Rewrite the following article into original, high-quality English.Rewrite the article into a high-quality, original fitness article
Requirements:
– Improve clarity and structure
– Focus on practical fitness advice
– Keep it suitable for general audiences
– Keep all images exactly where they are
– Avoid medical claims
– Add a short introduction and a helpful conclusion
Article content:
How the rules of padel create health benefits
Studies suggest that playing padel can improve several general fitness markers, including sprint speed, hand grip strength, and spinal stability, by increasing lumbar isometric strength.
Many of those effects stem from the sport’s defining feature: enclosed courts that allow the ball to rebound off side and back walls. By keeping rallies alive, this rule creates a faster pace without increasing physical intensity and strain. Cognitive engagement is high, as players remain in near-constant motion while tracking space, timing, and ball trajectory, which could help explain why padel triggers an increase in BDNF.
(The striking ways that playing golf reshapes your body and brain.)
“One of the main characteristics of padel, which distinguishes it from other racquet sports, is that its intensity and physical impact can be easily reduced and controlled due to its playing style,” Pradas says. He adds that this unique dynamic results in lower metabolic impact, “increasing the number of shots per rally and the playing time of a match in a more aerobic manner.” That adaptability makes the sport especially accessible for entry-level players.
Research remains preliminary, particularly related to mental benefits and hormonal responses, including how padel may affect female players across different menstrual phases. Existing studies would also benefit from larger, more diverse sample sizes. Even so, interest continues to grow—among researchers and players alike.
How padel compares to other racquet sports
Compared with tennis, padel emphasizes shorter, reactive movements and sustained aerobic play over repeated sprints and high-impact changes of direction. “The court is smaller, and you’re closer to the other players, so the ball is on you quickly and the exchanges are sharp,” says George Thomas, a former tennis coach now working at UK retailer, Padel HQ.
Despite that pace, padel is generally less physically demanding than tennis, particularly at beginner and intermediate levels. “It’s usually doubles based so there’s less distance to cover, and often less heavy lateral movement, so it can feel a bit kinder on the joints,” adds Thomas.
(‘I want to live to be 100.’ Longevity lessons from sports icons.)
Those differences place padel somewhere between high-intensity racquet sports like squash and badminton, and lower-impact games such as pickleball. Squash and badminton are associated with higher average heart rates and frequent anaerobic bursts, driven by repeated lunges, rapid directional changes, and near-continuous play, which can limit how long recreational players are able or willing to sustain them.
Pickleball, by contrast, tends to elicit lower cardiovascular demand and energy expenditure, particularly among younger or more conditioned players. While its slower pace and smaller court make it widely accessible, its physical stimulus appears more limited. Padel’s design, which extends rallies while moderating impact, may help explain why it delivers greater fitness benefits without the physical toll seen in more demanding racquet sports.
