5 Sports All Beginners Should Try at Least Once

Choosing to start a sport in adulthood can be intimidating, but ultimately very rewarding! Here are 5 sports we believe are perfect for beginners to try: 

Yoga

Yoga is an excellent choice for people new to organized physical activity. Yoga is low impact and gentle on the body, but if you keep doing you can see incredible gains in your strength and flexibility. Most gyms offer yoga classes and there are plenty of yoga and Pilates studios around, so it’s fairly accessible. Even if you are on a budget, there are more affordable options in the form of online classes and community classes. A big part of the culture of yoga is listening to your body and pushing yourself to a place that is achievable for you. There will often be variations for the trickier poses, and different levels of yoga to choose from.

Swimming

Being a proficient swimmer can really give you a sense of confidence, regardless of if you learned to swim in childhood. If you’re not confident in the technique, search around to see if there are any adult beginner swim classes near you. You won’t have to feel self-conscious, as everyone in those classes will be in the same situation as you. If you are already confident in the water, swimming can be a great escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Grab a swim cap and goggles, and let the world around you disappear as you dive into the water at your local swimming pool. How you swim is really up to you. You can swim slowly and calmly for an extended period, or smash out some intensive cardio training with swim sprints. Either way swimming will be a refreshing addition to your exercise routine.

Pole Dancing

Over the past decade pole dancing has lost a bit of the stigma it had around being a racey sport, and is now widely accepted as a fun way to get fit and build confidence! Pole dancing studios offer levelled classes, so you will get to be in a class full of other beginners like yourself. This sport offers a chance to have fun and feel sexy and confident, while also building some serious upper body strength! Pole dancing classes are also often women only spaces, judgement free zones where you can feel safe to express yourself and feel supported by the other women around you.

Ultimate Frisbee

Ultimate Frisbee is an athletic game that takes elements of netball, football and grid-iron. Ultimate Frisbee is especially popular at universities and colleges, but can be played by anyone. The goal is to pass a frisbee from player to player until you complete a pass in the end zone. This sport makes it into our list due to its self refereeing nature: there is no official referee in Ultimate Frisbee. Instead, players are responsible for following the rules or calling themselves out if something goes wrong. Fair play relies on people adhering to the “spirit of the game”, which can make playing this sport much less intimidating for the beginner than other competitive team sports. Ultimate frisbee can be a laid back, social way to get your exercise in.

Tennis

Tennis is a great sport to start as a beginner as you don’t need a lot of equipment, and you can start out on your own if you are nervous about participating in a sport in front of people. Simply grab a tennis racket and a ball, and find a concrete wall somewhere to practice hitting against. You can also practice tennis serves alone, either on a tennis court or just somewhere with a decent amount of space. Once you feel more confident, you can join an adults beginner tennis class, or a recreation tennis league. You will have fun playing against other adults who are there simply for the joy of it, make friends, and feel a sense of accomplishment seeing your technique improve over time.

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