Pickleball has exploded here in Arizona. Every park and rec center is packed, and while the sport is a great way to stay active, a lot of players are starting to notice the same thing: achy knees after games.
Most people assume the knee itself is the problem. But in many cases, the real issue starts lower down — at the foot and ankle. One of the biggest movement patterns I see in pickleball players with knee pain is excessive heel striking combined with weak lower leg muscles, especially the soleus.
This is the difference between the player that looks light on their feet and the player that looks like they are stomping on the ground when they play.
Why Pickleball Beats Up the Knees
Pickleball is full of quick cuts, lunges, sudden stops, and awkward reaches. Over time, all of that repetitive loading adds stress to the knees, especially around the kneecap and patellar tendon.
But what many players don’t realize is how they move matters just as much as how much they play. If you’re constantly landing hard on your heels, those impact forces travel straight up the chain into the knees instead of being absorbed through the ankle and calf muscles.
That repeated pounding can irritate the knee joint fast.
The Problem With Heel Striking
Heel striking is exactly what it sounds like — the heel slamming into the ground first during movement. While this is often discussed in running, it matters in pickleball too.
Every hard heel strike creates a braking force. Instead of smoothly absorbing force through the foot, Achilles, and calf, the knee takes more of the load. Add hundreds of quick steps and lunges during a match, and it’s easy to see why knees start feeling sore and stiff afterward.
For many athletes and active adults, this ends up being the “missing piece” nobody talks about.
Why the Soleus Muscle Matters So Much
The soleus is the deep calf muscle underneath the larger gastroc muscle. It may not get much attention, but it acts like one of the body’s biggest shock absorbers.
A strong soleus helps control the shin during landing, reduces stress on the knee, and helps stabilize the entire lower leg during cutting and deceleration movements. Research even shows the soleus plays a major role in protecting the ACL during landing activities.
The problem is that most people never train it correctly.
Weak soleus muscles often mean:
- More force going into the knees
- Poor deceleration control
- Heavier heel striking
- Increased stress on the patellar tendon and kneecap
Soleus Training for Pickleball Knee Pain
The good news is this is trainable. Building stronger calves — especially the soleus — can dramatically improve shock absorption and reduce knee irritation during play.
Some of the best exercises include:
- Seated calf raises
- Bent-knee calf raises
- Single-leg hops
- Split squat holds
- Single-leg squats
- Walking lunges
- Low pogo jumps
Most pickleball players focus on quads and stretching, but the lower leg is often the missing link. When you improve the ability of the foot, the Achilles, and the soleus to absorb force, the knees usually stop taking such a beating.
You get to play more, play better and play pain free.
Final Thoughts
If your knees ache after pickleball, don’t just look at the knee itself. Pay attention to how you move, how you land, and whether your lower legs are actually strong enough to absorb force.
In a lot of cases, cleaning up heel striking mechanics and building a stronger soleus can make a huge difference — helping you move better, recover faster, and stay on the court longer.
Ready To Win More At Pickleball?
At Anderson Performance in Mesa, AZ, we help pickleball players fix the exact problems they’re already searching for online. If you’ve ever wanted to hit harder in pickleball, get faster hands, or master pickleball footwork drills, you’re not alone — these are the top frustrations our elite players deal with every day. Our training is built around solving those real‑world issues: hitting the ball harder without swinging out of control, adding more spin, moving faster on the court, reacting quicker at the kitchen, and becoming more consistent under pressure.
Players who train with us see measurable improvements in the things that actually win games: deeper serves, heavier drives, quicker hands in hand battles, cleaner third‑shot drops, and fewer pop‑ups and unforced errors. Whether you’re trying to go from 3.5 to 4.0, break into 4.5, or simply stop getting beat in fast exchanges, we target the exact performance gaps holding you back. At Anderson Performance, we don’t just make you “fitter” — we make you dangerous on the court by improving the skills real pickleball players care about most.
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