The fastest-growing sport in America, pickleball is for all ages, easy to learn and addicting. St. Luke’s Dr. John M. Hauth, Senior Network Administrator for Sports Medicine Relationships, explains pickleball’s popularity and health benefits, especially for older folks looking to get or stay active.
A Recipe for Recreation
The game of pickleball was invented in the 1960s, but the number of players has ballooned in the past few years. “During and after the pandemic,” Hauth says, “people were looking for something.” While there were a couple million players before COVID, pickleball has now gathered more than 30 million nationwide and continues to grow.
Taking up a quarter of the space that tennis does, a pickleball court can be set up in any driveway. Not only does the court size mean players don’t have to cover as much ground, but pickleball’s light Wiffle-style ball moves at a third of a tennis ball’s speed. Although skilled players can refine their game to the highest levels of competition, it’s quick to learn and start enjoying casually, socially or competitively. “Even people new to racket or striking sports pick it up quickly and master the basics,” Hauth says. “It’s an easy game to learn and a hard game to master.”
The silver bullet for fitness is to find movement that you’ll do consistently, and a fun game with friends fits the bill. Combine exercise and laughter, and the mood boost has people hooked.
Whole-Person Healthy
Not only did the pandemic spur folks to go hobby hunting, many came out of lockdown with a renewed appreciation for the gift of gathering. “There’s a tremendous social component,” Hauth says. “It’s what draws many people to the game. People expect you to be there; they miss you when you’re not there on your regular Tuesday.” Players start to develop groups and go on to meet up outside pickleball and just plain become friends. Connections like this are great for our mental health and so important to maintain as we grow older and leave the built-in social networks we might have had at work.
Pickleball also provides great cardio-vascular benefits, and the required strategic thinking, balance and hand-eye coordination all stimulate the brain’s neuroplasticity. If they feel inspired to improve their game, players can take part in Court Fit programs at St. Luke’s SportsPlex and add a strength-training component in classes designed to support the endurance, flexibility and mobility needed to play at their best. Pickleball has a way of getting people interested in moving, something their joints will thank them for in years to come!
The Remedy for Risk
With the explosion in pickleball popularity, there’s a correlating increase in pickleball injuries, but Hauth stresses that any activity comes with risk and pickleball really poses very little. “You’ll hear, ‘Everybody gets hurt playing pickleball,’” he says. “No, they don’t.” The benefit to so many people getting active and enjoying the sport far outweighs the danger of injury, especially when we remember the importance of warming up and spend
some time on outside conditioning to stay strong and spry.
Court shoes and comfortable clothes are all that’s needed to get started, along with a beginner set of paddles and balls that’s only about $40. “Instruction is really important,” Hauth says. “There are risks of falling, things to do and not to do that will prevent the majority of injuries.” At clubs like Pickleball Lehigh Valley at St. Luke’s SportsPlex, expert coaches provide a smooth and safe introduction to the sport with regular clinics and private lessons to teach new players how to move on the court. Supporting whole-body fitness with classes like strength training and a new yoga program now on the menu at SportsPlex is another way to further avoid getting hurt.
Your Pickleball Palace
Whether it’s for open play, private lessons or court rental, Pickleball Lehigh Valley is a tremendous pickleball resource. There are social spaces in the facility for friends to congregate, and a merch store includes all the equipment you could need to get started as well as the more high-performance paddles you might find yourself craving as your game improves. With 51 courts both indoors and out, they’re doing their best to accommodate the clamoring throngs of pickleballers. SportsPlex will also play host to the United Pickleball Association’s State Championship this year, so it’s a place to spectate on the best in the game.
Programming includes outreach to underserved communities to give young people the opportunity to get involved in sports, sharing access to healthy habits that will serve them through life. “Every day I see teenagers to octogenarians in the facility,” Hauth says. “They’ve found a connection; pickleball was the medium that created this opportunity for them so they’re staying healthy in many different ways. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Published as “Ask the Expert” in the March 2025 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
