The Basis of
Mobility and Stability

When asked, most people will say it’s important to “work out” on a regular basis. However, rarely will you hear, “It’s important to develop my mobility and stability.”

Most of us are used to going to the gym and performing typical workout exercises such as bicep curls, chest press, hamstring curls, knee extension, leg press, lat pulls, and the good old abduction machine. The problem with all these exercises is that they are not specific to the activity we’re performing, they occur in one plane of motion, and they do not address any mobility and stability issues.

When someone starts exercising to build strength without considering their potential mobility and stability deficits first, it can lead to higher risks of injury.

What does this mean?

If you think of developing newborns, they progress through a sequence and set patterns:

• When they are born, they have very high levels of mobility and flexibility—if you’ve ever interacted with 0–6-month-old babies, you know they are very “stretchy.”

• As babies develop and start interacting with the world, they progress toward rolling, sitting, and eventually standing—progressively increasing the amount of stability their bodies have.

• Once they have established enough motor control and stability, they start to sit up and stand up, and work against gravity. This is a continuous “workout” for them as they battle the force of gravity, making them stronger. Over time they start to run, jump, hop and skip, developing power and agility.

As illustrated above, the sequence is clear. The baseline should be great mobility, then stability is established, followed by strength, and finally power and agility. While this is the normal sequence children follow, it should be no different when thinking of adult athletic performance.

Developing strength, power, and agility on top of a sub-optimal mobility and stability base has been shown to lead to higher risks of injury. While this may be less obvious during low-intensity activities, it gets amplified with sports and the demands they place on the body.

So, what can be done? Whenever considering an off-court workout program, it’s important to consult someone who is knowledgeable about human biomechanics and understands the various mobility requirements necessary to perform all the movements on the pickleball court. It is key to undergo an assessment to determine whether there are any mobility impairments, so that they may be addressed prior to strengthening exercises.

One important consideration is that as people get older (or it could also be present at a younger age), some mobility deficits develop secondary to anatomical limitations.

For example, you may not have great right-hip mobility, which is affecting the ability to squat and therefore the ability to reach for a ball out of the air at the kitchen line. If the mobility deficit in the hip is due to the anatomical composition of the hip socket, then it doesn’t matter how much you work on your hip mobility, it won’t improve because you are limited by your anatomy.

In this example, it would be vital for the person administering the exercise program to understand this and not try to persist with improving the mobility of the hip. Instead, compensation strategies should be developed for the person to perform the activity and avoid injuring the hip.

We quickly see how there is more to working out than meets the eye. To be effective, you must consult someone who has a great understanding of all the moving pieces that go into efficient human athletic movement. The sequence is simple: mobility → stability → strength → power/agility. However, the way to achieve this can be complex and should be approached with care and expertise.  •