Making Exercise Count

If you live in an area that has recently added a pickleball court to one of its community facilities, this can be a good place to check out with your family. This sport is popular among people of all ages, and there's a good chance that you and your children can enjoy playing together. It's easy to spend some time on the court to work on your skills, and your collective interest in the activity could eventually translate into joining a local league or club. Here are some benefits of trying pickleball as a family activity.

Less Running

Pickleball courts are much smaller than tennis courts, which translates into less running. This can make pickleball more appealing to a lot of people. If you have young children, they might feel that a tennis court is simply too large for them. This can mean that they have trouble running to hit the ball before it bounces away. The compact size of a pickleball court means that your kids will have to run less before they can reach the ball, which can make for better rallies. Similarly, if you or your partner has mobility challenges, you may feel that the smaller court is a better fit.

Simple Rules

Various sports can be fun to play as a family, but you may struggle to get young children to fully understand the rules. If you'd rather spend more time enjoying an activity than discussing the fine details of how to play it, pickleball may be a good choice for your family. While there are a few rules to understand before you get started, this is a very simple game. You can simply tell your kids to hit the ball over the net and worry about introducing other rules once they get comfortable with the basics.

Lighter Balls

When you compare a tennis ball to a pickleball, you'll immediately notice that the latter is a lot lighter. The lightweight nature of a pickleball means that when it makes contact with you, it doesn't hurt. Some kids might be tentative to play a sport such as tennis because they worry about the ball hitting them. Even if you hit the ball as lightly as you can, it might still concern younger kids — especially those who've had balls hit them in the past. A pickleball seems far less threatening, which should increase your kids' confidence.

Contact a company like the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit to learn more.