Calories Burned Playing Pickleball (+Health Benefits of Pickleball)

How long pickleball games last depend mainly on whether you are playing in a tournament or whether you are playing recreationally. In tournaments where multiple games are played, a single match can last upwards of an hour.

However, in recreational play and normal tournaments, a single match typically doesn’t last longer than 20-25 minutes and is usually about 15 minutes long. This is for a competitive match. If one of the opponents is not on the same skill level as the other, then the time will be greatly reduced. 

Because pickleball matches do not last very long, it is not uncommon for multiple matches to be played in a single session. 

One of the main factors in how many calories are burned in pickleball is whether you are playing singles or doubles pickleball. 

As you can imagine, playing singles pickleball burns more calories. This is because you have to run the full length of the court instead of staying more towards one side, which you do in doubles. More running around means more calories you burn. 

On average, 400-500 calories are burned in an hour playing singles pickleball. If a person is more around 150 pounds, calories burned are more on the 400 sides, while a 200-pound person is more around 500 calories. 

So, as we have established, fewer calories are burned when playing doubles pickleball due to covering less of the pickleball court. However, that doesn’t mean that doubles pickleball isn’t still a good calorie burner. 

In a doubles pickleball match, you can burn between 250 and 350 calories an hour, depending on weight and activity. 

In addition to singles or doubles playing a contributing factor in the number of calories you burn when you play pickleball, so does the aspect of whether you are playing indoors or outdoors. 

This is because when you are not in a climate-controlled environment, your body has to work harder while you are playing, and therefore, it increases the number of calories you are burning in every pickleball game. 

Whether it is cold or hot outside, while your body is maintaining your temperature, it is burning calories to do so, and then your activity on top of that compounds the number of calories. 

Though it is hard to say for sure how much the difference is if you are looking to burn more calories, try playing outdoors instead of indoors. 

There are many factors that contribute to how many calories you burn while playing pickleball, in addition to the ones we have already mentioned. For instance, whether you are playing a casual game or have more aggressive gameplay. 

Of course, a competitive game with aggressive play will have a more calorie-burning effect. We mentioned that body weight affects the number of calories you burn while engaging in physical activity, but your fitness level, certain conditions, and metabolism can play a role as well. 

So how does pickleball stack up to other sports in terms of how many calories you burn while playing? 

Well, the closest numbers to pickleball are for tennis. However, you can also burn about 300 calories per hour playing table tennis or ping pong. Playing badminton will burn about 400 to 500 calories per hour as well. 

As you can see, the calories you burn playing pickleball is about the same as other racquet sports, so there’s no reason not to choose pickleball!

Playing a game of pickleball with some friendly competition has many benefits than just burning calories. 

Pickleball players who engage in at least casual play frequently not only get the social exercise that helps burn calories but also have better stress management and mental health. 

Playing pickleball also improves cardiovascular health and hand-eye coordination as well and works on strengthening muscles. 

Of course, since you are burning calories, you can also lose weight playing pickleball which is a big benefit. 

Here are the answers to the two most frequently asked questions regarding the calories burned playing pickleball. 

It is important to note that there isn’t a lot of specific data on exactly how many calories are burned while playing pickleball, and much of the data is based on tennis since it is a similar sport in terms of movement. 

Even though the data may not be exact, playing pickleball, even for just a half-hour, is a good exercise that is also a fun activity. Reap the benefits and get to playing pickleball!