How many calories does playing Pickleball burn? The number is not the same for everyone. The calories burned during the game depend on your playing style.
Overall, Pickleball burns moderate calories. The estimated calories burned lies somewhere above the walking and lower than running for the time played. But Pickleball is widely played with different styles such as doubles game which is more relaxed, the singles game which is fast paced and then there are drill or practice sessions that might affect differently even though they are played the same amount of time.
During a particular game, it’s about rally length, movement style and intensity rather than only age and gender. You’ll burn more calories playing singles than playing doubles as movement is constant even though you play for less time. Whereas during a long doubles game, you’ll burn fewer calories than expected. So don’t blame your fitness tracker for showing a lower number of calories burned during doubles games.
Calories Burned by Pickleball Intensity
By far it is clear to you that calories burned during Pickleball are dependent on intensity directly and not on how long you stay on the court.
So let’s dive into the micro aspect – intensity of the game.
Casual games: The lowest amount of calories burned during casual games. Players are mostly relaxed, talking, standing etc. A 90-minute casual doubles session played in such a way will burn fewer calories than expected.
Competitive or high-intensity matches: During competitive games, the equation changes completely. There is a lot of fast movement, short bursts which push heart rate quickly. Any 45-minutes of such singles matches can burn more calories than longer casual sessions.
Don’t mistake the time on court with time spent playing actual games. Faster the pace, more will be burnt.
Knowing this, you don’t have to put max efforts in your Pickleball game every time. Afterall, sometimes it’s more about enjoying the game than just counting numbers.
Calories Burned During Singles vs Doubles Pickleball Game
Let’s now discuss how Singles and doubles Pickleball games burn overall calories during a real game.
If an average healthy player who weighs around 155-175 lbs plays a Singles game, he will burn approximately 450-700 calories per hour. However, if the same person is playing a doubles game, the calories burned will be approximately 250-400 per hour.
The difference is significant as during singles Pickleball game, you have to cover all the court with continuous movements. You are putting maximum effort to cover full court and this keeps your heart rate elevated for long.
During the doubles Pickleball game, you are sharing the court with your partner and you can actually rest or pause while your partner is returning shots. So during the same time you’ll burn fewer calories.
Table showing calories burned for an average healthy adult with range of weight groups playing Pickleball for 1 hour.
| Weight | Singles | Doubles |
| 120–135 lb | 380–520 kcal | 200–300 kcal |
| 140–155 lb | 420–580 kcal | 230–350 kcal |
| 160–175 lb | 450–650 kcal | 260–400 kcal |
| 180–200 lb | 520–720 kcal | 300–450 kcal |
| 200+ lb | 580–800 kcal | 350–500 kcal |
Note
These are estimated ranges and not to be taken as exact calories burned. Actual calories burned may differ as per efforts put in game by individual.
Practice Sessions vs Actual Matches
Surprisingly practice sessions often record more calories burned per minute than actual Pickleball matches.
The reason why this happens is you are repeating drills – shuffle, lunges etc. without pauses. There is no time spent waiting for serves, retrieving balls or counting the points. If you are doing a focused 45-minute drill session, it burns more calories than actual casual matches.
Contrary to drill sessions, actual matches work differently. There are breaks between rallies, side changes are parts of the game so you pause which reduces the number of calories burned.
Tournament matches are the exception, as players put high effort in the game under the pressure. If your goal is efficient calorie burn, structured practice will deliver you the results.
Role of Body Weight, Age, and Fitness Level in Calorie Burn
It is evident that Pickleball doesn’t burn the same number of calories for every player. Your body-weight, age, and fitness level etc are the factors that affect how hard you play during games.
Body Weight
Heavier players burn more calories for the same movements as moving requires more energy.
Fitness level
Beginners tend to burn more calories than experienced due to inefficient movements during the game. The beginners tend to react more, take extra efforts and tense muscles unnecessarily. For experienced players, movements are more refined, they eliminate unnecessary actions and focus on strategy, so calories burned goes down.
Age – Like in all physical activities, younger players recover faster and can sustain higher intensity without fatigue. Older players may avoid intense movements, and so calories burned drop down.
As players get fitter and more skilled, they often burn fewer calories doing the same work.
Pickleball vs Other Physical Activities
Now let’s compare how Pickleball burns calories compared to other forms of physical exercises.
If you compare playing 1 hour of Pickleball with 1 hour of casual walking, it burns more calories. However if you compare it to jogging, pickleball burns fewer calories.
The tennis court is larger, and it is hard work to own the whole court. Rallies remain longer in Tennis compared to Pickleball, so naturally Tennis burns higher calories than Pickleball.
But, that also means Pickleball is sustainable for average people. People of all age groups can enter Pickleball as beginners and stick with it. The same is not true with other types of sports.
That’s why Pickleball has spread massively as it fits everyone’s capacity and remains fun while burning calories.
Overtime, the consistency is what matters if you actually are looking to burn calories with Pickleball.
Is Pickleball Enough for Weight Loss or Cardio Fitness?
The #1 rule for fat loss is maintaining calorie deficit consistently. Next you have to add some activity in your daily routine that will help you maintain this deficit. In order to make something part of your daily routine, it has to be enjoyable. Pickleball fits the criteria. It is both enjoyable and you can maintain it as your daily routine over long periods of time.
But you have to keep realistic expectations about weight loss. It will only work if you are eating a proper diet. Remember calorie deficit is most important along with daily activity.
Pickleball fits above walking and below running when it comes to calories burned. A player who is playing 4-5 times a week will gain noticeable results if he maintains a proper diet. A singles player is likely to gain better results compared to doubles.
Pickleball is a moderate cardiovascular activity. Pickleball improves endurance gradually. Singles games raise heart rate quickly whereas doubles are slow paced with anaerobic activities. Doubles suit more for older adults who want to stay fit without getting joint pain.
Pairing Pickleball with daily walks or resistance training can give better and faster results.
Pickleball is not an overnight transformation tool, but it offers a sustainable way to stay active enough for results to actually show up.
How to burn more calories playing Pickleball?
Putting all the above information in one equation gives a clear picture: sustainable movement for a long period of time equals faster burn of calories.
You don’t have to play harder and risk injury. Instead, you have to intentionally change your style of play.
Make rallies last longer, reduce the break timing, incorporate single games in your weekly routine often. These small changes in your Pickleball game regime will help you burn more calories without burning you out.
Remember, footwork and positioning matters more as the goal is not just to burn calories, it is also to refine your game. Combine this knowledge with the techniques we keep on sharing time to time and you are on the top of the chart.
Going harder and intense won’t work from the start. Proceed gradually with sustainable movements and your natural game will start looking intense in the long term.
Final Takeaway
Pickleball is a great activity for all age groups who want to stay active. Burning calories is secondary and it’s a byproduct of being a regular player. Don’t make a mistake of focusing only on burning calories as you’ll injure yourself in the attempt.
Use drills, singles games and occasional competitive matches to really take calorie burning to the next level. Eating mindfully is equally important. You can’t keep on munching fast foods and maintain energy for the games. Keep your diet clean and you start seeing visible results within a month.
Use fitness trackers for tracking your progress. These calculate the calories burned by tracking your heart rate and wrist movements. Start tracking your calories burned for every game and adjust gradually.
The Pickleball won’t match calories burned while running. But then, running is not for everyone, but Pickleball can be. It offers you an active lifestyle with the satisfaction of playing sport.
