Do you enjoy tennis but just don’t have the room for a court at home?
Then swingball is a great alternative.
It doesn’t take up a lot of space and it is less intense.
Meaning, it’s more fun for the entire family to partake in.
But many would like to know if it’s also a good type of exercise.
Let’s find out…
Swingball or tether tennis is a type of game where players try to hit the ball tethered to a ball. It can be played solo or with a partner. Either way, it is a great form of exercise as it will make you sweat and help develop upper-body strength. An hour of swingball could help you lose at least 270 calories.
What Is Swingball?
For the uninitiated, swingball is a type of game where two players hit a tennis ball tethered to a pole.
It is originally known as tether tennis, for a very obvious reason, and totem tennis because of the pole.
The term swingball has become popular because of the tether tennis set sold since 1974.
History of Swingball
According to Swingball, the brand that sells the eponymous product, the game was founded in 1967 in South Africa.
Its popularity increased when it reached U.K. soil in 1973 and immediately became a favorite backyard game among families.
In 1992, toy manufacturer Mookie Toys acquired the Swingball brand in 1992 and started developing the game.
For example, there is a Swingball with a plastic spiral at the top of the pole to make the game more enjoyable.
Eventually, more Swingball products were created:
- Soccer Swingball
- Swingball basketball
- Swingball netball
- Swingball cricket
- Reflex tennis trainer
During the pandemic, as most countries mandated lockdowns, sales of swingball skyrocketed.
It is a great game to play for fun and fitness.
Is Playing Swingball Good Exercise?
Any physical activity is good for you.
According to the U.K. National Health Service:
“Adults should do some type of physical activity every day. Exercise just once or twice a week can reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke.”
As long as a person stays active, it’s already a form of exercise.
Walking, in fact, is the most underrated form of exercise.
So, to answer the question is yes. Playing swingball can be a good form of exercise.
Why?
- It makes you sweat.
- It is a great upper-body workout.
- It can tone bingo wings, the flesh on the tricep of the upper arm that usually flaps when the arm moves.
- It helps develop core muscles.
- Regularly playing swingball can also help you achieve a flatter tummy.
Can You Lose Weight Playing Swingball?
This is tricky because losing weight isn’t just one thing.
Losing weight is about a compendium of things:
- Exercise
- Balanced diet
- Proper hydration
- Quality sleep
Swingball can become an essential factor in losing weight.
However, it can’t be the only thing you do to lose weight.
This leads us to the next question:
Does swingball burn calories? It does!
How Many Calories Does Swingball Burn?
It’s hard to identify how many calories you lose from playing swingball.
There are so many factors that affect the calories you burn:
- Duration of swingball game
- Intensity of the swingball game
- Weight
- Muscle mass
- Age
- Gender
“It’s all about metabolism, a broad term for the many bodily processes involved in breaking down nutrients into energy for fuel. Metabolism is far from simple, but some factors play a bigger role in how quickly or slowly you burn calories than others.”
TYE Medical
But just to give you an idea, consider this situation of an American couple playing swingball: the 150-pound woman lost 136 calories playing 30 minutes of swingball. That’s 272 calories in 1 hour.
The wife admits that it was an intense game because she was trying to beat her 6’4” husband while she stood at 5’6”.
For comparison, let’s take a look at other sports activities:
| Sports | Calories burned | Duration | Remarks | Source |
| Tennis | 575 – 775 | 1 hour | Average person doing competitive singles | Active Tennis Coaching |
| Tennis | 350 – 500 | 1 hour | Hitting balls non-competitively | Active Tennis Coaching |
| Soccer/Football | 715 – 950 | 1 hour | Competitive game | Captain Calculator |
| Soccer/Football | 500 – 700 | 1 hour | Recreational game | Captain Calculator |
| Table tennis | 275 – 500 | 1 hour | Average person playing for leisure | Captain Calculator |
Also for comparison, an hour of walk for an average person will help one lose between 210 and 360 calories an hour.
Based on these numbers, swingball is more than a good enough exercise option.
There are more reasons to love swingball too.
Reasons To Choose Swingball as Your Exercise of Choice
Should you start swingballing? We’ve got at least five reasons why you should!
1. Fantastic Upper-Body Exercise
Say goodbye to flabby arms when you play swingball regularly.
It’s a great form of exercise that helps you sweat and burn calories.
You will lose the weight in no time too.
2. Fun Game To Play With Family and Friends
It’s a game, so it’s fun.
It’s especially fun when you make it a tournament with family and friends.
Barbecues and parties will never be the same again with swingball.
3. Doesn’t Take a Lot of Space
Some common ball activities take up space.
Even if you just have half a soccer/football field or half a basketball court, a larger space is still necessary.
But not with swingball.
It’s only a pole attached to a solid base, although a larger space would be more fun overall as it gives you a lot of legroom to work.
Storage-wise, the swingball is also quite easy to keep.
4. Helps With Tennis Training
If you enjoy playing tennis, you can use swingball for training at home.
Swingball is more fun when played with family and friends, but you can also enjoy your alone time with this fun game.
And while playing alone, you can improve your tennis swing and hand-eye coordination.
5. Keeps You Alert
The game encourages you to keep your eye on the ball, which could swing whichever way.
That’s a great practice for real life as being alert can get you far in your everyday life.
Final Thoughts
One of the downsides of the modern lifestyle is that people become more sedentary without actually being aware of it.
Everything that needs to be done is sometimes just within our fingertips through our mobile devices.
It is important that you always find some time to be active and swingball is a great way to do so.
It is a good exercise because it makes you sweat, improves upper-body strength, and tones your arms.
It will develop your tennis instincts, too, if you are into the sport.
Most of all, it is fun!
Many people don’t enjoy going to the gym because it is tedious.
But swingball is fun and it can be played solo and with a partner.
So, why aren’t you swingballing yet?