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Introducing Pickleball 55+: rally together

The same court, the same paddles, the same joy - redesigned so the purpose is exercise and fun, not winning at all costs.

By Alex Wang · October 7, 2026

How this started

About two months ago, my wife and I started playing pickleball - about an hour, almost every day. We don't play hard. Our goal was never to beat each other; it was to exercise, have fun… and, I'll admit, to lose a little weight while eating a little more. Two months in, I'm five pounds lighter. Pretty good deal.

That was my experience, not a promised result or proof that pickleball alone caused the change. Regular physical activity can support weight management alongside healthy eating; results vary from person to person.

What kept us coming back was doing something together. A longer rally felt like a shared achievement. Neither of us needed the other to lose.

I also wanted a format that encouraged comfortable play. A 2021 study of US emergency-department-treated injuries among players aged 60 and older, using 2010–2019 data found that 63.3% of pickleball injuries in that study involved the combined slip/trip/fall/dive category. That is a share of the injuries studied, not the chance that someone playing pickleball will get hurt. It does not establish that this new format prevents injuries.

Falls are only part of the picture. A 2024 study of emergency-department fracture cases found that most involved upper-extremity fractures after falls in women over 60. A separate 2025 Vanderbilt study recorded 618 injuries among 487 patients; soft-tissue strains or ruptures were the largest category. These are descriptions of people receiving care, not the probability of injury for everyone who plays.

That led to a simple question: what if the rules encouraged the experience we already enjoyed? The same ball, paddles, and court, with a shared goal: keep a comfortable rally going and enjoy being out there together.

Movement worth coming back for

A small 2018 study of 15 middle-aged and older adults found that pickleball provided moderate-intensity activity on average. After six weeks, participants showed improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, blood pressure, and cholesterol. It supports the potential exercise benefits of pickleball, not a promise of weight loss or the same results from our gentler format.

What matters to us is finding movement we enjoy enough to repeat. Preparation matters too: AAOS guidance recommends warming up with easy hitting, wearing appropriate court shoes, staying hydrated, keeping playing duration manageable, and learning good technique.

Keep rallying. Choose a theme.

Pickleball 55+ keeps the court, paddles, and ball, with two players cooperating on opposite sides of the net. Created with players 55+ in mind, it welcomes friends and family of other ages, too.

The idea began with the pleasure of a shared rally. But a good session need not depend on how long that rally lasts. We can enjoy the rhythm, explore a different shot, or choose a small challenge together.

Keep rallying; when you want variety, choose a theme. That is the whole invitation. Counting is one optional theme, not something everyone has to do.

A little variety, chosen together

• Forehand friends. Give each other comfortable forehand shots. If the ball goes elsewhere, return it normally or let it go; do not run around it to force a forehand.
• Straight ahead. After the legal serve and return, rally through a broad lane opposite each other. Stay comfortably inside the sidelines; a missed lane is fine.
• Gentle crosscourt. Exchange easy diagonal shots into a generous area. Change diagonals between rallies if you both want to.
• Switch hands. Try your other hand with gentle shots. Switch paddle hands only between rallies and return to your usual hand whenever you want. This theme is optional.
• Shared target. Choose a shared target—try 10 successful shots together. Make it lower or higher to suit both players. Count aloud, celebrate when you reach it, then repeat or return to unscored play.

Choose one theme at a time. A missed target is fine: return the ball comfortably or reset. You do not need to complete every theme, record a session score, or beat a previous visit.

Familiar play, a different purpose

Use a gentle, legal serve to begin. Standard rules for shot legality, boundaries, bounces, and the kitchen still apply. The serve and its return must each bounce before volleys are allowed. Our format replaces competitive scoring and serving turns: players alternate serving between rallies.

Deliberate lobs and overhead smashes are excluded. Let difficult balls go, even when you are close to a shared target. Either player can ask for an easier pace, a different theme, or a break. These choices are intended to encourage comfortable play; they cannot eliminate injury risk.

Time together, without a timetable to beat

A session can last 40–60 minutes, including warmup, breaks, and cooldown, or be shorter. Start with easy rallying, choose a theme when you want variety, and repeat whatever you enjoy. A reminder between rounds is a chance to pause and choose, never a reason to keep playing when you want to stop.

For forty minutes, you might spend eight easing in, twenty-four mixing rallies and themes with breaks, and eight winding down. For an hour, try ten, forty, and ten. These are examples, not requirements.

How to start

Bring a partner and try a few easy rallies after warming up. No app, account, or score sheet is needed. Only count if you both choose Shared target. Otherwise, enjoy the exchange.

This version focuses on two-player play, and the same themes work for four. We want to learn which themes people enjoy enough to repeat. The shared purpose stays simple: enjoyable movement, time together, and a reason to return.

Read the complete rulebook →

Rally together.