Why Padel is an Effective Workout for Your Body and Brain
Padel, a fast-moving game that is a mix of tennis, squash, and pickleball, is all the rage. From diplomats, to actors and professional soccer players, it seems that everyone is playing padel.
Padel was invented in 1969, by husband and wife Enrique and Viviana Corcuera while they were on vacation, reported the BBC. Bored, and looking for something to do, the couple started throwing a ball against a wall, and a new game was born.
What is Padel?
Padel, like racquetball, uses racquets, and shares the same scoring components as tennis. Unlike in tennis, however, the ball is smaller as is the court. In addition, the court is enclosed like a squash court, and the balls can be bounced off of them, just as they can be in squash as well.
Since 1969 the sport has become so popular that there are an estimated 30 million padel players worldwide. Henry Kissinger played it as did Prince Alfonso of Spain. Currently, Serena Williams, David Beckham, and even French President Emmanuel Macron play it as well.
Still, the question remains, is padel good for you?
Healthy Design
The answer, according to National Geographic, is unequivocally, yes, padel is very good for you. Francisco Pradas, a professor at the University of Zaragoza and a sports science researcher, told National Geographic, “Multiple physical capacities and motor skills are involved during a game of padel, combining different technical, tactical, physical, metabolic, and psychological aspects. Its intermittent and aerobic nature makes padel a very attractive sport from a health perspective, as it involves the metabolism of glucose and fats.”
Many of the health advantages of the sport are a result of how the game is designed. Because balls are allowed to rebound off the walls of the court, it keeps rallies alive, and increases the pace of the game without increasing the physical intensity or strain. It is also a game that, unlike tennis, involves sustained aerobic play over repeated sprints as well as high-intensity direction changes.
Playing padel seems to result in better spinal stability, greater grip strength, and faster sprint speeds, all of which are beneficial to one’s health. However, the benefits from playing are not limited to the body. There are indications that padel may increase self-confidence in players, and may even lead to increase of BDNF levels, a protein involved in brain health.
Playing sports is fun. This is likely the real reason so many people take time out of their days to play a game of catch, or pickup basketball, or yes, even padel. However, sports also serve an important function for both physical and mental health. The more one moves, the better their mind and body will feel.
