Whether you’re looking for the perfect team building exercise for your employees or are trying to find an activity to strengthen the bonds within your particular community, learning how to play pickleball might be just the thing you’re looking for.
Coworking environments require a highly cohesive, team-oriented mentality to create a workplace that is both highly productive and also feels welcoming to its staff. Simply put, a team that can confidently work together will see better end results in what they’re working towards.
Team building activities and events are a great way to bring employees and coworkers closer together. However, it can be difficult to find an activity that is both fun and engaging.
It turns out that America’s fastest growing sport, pickleball, is an exciting and compelling way to bring your team together in order to improve your skills in collaboration. The game inherently requires a collective effort from all participants to achieve your goal of victory.
With pickleball’s monumental growth over the past few years, there are many new pickleball facilities and businesses that now offer collaborative employee events.
Blu Court Sports (BCS) is a pickleball coaching and consulting company based in New Jersey that offers a variety of lessons and clinics. The CEO and founder of BCS, Maggie Remynse-Chou, has played pickleball at the professional level for many years, and now offers her expertise by coaching and leading corporate employee engagement events.
Because pickleball is an incredibly accessible sport for most people, Maggie believes that it’s the perfect medium for bringing employees together in a way that is both focused and enjoyable.
“Anyone can play! This is one of the only sports where you can bring a large group of people together and everyone will get something out of it. It does not matter your size or age, you can play pickleball and you can play with anyone,” said Remynse-Chou. “And because you can play with anyone, your team can easily interact and play with people who they may not normally interact with at work.”
Bringing your employees together with an activity that all of them can equally participate in will allow all of them to feel like they are truly peers. Pickleball can be both highly competitive and strategically team-focused, causing its players to be driven to perform well as a group effort.
Beyond the social connections and bonds that are formed through playing the game, pickleball also offers a wide variety of health benefits.
According to studies done by Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, participating in recreational team sports is also an approachable and effective way to improve a person’s overall wellness.
People that participate in group sports like pickleball often see an increase in aerobic fitness, a reduction in blood pressure and weight, and an overall improvement to one’s health.
“Physical fitness and employee wellness are some of the biggest selling points of an engagement activity. Pickleball is one of those sports where you can play for a long time and not even realize you’re working out. It is fun and offers someone an opportunity to be healthy.”
Maggie Remynse-Chou, CEO and Founder of Blu Court Sports
BCS makes a conscious effort to combine the health benefits of pickleball with the game’s inherent collaborative mindset to foster an ideal environment for your team to grow as one.
Some of your employees might be skeptical when getting onto the pickleball court for the first time, but they will almost certainly leave the court with a new appreciation for the people that they surround themselves with.
“Each large team is working together to win as a team, not as an individual. It is amazing to see the competitive spirit and team-first mentality come through in these moments,” said Remynse-Chou. “You have people cheering each other on and strategizing on how to be the best team they can be. It is incredible to watch. That is why I do it!”
Pickleball brings people together in a way that few other group sports are able to achieve. If team building is a priority for your organization, picking up a paddle and hitting the nearest pickleball court can certainly cultivate that sense of unity you’re striving for.
Be sure to check out Blu Court Sports’ website for more information about pickleball and corporate employee engagement events.
