators helped test and refine the formulas during real match play. Players using SLAMIT include #2 PPA player Anna Bright, Kyle Koszuta (That Pickleball Guy), Tanner Tomassi, John Cincola, Shea Underwood, Danea Zeigle, and Brandon Nespong. Their feedback shaped everything from flavor to on-court performance. Interesting side note: After using SLAMIT consistently, players like Tomassi went on a winning streak earning two APP Golds and a silver over the last few months.

But SLAMIT isn’t just for elite players, 40+ players are using it to turn back the hands of time of their overall energy, focus and power output. SLAMIT HYDRATE is the foundation product. It’s a premium electrolyte hydration powder designed to keep players consistently hydrated through long sessions and tournament days. Unlike most hydration products that rely on processed table salt (like LMNT and Liquid IV), SLAMIT HYDRATE uses Baja Gold Sea Salt—an unprocessed, sun-dried sea salt harvested from the Sea of Cortez. Baja Gold contains over 90 naturally occurring trace minerals that support hydration, nerve signaling, muscular control, and sustained concentration.

SLAMIT HYDRATE also delivers double the electrolyte load of many leading brands, helping players avoid the performance drop- offs that come with dehydration.

SLAMIT FOCUS builds on that hydration foundation and adds a cognitive-performance edge. It’s an electrolyte and energy-drink alternative designed for sharper focus and faster reaction time without caffeine, jitters or crashes. Its key ingredient, Paraxanthine, has been shown in human research to improve sustained attention by 29% and reaction time by 26%. Those are big results when you’re in a close game. SLAMIT FOCUS also includes Alpha-GPC and L-Tyrosine to support mental clarity, neuromuscular efficiency, and resilience under fatigue.

Why did AIM7 choose SLAMIT?

SLAMIT stood out because of their commitment to science-backed ingredients. SLAMIT HYDRATE establishes a strong hydration baseline, while SLAMIT FOCUS adds a research-backed cognitive advantage built for fast-decision sports like pickleball. SLAMIT also offers a “Play Better Pickleball Guarantee.” If you don’t win more games, they will refund your entire purchase price. 

As a special offer for our readers only, SLAMIT is giving AIM7 followers 20% off their first order this week only. Just use the discount code AIM7 when you check out at slamit.com. But don’t delay, SLAMIT has gone viral and stock outs are inevitable.

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