🥒 Knee & Foot Routine

Bottom-to-top, slow-to-fast. Not medical advice — just what keeps me on the court.

Want to see the moves? Tap Watch on a row, or do the whole animated warm-up.

⚡ Pre-Game Warm-Up ~6 min, courtside

Dynamic only. Never static-stretch cold knees.

#	Move	Dose
1	Ankle circles + foot rolls	10 each way; roll each foot 30s
2	Leg swings (front-back, side-side)	10 each / leg
3	Walking lunges	8 / leg
4	Bodyweight squats	10 (slow down, quick up)
5	Lateral shuffles	20 ft out + back × 3
6	Calf raises	15
7	Skip / jog the baseline	30s

🦵 Daily Knee Stability ~8 min

The long game. Tendon + joint resilience.

#	Move	Dose	Why
1	Spanish squat / wall sit	3 × 30s	Patellar tendon loading
2	Single-leg balance	30s / leg (progress: eyes closed)	Proprioception
3	Tibialis raises (toes up, wall)	2 × 20	Deceleration control
4	Calf raises (straight, then bent-knee)	3 × 15	Both calf muscles; doubles as plantar/heel prep
5	Glute bridges	2 × 15	Weak glutes = knee pain
6	Towel scrunches / toe spreads	2 × 15	Foot intrinsics

🧵 Hamstring Mobility daily + post-ride

Cyclist's blind spot. Strong but short hamstrings mistrack the knee. Cheap, no downside on a grumpy knee.

#	Move	Dose	When
1	Foam roll hamstrings	60–90s / leg	After every ride
2	Supine strap/band hamstring stretch	30s × 2 / leg	Daily
3	Standing hip hinge (hands slide down legs)	8–10 reps	Daily
4	Doorframe single-leg hamstring stretch	30s / leg	As needed

Self-check: film yourself coming down a flight of stairs. Stiff-legged, same leg leading, or controlled-fall = a tracking/flexibility tell worth showing your PT.

🎯 Band Strength 2–3× / week

Loop band + tube band covers all of it.

#	Move	Dose	Target
1	Monster walks	10 steps each way	Glute med, knee tracking
2	Lateral band walks	10 each way	Hip stability
3	Banded TKEs (straighten knee)	3 × 15	VMO / knee stability
4	Banded ankle dorsiflexion + inv/eversion	2 × 15 each	Ankle = first knee defense
5	Banded squats	3 × 12	Quads, glutes
6	Clamshells	2 × 15 / side	Glute med

📝 Notes
• Band days fold in the daily work — calf raises, glutes overlap on purpose. Don't double up; skip the dupes.
• Sharp pain = stop & assess. Dull tendon-loading ache is fine; sharp is a "see someone" signal, not a "push through" one.

⭐ Minimum viable day: Spanish squat + single-leg balance + calf raises. Do those even when short on time.

Pairs with the animated warm-up. Green moves are knee-friendly; deeper-loading ones (lunges, squats, skip) go gentle on a grumpy day. About the demonstrator: Mr. PBSF is a pickleball with sticks for limbs. He has no knees, no hamstrings, and no birthday. Move within your own range, not his. Not affiliated with doyouevendinkbro.com. I've spoken to him about it, but he insists we're partners. We have never been seen in the same room.