Functional Training

Padel functional training

Monday evening, and the cones are already out before the session starts. Functional training covers a huge range of exercises, all aimed at getting fitter in a practical way. Coaches use it with players at almost every level. It makes sense. The work carries straight over to sport, mostly strength and agility. Coordination and balance too. Then there's reaction time, which counts for more than people think.

Padel is a good example. You barely stand still. A sharp push off, then a dead stop before you change direction. Some balls mean getting right down low, and up at the net you've got tenths of a second to react. No surprise, then, that plenty of players back up their hours on court with specific exercises. The kit is usually simple stuff that fits in a bag.

Equipment for your training sessions

This section brings together the kit that turns up regularly in fitness sessions and technical work. Resistance bands and coordination ladders. Cones and ropes, medicine balls as well, plus a few other bits that stop training from getting samey.

How each piece gets used varies a lot. It comes down to level and experience. And to what someone is after, of course. Some kit is mostly about mobility, a quick way to switch on before training starts. Other pieces belong in much tougher sessions built around strength or speed.

Kit for working on different physical abilities

Nobody trains quite the same way. One player wants quicker feet. Another needs to build up a particular part of the body, and some people just want to keep ticking over between matches. It's normal to see this kind of equipment in gyms and sports clubs. Recovery centres use it as well. Outdoor sessions too.

Most of it packs away small. Into a drawer after the session and that's it. Handy if you train at home.

Which kit suits you?

The range here covers kit for setting up your own sessions, and for adding a few new exercises to the routine. Some people only want general conditioning. Others train with padel in mind, or another sport altogether. There's equipment for both.