Pickleball variants open sports to folks with limited mobility

The 21st century has already unveiled numerous history-changing inventions. The smartphone, the James Webb telescope, pickleball…wait, pickleball? Yup. Pickleball is disrupting sports, and just as importantly, it’s giving folks an activity even if their mobility is limited.

Tennis has long ranked among the most popular sports, with Wimbledon alone drawing in roughly 30 million viewers. But playing tennis is really hard. The ball moves so fast that most of us simply can’t keep up.

Pickleball is similar to tennis, but it has a smaller court, players use small solid paddles, and the ball is hard plastic. The ball moves more slowly and bounces less, so you don’t need cat-like reflexes. Since you don’t have to move as much on the court, pickleball is a good option for players in wheelchairs or who otherwise have limited mobility.

Further, by simply adding more players to the court, pickleball becomes even more accessible. Ultimately, the more players added, the more folks that can participate. That’s not just because more people are on the court. If you have limited mobility, more players mean you don’t have to move as far or as fast. You can fit six or more on the court quite easily, and the slower pace reduces the risks of collisions.

Pickleball can also easily be played in an indoor gym. This is great news for people who can’t cope with the summer heat or who sunburn easily. It’s also easy to set up glow-in-the-dark pickleball to escape the midday sun.

One study found that more than 35 million Americans played pickleball from August 2021 to August 2022.