Best Indoor Sports Activities

Racquetball

Racquetball is one of the best indoor sports activities for several reasons. If you consider the fact that racquetball is much like tennis, then the benefits are quite clear. Racquetball forces you to change directions quickly, and constantly move forwards, backwards, and side to side. Racquetball also builds arm strength in both your upper and lower arms, because it constantly requires forehand and backhand serves. A racquetball can easily exceed speeds of 100mph, and because the ball has walls to bounce off of, you are forced to constantly adapt to new playing positions. Although it’s always fun to play doubles, unlike tennis, racquetball can be played by an individual, as the wall acts as a ball return.

Obviously, racquetball cannot be played at home. However, most local health clubs and gyms do have racquetball courts. If you figure that you will only be playing a couple of times a week,

Basketball

Although schoolyard basketball is a fun outdoor sport, the pros play indoors. Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world, and if you’ve never really played a game of basketball, you are missing out on one of the funnest indoor sports activities. Basketball requires a tremendous amount of agility, coordination, and power. Unlike racquetball, basketball pairs you against another team. Thus, you must constantly try to out-move your opponent on offense, but also keep pace with him or her on defense. Basketball also brings the benefit of arm exercise and hand-eye coordination.

Ice Skating and Hockey

Ice skating and hockey bring many of the same benefits, but naturally, hockey is a much more physical sport. If you have ever went ice skating before, you may have left the rink with sore feet, blisters, and more. This just shows how much pressure it takes to balance and maneuver on the ice.

Ice skating brings several exercise and fitness benefits, but it’s also a very fun, recreational activity as well. Mainly, ice skating focuses on building leg strength as a cardiovascular exercise. Thus, it gives you many of the same benefits as walking or running, with a drastic change of scenery. Go slow at first, because falling on the ice can be just as painful as falling on the pavement.

There’s a good chance that you won’t go play hockey to get some exercise, but if you do… Hockey works your legs just like ice skating, but also strengthens you arms, as obviously, you are carrying a hockey stick and hitting the puck.

Ice skating is one of the best indoor sports for couples to participate in. That’s all for part one. Be sure to check out page two for even more best indoor sports activities for exercise.

Weight Lifting

Weight lifting is a top indoor sport with obvious benefits. Although it’s not at all focused towards cardiovascular exercise, it is indeed the best way to build muscle, get bigger, and get stronger. There are a wide variety of different weight lifting exercises. Some of the most popular are the bench press, squats, and pull ups.

Volleyball

Although outdoor beach volleyball is one of the most popular sports recreational activities, indoor volleyball is still a best indoor sport for exercise. Most fitness centers and health clubs have an area where members can play volleyball. Volleyball is most beneficial when playing one on one or in doubles, rather then playing standard six vs six. With less players, an individual is forced to cover the whole court, which can be significantly more work. Volleyball works the legs, and has a similar fitness benefit to tennis, as you must constantly speed up, slow down, and change directions. Volleyball also works the arms, especially when serving and making kills.

Boxing and MMA

The majority of people will not use boxing and mixed martial arts as a way to exercise. However, with MMA quickly gaining popularity, and boxing making a comeback, more and more people may have an interest in training in both sports to stay in shape. Taking a basic boxing class or MMA class will not only teach you self defense, but also exercise your legs, arms, and core.

Dancing

Dancing may not seem like a sport to some, but in reality, dancing is a sport that requires a tremendous amount of strength, balance, and focus. There are a wide variety of different dancing styles, but nearly every style will exercise your core, legs, and arms. Modern dancing has evolved quite a bit, and movements such as break dancing and flips even require some gymnastic skills, which even adds to the sport. Dancing is a top indoor sport because it is fun, involves music, and helps you refine your balance. Faster pace dancing styles, such as hop hop dancing, are naturally more cardiovascular than slow dances.

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Now that you have learned about the best indoor sports, check out the best outdoor sports.