How to Improve Your Game With Your Wearable Fitness Tracker
Make your wearable work as hard as you do
In the middle of a game last week, after a long and hard-fought point, my partner Chuck, told me, “wow, my heart rate hit 168 just now”. Afterwards he told me he’s been using his wearable to track his play and help him enhance stamina, watch his recovery, and just better understand what’s going on with his body around pickleball.
Devices Can Track Your Activity & Boost Endurance
Devices like Fitbit Charge, Garmin Forerunner, or Apple Watch track steps, active minutes, calories, and even real-time heart rate like Chuck. You can use this data to set meaningful goals, whether it’s hitting a daily step target or looking at your heart rate and how it’s recovering between points. Over time, this helps build fitness. But remember, a device can tell you your heart rate is high, but listening to moments of fatigue or shortness of breath can be even more insightful, your body often gives the clearest signals.
Monitor Recovery & Prevent Injury
Devices like Oura Ring and Whoop specialize in tracking recovery, sleep, and strain. For example, Oura provides sleep scores, HRV, and readiness metrics each morning. If your device shows poor sleep quality or low HRV, it’s wise to take a rest day, or focus on mobility instead of working hard. This personalized feedback helps you prevent injuries and overuse, especially as you push your limits with daily pickleball sessions.
Set Goals & Track Your Improvements
When you record your stats, like quicker between point recovery times, particularly after longer rallies, or improved HRV (heart rate variability). HRV is a key indicator of cardio health over all, and your current state relative to other days. In short, the more variable your heart rate is, the more efficiently it’s working, it sounds a bit counterintuitive, but when your system is stressed, your heart rate is more consistent to try to smooth things out. When your system is recovered and chill, your heart rate is a bit more random and chill. Keeping track of this regularly can be a good indicator of your body’s recovery status.
A Key Caveat: Trust Your Body
While fitness devices are powerful, they aren’t infallible. Sometimes, listening to your body is more important than the data. If your device indicates you’re “off,” but you feel energized and ready, don’t let a number hold you back. Conversely, before a big tournament or match, consider skipping the device a day or two prior. You want to perform your best, and sometimes, over-reliance on data can lead to unnecessary caution, diminishing your confidence or performance. Remember, your instincts and body signals often give the clearest insight into your readiness.
The Bottom Line
Using your fitness tech to inform your training, recovery, and nutrition can supercharge your pickleball game. Just combine that with listening to how you feel, because sometimes, your body knows best. Gear up, monitor wisely, but never forget: feeling good and playing your best are the ultimate goals.
