What Are the Benefits of Playing Both Tennis and Pickleball?

Tennis and Pickleball on a Court

As a long time devotee of the game of tennis I feel I am well qualified to share my thoughts on some of the benefits of playing the game.  I sometimes play several times per week so I can give a firsthand perspective of just how good the game of tennis can be for those of any age.  The benefits of playing tennis and pickleball are more than physical which may come as a surprise to those used to playing another sport.  For those that play both tennis and pickleball, read the article to see if you agree with my thoughts on the benefits of playing both sports. 

Fitness and Health are Both Benefits of Playing Tennis and Pickleball

Tennis and Pickleball are both a fun way to add a physical activity to your routine and learn a new sport at the same time.  Both sports provide a full body workout while not being terribly hard on the body at all.  In recent years I have seen many Tennis players with common ailments that come from getting older switch out one or two of their weekly tennis workouts for pickleball because the smaller court in this game can be easier to move from side to side.

Both tennis and pickleball provide an excellent cardio workout and playing these sports is a fun way to get in some aerobic activity.  According to the USTA, playing Tennis just 3 hours per week can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 56%. 

Playing tennis and pickleball are both excellent for improving hand-eye coordination and agility in players that play regularly.  Both players become proficient at honing their respective racket and paddle swings and both sports require quick hands and excellent coordination to return the fast shots that are a regular part of the game.

Players move laterally almost on every point in tennis and accelerate quickly to get to their spot before stopping on a dime to prepare to return their opponents shot.  There is also a healthy amount of forward and back movement to cover drop shots or volley’s that are a part of most seasoned tennis players games.

Pickleball also requires short bursts of movement on the smaller court both from side to side and forward to back.  You also need the flexibility to get low and move from side to side when playing shots up at the kitchen line.  This requires the ability to move effortlessly from side to side and really is great for improving flexibility and agility. 

Both sports as mentioned earlier are a great source of exercise and this is one of the top reasons why I try to play both sports regularly. 

The Athletic Way to Become a Social Butterfly

Both sports are an excellent way to make friends both for young and older players alike.  Both tennis and pickleball are played on relatively small courts when compared to other mainstream sports like baseball and football.  And in each sport, there are comparatively few players on the court during a match which makes it easy to talk and make friends when playing for fun or competitively.

One of the biggest reasons for the explosive growth of the sport of pickleball is players often say how social the sport is when playing doubles on such a small court.  I can personally say that I enjoy the banter that goes back and forth between opponents when playing pickleball and the encouragement and support that you hear on a good shot from an opponent that shows respect for your skills. 

Our local pickleball group is a loyal and dedicated bunch that plays regularly 2 – 3 times per week at our local courts.  We have a text group set up where we arrange the nights of the week and the weekend morning that we plan to play and we always have a strong showing of players ready to play.  Our group is also like many others I have heard about in that we have had get togethers, potlucks on the court after our play, and happy hours that are all well attended.

If you want to make new friends and meet new people, both tennis and pickleball are a great way to accomplish that goal.  Tennis and pickleball players are passionate about their sports and are welcoming for new players that want to learn and play the game.

Strategic and Tactical Thinking on the Court, Often Compared to Chess

This is something that may not be talked about often, but playing tennis is like playing chess when you play at a higher level.  Tennis players who play competitively are very strategic when playing a point and often hit shot sequences with the goal of setting up a “winner” on the final shot of a sequence. 

Tennis players don’t just stand in the middle of the court and hit back and forth down the middle of the court to their opponent the whole match – if they hope to win more than they lose.  Much like football and basketball, a tennis player has an idea of the weakness of their opponent and will set up their shots to take advantage of an opponents weakness. 

This is also the case in pickleball where most recreational players have a weaker backhand compared to their forehand.  So the goal for those that can place their shots well is to set up shots by hitting to a players backhand often and when you receive an errant return shot high enough over the net you want to put that shot away, hopefully for a winner. 

Shot placement is so important in either sport so being able to hit the ball in a location of the court of your choosing is a skill that takes quite a bit of time to master.  This is especially true in tennis because the court is bigger than a pickleball court and I think it is much harder to learn and master how to hit a good shot in tennis when compared to pickleball.

But as a player of both sports, I love the strategy that goes in to analyzing an opponent’s weaknesses and then being able to place my shots in an area of the court where I have the highest probability of my opponent hitting a weak or an errant return.   That is a part of both sports that I am still learning, but when you are able to execute this strategy with any sort of consistency it really takes your game to the next level. 

These are some of the things I love about playing tennis and pickleball, if you enjoyed the article, please share some of your favorite things about playing either tennis or pickleball, or both.