Health Benefits of Pickleball

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States. Its popularity comes partly from its beginner-friendliness and the exhilarating fun it offers, but many take it up and stick with it for its phenomenal health benefits. Although this is a relatively new sport — created just a few decades ago, in 1965 — it has already developed a reputation for improving the lives of the people who fall in love with it.

If you're on the fence about whether pickleball is for you, this guide will lay out how it can boost your physical, mental, and social health.

Physical Exercise Benefits of Pickleball

Whether you're an athlete or have limited sports experience, you can quickly learn to play pickleball as a fun way to get active. This accessible game is a great form of exercise with many physical health benefits.

1. Balance, Coordination and Flexibility

Pickleball is good exercise for your agility and athletic skills. Hitting the ball with your paddle is excellent practice for hand-eye coordination. At the same time, all-round body coordination, balance, flexibility, and footwork benefit from:

• Darting forward, backward and sideways around the court.
• Navigating around the no-volley zone — the “kitchen."
• Strategic shot placement to score points.
• Reacting to your opponent's shots.

2. Cardiovascular Health and Fitness

This sport is sure to get your heart pumping, which is great for your health and fitness. Pickleball is a more effective form of cardio than walking, and many find it more enjoyable.

It's a fun way to move toward your recommended 150 minutes of weekly moderate cardio — and your more vigorous cardio if played with some added intensity. Following these health recommendations through pickleball can improve your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, lowering your risk of heart disease. The extra movement will also benefit lung function and cardiovascular fitness.

3. Osteoporosis Prevention

Pickleball can help conserve bone tissue and reduce the rate of bone loss, limiting your risk of osteoporosis. This bone-weakening disease can lead to fractures and seriously impact your quality of life as you age, so avoiding it can help you live a longer, safer, and more fulfilling life.

4. Joint Preservation

Pickleball is a low-impact sport compared to many other activities, making it gentler on your joints. Compared to tennis, the smaller court reduces strain on your lower-body joints, while the underhand serve is more forgiving on your elbows and shoulders. Low-impact but challenging movement around the pickleball court can help you maintain and improve your joint health, mobility, and strength.

5. Muscle Strength

Regular pickleball practice is a healthy challenge for your muscles. Over time, they'll adapt by gaining strength, power, endurance and definition. Pickleball builds balanced muscles throughout your legs, core, and arms. If you're not currently doing regular strength training, pickleball is a fun way to start.

For well-rounded muscle health, try combining pickleball with another form of strength training, like lifting weights twice per week. You could do your other strength workouts on different days. Or, if you need to be more efficient with your time, you can start a session with weights and finish with pickleball if you play at a well-equipped gym in your area.

6. Neurological Health

The physical exercise and rapid decision-making practice you get from pickleball can boost your brain health. This leads to better sleep, cognition, memory and mental well-being.

7. Life Expectancy

Regular exercise that engages your muscles, heart and lungs can improve life expectancy. Pickleball is a fun, accessible way to unlock the life-extending benefits of exercise. In fact, research has shown that paddle sports like pickleball reduce mortality risk by 16%, which is an even greater positive impact than other forms of exercise.

8. Body Composition

For folks on a weight-loss journey, pickleball is a fun, effective way to burn calories and reduce body fat. A half-hour pickleball session burns 40% more calories than walking. If you want to manage your body weight or body composition, pickleball could be a playful part of your plan.

Mental Benefits of Pickleball

The health benefits of playing pickleball extend beyond the body and into the mind. This sport can improve your mental health in several ways:

• Mood: Playing pickleball releases mood-boosting endorphins. Participation in this sport correlates with increased happiness and life satisfaction.
• Depression: Pickleball can reduce depression in participants of all ages and skill levels. This benefit may come from its positive impact on hormonal systems, as well as its power to enhance social relationships, self-esteem and life enjoyment.
• Anxiety: Regular participation in pickleball can reduce anxiety levels. Players may find this game can help mitigate some of their symptoms over time, while the confidence they build can become a resource in some anxiety-provoking situations.
• Stress: The pickleball court is an excellent place to relieve stress, which can have many benefits for physical and mental health. If life's stresses are piling up, a game of pickleball could be a great way to decompress and help your mind and body feel better. In addition to the stress-busting benefits of physical activity, the relationships you form over pickleball can form an important support structure during tough times.

Social Benefits of Pickleball

Along with your physical and mental health, pickleball is a social sport that leads to new friendships and deeper connections with others. Whether you're playing one-on-one or doubles games, pickleball naturally leads to fun-filled bonding and conversations.

Research shows that pickleball improves integration into social groups, strengthens bonds and helps overcome loneliness. Anyone can experience these social benefits, but research has specifically noted that women, older adults and individuals with mental health problems felt more included within social groups after playing this game.

Many people today are at risk of becoming socially isolated, which can have significant health consequences, including heart disease, depression and premature death. For people needing more healthy relationships, pickleball could be a lifesaver.

To make the most of pickleball for your social well-being, find a gym near you where you can play regularly. This will help you form and deepen relationships with your go-to partners while also meeting new friends. Relationships forged on the pickleball court can improve your quality of life tremendously.

Experience the Benefits of Pickleball at the Greater Philadelphia YMCA

If you want to experience the physical, mental, and social health benefits of pickleball, your local YMCA is the place to be. The Greater Philadelphia YMCA has multiple locations in the region that are equipped with pickleball courts for you to enjoy.

Find your nearest branch and check the schedule to see when courts are available for you to play. Then grab a paddle and let the fun begin!