Zane Navratil has played in more than 100 tournaments in his illustrious Pickleball career, and he hasn’t missed a single one because of injury!

No, it’s not because he’s somehow invincible.

He credits his success, durability, and longevity to his recovery.

If you want to reach your potential, it’s always a good idea to heed advice from the best players in the world. So, let’s break down how Zane and other top pros recover with a purpose.

Step 1: Pre-Match Warmup

The recovery process actually starts before you step on the court. If you’re not preparing your body and mind for physical exertion before your match starts, you’re risking pain, injury, soreness, and, unfortunately - losing!

That’s a lot to recover from…

Step 2: Post-Match Cooldown

Before you hop in the car or go have a drink with your friends, don’t forget to cooldown with some stretching! It’s a critical step in the recovery process, as it reduces soreness and helps your body wind down and shift into recovery mode.

Step 3: Recovery Aids

When you get home, use these 3 post-match recovery aids to reduce soreness and inflammation.

• Foam Rolling - focus on sore muscles for 5 minutes

• Massage therapy - use a theragun or similar tool for 10 minutes.

• Ice/cold water bath - up to 15 minutes

Step 4: Sleep

If you can only follow one of these 5 steps, it’s this one: Prioritize a good night’s sleep!

If you fall asleep before 11pm and get 7-9 hours, you’ll take advantage of your body and mind’s ability to regenerate muscle tissue and return stronger the next day.

Step 5: Rest Days

When you have a strong desire to get better, rest days seem like a waste of time… but don’t fall for this trap! Rest days are critical to avoiding performance plateaus. The trick is knowing when your body needs rest.

Simply check in with yourself in the morning… Am I extra sore? Is my energy particularly low? Am I demotivated? Did I sleep poorly? If the answer is yes to more than one of these questions, that’s your cue to give yourself some rest today.

Incorporating these steps into your Pickleball routine will help you recover like a pro and break through that pesky performance plateau!

Did You Know? Players who consistently incorporate proper recovery techniques experience a 30% reduction in injury-related downtime compared to those who don’t prioritize recovery.

If you’ve been injured and unable to play, you know how much it sucks. But it doesn’t have to happen again!

The Pickleball sports scientists at AIM7 built an app that feeds you personalized sleep and recovery programs to help you avoid injury and win more often.

If you sometimes neglect the importance of your mental game, pay attention to this!

A simple release - reset - refocus framework will make you more mentally tough than your opponent.

If you are going to be an excellent tournament player, you must learn to let go of bad shots and give all of your energy and focus to the next point. It takes a little practice, but it works.

Step 1. Release

This is a conscious act of letting go after a bad shot.

Use a physical or verbal cue to signal to yourself that you're moving past the mistake. This could be clapping your hands, tapping your paddle on your thigh, or using a specific phrase. The key is to make it a deliberate action that symbolizes releasing the negative energy associated with the error.

Step 2. Reset

After releasing, bring yourself back to the present moment.

This step is about grounding yourself physically and mentally. Take a deep breath, count to five, or simply pay attention to how the paddle feels in your hand. There's no right or wrong method - choose something simple that works best for you.

Step 3. Refocus

The final step is directing your attention to what’s within your control right now.

Positive self-talk is a great way to do this! Tell yourself "hit a good serve" or "play my game." The goal is to shift your focus to something present, positive, and within your control.

For more details on the Release—Reset—Refocus framework, check out this short podcast interview with Dr. Alex Auerbach.

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