A Few Tips for Playing Padel in the Cold Winter Months

Padel sports enjoy popularity all year round. In winter, people’s physical conditions need to be warmed up in advance to reach a safe state. Whether you are playing outside or at an indoor center without the heat on, there are some best practices that all players should follow if you are playing in cold conditions. Not only will these help you avoid injury, they will also ensure you have as much fun as possible on the court.

Don’t skip the warm-up. This may sound obvious, and you’ve probably seen this before, but it’s crucial to make sure you warm up thoroughly in cold weather. There are two aspects to this. The first is an off-field warm-up that involves jogging and getting your heart rate up. Typically, you’ll also do more dynamic stretching before a game than static stretching. The goal here is to get your muscles ready for action!

The second aspect is mobility and keeping the body flexible. Move as much as possible while the racket warms up. It’s easy to feel cold on the court and then warm up in the racket. The body and limbs are resistant and stiff! During your racquet warm-up, bounce on your toes to liven up your action and even get a shadow wiggle if you’re not hitting the ball. Make every effort to get your body relaxed and warm before the game. If you do both of these things well, you’ll feel enthusiastic and ready to play when you start playing.

Be aware of the equipment you are using: racket and ball. In cold conditions, the padel ball becomes heavier and feels flatter. This is especially true if they were also stored in cold conditions, such as leaving them in a car overnight. When the weather gets colder, you may need to change balls and break out new ones more often. During the cold season, racket and ball maintenance is important.

This is even more important to consider if you play in cold and wet conditions (not a great combination, let’s be honest!), as wet balls can become overweight. The reason this is a problem is that all of this puts extra stress on your elbow, shoulder, and wrist joints and can lead to injury. I cannot stress enough how much of an impact the ball has on injury risk! So be aware of when you need to replace them, especially in cold conditions.

Overall, cold weather requires more patience on your part. You can’t win with sheer power, so turn on your tactical thinking in this situation and figure out how to use the court and shooting accuracy to win! Playing in cold conditions can be difficult, but if you apply these tips, you’ll avoid injury and have more fun in the process. More importantly, you’ll bring your best to the court every time. If you want to avoid this, consider playing on a court with a tent!

At ArtPadel China, we are driven by technology. We constantly strive to create and innovate to make sure that players get nothing but the best experience while playing on our patent pending surface! We look forward to working with you to explore more possibilities for padel courts!