Why Older People Love Pickleball So Much

Chances are, you already know someone who’s an avid pickleball player. America’s fastest-growing sport—a cross between tennis, badminton, and ping-pong—can be played as either a singles or doubles game, though doubles is typically more popular. Points can only be accrued by the side that’s serving, and the winner is the first side to get to 11 points and be leading by at least two. Invented in 1965 in Bainbridge Island, Washington, pickleball has gained popularity during the pandemic, growing 14.8% between 2020 and 2021. According to the 2022 Sports & Fitness Industry report, more than half (52%) of core players—those who play eight or more times a year—are 55 or older, and almost a third (32.7%) are 65-plus. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Jonathan Casper, an associate professor at North Carolina State University who has studied the benefits of pickleball for older adults, views it “as a public health tool in many ways, both for achieving physical activity and for getting the psychological and social benefits that are so important as we age.” Here’s why. It’s a low-impact way to get moving Part of pickleball’s appeal is that “while it does take coordination, and you have to be physically healthy to play,” it’s not that hard to learn, Casper says. And because the court is smaller than a tennis court, the net is lower, and you play with a plastic wiffle ball, “it do...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Exercise & Fitness freelance healthscienceclimate Source Type: news