Pickleball for seniors: participation data and safe-play tips

Not medical advice. This page summarizes federal activity guidelines, National Institute on Aging and CDC guidance, and published studies. Whether and how much to play is a question for you and your health care provider.

Older adults are a large share of US pickleball players, though not the majority, and they are the most frequent players. This page sets out the participation numbers, what exercise studies of older players actually measured, how a week of play compares with the federal guidelines, and the adaptations that health and sports sources describe. Injury data has its own page: pickleball injuries.

How many older adults play

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) counts anyone aged 6 or older who played at least once in a year, from an annual survey of 18,000 respondents run with the Physical Activity Council. For 2025 it reports 24.3 million US players, up from about 4.2 million in 2020; 57% were male and 43% female. Its 2025 page gives no age figures, but names players 65+ among the groups with strong participation. The most recent full age breakdown found is for 2023, as reported from SFIA's data by The Dink:

*Age band as printed in The Dink's summary. The groups add up to the 13.58 million total SFIA reported for 2023.

• Second-largest group, largest core group. Players 65+ were the second-largest age group after 25–34, but the three largest groups of core players were 65+, 55–64 and 45–54. Casual players (1–7 times a year) skewed young: 25–34, 18–24 and 6–12 led.
• 2024. AARP, citing SFIA's 2025 report, gives 9.4% of players as 45–54, 12.7% as 55–64 and 15.1% as over 65, with 65+ again the second-largest group.
• Surveys differ. AARP also cites an Association of Pickleball Players survey that puts the average player at about 35.

At the National Senior Games, open to athletes 50 and older, pickleball is the largest sport. The 2025 Games in Des Moines had 12,532 registered athletes, about 2,200 of them in pickleball, which needed more than 60 courts; non-ambulatory pickleball was added that year. The next Games are in Tulsa in 2027.

• Played at least once in 2023
• Core players, 8+ times (reported for 45+ only)

1. Ages 6–12: 1.56 million.
2. Ages 12–17: 1.27 million.
3. Ages 18–24: 1.81 million.
4. Ages 25–34: 2.27 million, the largest group.
5. Ages 35–44: 1.61 million.
6. Ages 45–54: 1.27 million, of whom 538,000 core players.
7. Ages 55–64: 1.70 million, of whom 921,000 core players.
8. Ages 65+: 2.09 million, of whom 1.35 million core players, the largest core group.

What the exercise studies measured

AARP's 2025 summary also mentions a small 2021 study of 21 adults aged 50 to 75 that reported better cognitive function, muscle function and perceived pain, and a 2024 review of 27 studies reporting better well-being, social interaction and physical activity.

How a week of play compares with the guidelines

CDC's guidance for adults 65 and older sets three weekly targets. The National Institute on Aging lists playing pickleball among its examples of aerobic exercise.

To judge intensity, CDC uses a 0–10 effort scale: moderate is a 5 or 6, where you can talk but not sing. The federal guidelines add that older adults should set their effort relative to their own fitness, and that those who cannot reach 150 minutes because of chronic conditions should be as active as their abilities and conditions allow.

Adapting the game: what sources describe

1. Check in first. The federal guidelines say people with chronic conditions or symptoms should be under a health care provider's care and can ask about the types and amounts of activity that suit them. UT Austin surgeon J. Mica Guzman, quoted by AARP, suggests talking to your doctor before playing for the first time. NIA's chronic-conditions page adds that people with diabetes must watch blood glucose, footwear and foot injuries.
2. Start low and go slow. The guidelines' advice for inactive people: begin at lower intensity and raise how often and how long gradually.
3. Warm up. AARP's five-minute routine by Major League Pickleball player Lee Whitwell runs through marching in place, squats, reverse lunges, kickers, trunk rotations, chest openers and swim strokes, before the first game and after breaks of more than an hour.
4. Choose doubles to cover less ground. Webber's doubles players took fewer steps per hour than singles players at the same average heart rate. Orthopedic surgeon Lisa Cannada, quoted by AARP, points to the small court and the underhand serve, which she calls gentler on the shoulder.
5. Turn and run; don't backpedal. In the ACE study nearly every participant had fallen once or twice while playing in the past, and the authors urge teaching players to turn and run for the ball.
6. Pick the serve that suits you. The 2026 rulebook allows a volley serve or a drop serve, in which the ball is released from a natural height without being propelled and hit after it bounces (Rule 7.D). See serve rules.
7. Protect your eyes. Webber recommends eye protection (AARP).
8. Work on fall risk off the court. CDC says more than 1 in 4 older adults report falling each year. It suggests talking to a doctor if you feel unsteady, reviewing medicines that cause dizziness, yearly eye exams and foot checks, footwear that supports stability, and leg-strength and balance exercise such as tai chi.
9. Seated play. In wheelchair pickleball the first bounce must land in the court and the second may land anywhere on the playing surface, and the rulebook has a hybrid doubles category. Details: wheelchair rules.
10. Age brackets. In adult doubles events the younger partner's age sets the team's age classification (Rule 15.A.3.c). Event formats: tournament formats.

Checklist before you start

• Talked with a provider about any chronic condition, symptoms or recent fall.
• Plan to start with shorter sessions and build up gradually.
• Five-minute dynamic warm-up done.
• Stable court footwear and sports eyewear on.
• Doubles chosen while you build fitness.
• Strength training on 2 days a week, plus balance work.
• Pain, swelling or inflammation in one area: rest, as NIA advises.

Related: pickleball injuries, paddle weight and grip size, how to play, indoor and winter play.