Do People Who Play Pickleball Live Longer?


That's an interesting question!

With the dramatic growth of pickleball in the last 5 years, the sport has begun to encounter some hurdles.

One hurdle is access to courts. Most cities across the country do not have enough courts to meet the demand. 

Another hurdle has been complaints about the sport.

Some, who clearly don't play, have complained its too noisy.

Others have complained that pickleball predisposes players to injuries. That could be stated about most sports. And often injuries in pickleball relate to players not warming up properly, wearing the wrong shoes, poor footwork, etc.

But can we talk just a little about the benefits of pickleball?  

Pickleball has been shown to help improve players' cognitive abilities, balance, as well as their hand/eye coordination.

It has been shown to help people with depression.

It has been shown that playing pickleball burns more calories than running for the same time period. That has helped many lose weight.

But there are some recent health studies that demonstrate even greater benefits to playing pickleball.

There have been three studies in the last few years showing the benefits of racquet sports to life expectancy.

1.  A British study followed 80,000 adults over a period of time to determine the benefits of various sports. Those researchers found that people who regularly played racquet sports decreased their risk of death by 47% compared to adults who were inactive. Swimming was a distant second reducing the risk of death by 28%. The risk of dying from heart disease or stroke was decreased by 56% for those playing racquet sports in that same study.

2.  Another study from the Mayo Clinic in 2018 reported on 8500 people they had followed for 25 years. Those who regularly played tennis extended their life expectancy by 9.7 years compared to those who were inactive. Badmitton players extended their life expectancy by 6.2 years. Soccer was 4.7 years. Cycling - 3.7 years. Swimming - 3.4 years. Jogging - 3.2 years. Now pickleball was not included in this study because the study was done over years leading up to the reporting of results in 2018, which all occurred before the explosive growth of pickleball's popularity in 2020. However, pickleball players' life expectancy improvement would likely be similar to tennis, if not greater.  

3. Another study from the Journal of the American Medical Association surveyed 270,000 older adults and followed them for several years regarding their health and leisure activities. This study found that adults who achieved 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise per week lowered their risk of dying by 13% compared to adults who did no exercise. And, when broken down by sport, racquet sports were shown to have the most impact. Those participants whose exercise included racquet sports reduced their risk of dying by 16%. 

So, here are my thoughts on this information.

It will be helpful when studies separate out pickleball rather than lumping it in with all racquet sports. It is my opinion that pickleball will show even better results than other racquet sports, because people tend to play pickleball more often and for longer periods of time.

But clearly these studies show that playing pickleball will increase your life expectancy even more so than other non-racquet sports.

Why is that?

No one knows for sure, but here are some reasons others have proposed.

First, pickleball, as well as other racquet sports, utilizes the whole body. This requires flexibility, balance, muscle coordination, and quick movements. Pickleball is an entire body workout.

Secondly, pickleball challenges players mentally. It requires strategy, anticipation, focus, hand/eye coordination, and proper positioning. These mental activities are good for you. They help keep you sharp.

Finally, pickleball can't be played solo. You need opponents. That adds social interaction beyond just the physical exercise. It requires communication, teamwork, and planning. Social engagement has also been associated with increased life expectancy.

Now, back to our question, "Do pickleball players live longer?"

The answer is that, for each specific player, time will tell. 

But, it is clear that playing pickleball greatly improves your chances of living longer.

So, keep playing!



Ben Holt

​CEO, Pickleball Living