28 Sports For Adult Athletes Of Every Level To Try

So you’re interested in playing sports as an adult. Whether you’re new to the world of playing sports or you’re already a seasoned adult athlete, you’ll find a wealth of ideas in our comprehensive list of adult sports to try. And when you’re ready to check out some less mainstream sports, we’ve got you covered there, too.

We’ve broken down the list into recommendations for newbie athletes, intermediate athletes, and competitive athletes. From adrenaline-pumping individual endeavors to exhilarating team experiences, we’ll explore a range of sports suitable for every level of competition. We’ll even include some pseudo-sports for those individuals who want the camaraderie of being part of a team but don’t actually like sports (cornhole, anyone?).

Of course, most sports require some type of gear to play, so we’ll hook you up with recommendations for any equipment you might need for each sport in our list as well. (Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Ready, set, here we go.

Pickleball

Pickleball has become America’s fastest-growing sport. It’s caught on like wildfire. What used to be considered a sport for retirees has also gained popularity among younger generations, and it’s no surprise why.

Pickleball is super fun to play and is more accessible than tennis for newbies. The court is smaller than tennis, the nets lower, and it’s played with paddles instead of rackets. Because of the smaller court, older athletes don’t have to exert themselves as much as they would playing tennis but can still get their heart rates up.

The beauty of pickleball is that you can play at a relatively fast pace, or you can slow the game down. The rules are a bit wonky to learn at first, but once you have them down, it’s fairly simple to grasp the play.

Playing pickleball will work your legs, arms, and core, plus it can work up a sweat. Leagues abound everywhere these days, so finding a place to play should be a breeze. You can check out directory for pickleball near you.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate, Advanced

All athletic abilities will do well with pickleball as your sport of choice.

Team or Individual Sport:

Pickleball is played in singles or doubles, but primarily doubles.

Gear Recommendations:

A paddle and balls are the main gear necessities for pickleball. Your choices for paddles are endless, but a class-sized pickleball paddle is best for a newbie. The Paddletek paddle will perform well and won’t break the bank.

Mountain Biking

Mountain biking is a great sport for adult athletes to get their hearts pumping and adrenaline kicking, all while breathing in the fresh air of the outdoors. The name of the sport is a bit of a misnomer because MTB isn’t limited only to the mountains. Newbies can start on flat trails until they build up some level of comfort on a bike and then advance to more challenging switchback trails. More advanced bikers will traverse down steep rocky crags, climb dirt or rock hills, or brave narrow singletrack trails on the edge of a cliff.

There are also various styles of mountain biking. A few of the more well-known MTB styles are singletrack, downhill, cross country, and enduro. Singletrack, as the name suggests, is mountain biking on a track or trail wide enough to fit a single bike. Singletracks are usually mixed in with wider tracks as well. Downhill MTB typically incorporates jumps and berms into a fast-paced downhill ride. Riders usually jump on a lift to get back uphill. Cross-country mountain biking incorporates jumps and obstacles like downhill, but they are spaced out further, requiring more pedal time. Enduro mountain biking combines the highly technical aspects of the sport with endurance, and enduro races can last several days.

Mountain biking works everything from your core to your legs to your arms, so it’s a great sport for adult athletes who want to stay fit while also challenging themselves mentally.

Recommended for:

Newbie, Intermediate, Advanced

Mountain biking is best for the more intermediate and advanced adult athletes, but newbies can also give it a shot if they aren’t afraid of getting scraped up a bit.

Team or Individual Sport:

Individual sport, but often done in groups

Gear Recommendations:

Mountain biking requires a lot of gear besides just the bike. Since the risk for injury in mountain biking is higher than in a lot of sports, protective gear is imperative. The most essential piece of gear is a bike helmet (full-face or half-shell). You’ll also likely wantCamelBak or a water bottle that clips onto your bike.

The bike you choose will depend on what type of riding you want to do. You can also choose a standard pedal mountain bike or an electric mountain bike (eMTB). Electric bikes don’t do the pedaling for you, but they can give you a boost on uphills if you prefer to focus more of your energy on the downhills. Specialized is a well-known and respected mountain bike brand for eMTBs and non-ebikes. For women, Liv designs bikes for smaller frames.

Cycling

While often used interchangeably, biking and cycling actually have different meanings. Biking is considered leisure riding, while cycling is considered a sport. So, depending on what level of competitiveness you’re looking for, biking or cycling can be suitable for newbies, intermediate athletes, and competitors alike.

Since we’re focusing more on sports than leisure for this list, we’ll dig into cycling. The sport has been around since 1868 and remains popular today. Sport cyclists ride on a track or paved roads and compete for best time or distance. Cycling requires incredible endurance, so this is not the sport for you if you’re not fit (or don’t intend to get fit). But if you thrive on competition and constantly challenge yourself, cycling is a great sport to consider.

Cycling is a great sport for cardiovascular fitness and will also work your quads, glutes, and calves.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

Newbies can start with biking and work their way up to the more intermediate and advanced sport of cycling.

Team or Individual Sport:

Cycling is an individual sport, although you may rely on working with a team of other riders.

Gear Recommendations:

Of course, the bike is the most important piece of gear, and the type you need will depend on the style of biking you want to do. You can select from tried and true brands like Cannondale, Giant, or Trek. Or, if you want to step it up a notch, try a high-end, precision-engineered brand like BMC.

You’ll also need to add a helmet, eye protection, padded shorts/tights, bike shoes, gloves, and a moisture-wicking jersey to your shopping list.

Triathlon

Triathlon, as the name implies, combines three sports into one endurance race–swimming, cycling, and running. Triathlons require a significant level of fitness, and unless you already participate in one or more of the three sports triathlon entails, this isn’t a newbie sport.

Triathletes compete for best time in each leg of the competition. Depending on the type of triathlon, the distances you swim, cycle, and run will vary. For sprint triathlons, it’s a half-mile swim, a 12.4-mile cycle, and a 3.1-mile run. Olympic triathlons are double that distance. Half-Ironman triathlons require a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile cycle, and 13.1-mile run, while a full Ironman is exactly double.

Triathletes, especially at Ironman levels, are some of the fittest. You’ll work nearly every muscle in your body in this sport.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

Conditioned athletes perform best in this sport.

Team or Individual Sport:

This is an individual sport, although there are some relay triathlons where each person on the team performs a different leg of the race.

Gear Recommendations:

You’ll need a comfortable pair of running shoes, like the ASICS Noosa TRIs, a bike, helmet and cycling shoes for the cycling portion, and a wetsuit and goggles for the swimming portion.

Soccer

If you like a sport that gives you an intense workout, calls for a bit of strategy, and is built on teamwork, soccer might be a great fit. Soccer requires agility, coordination, endurance, and, depending on the position, speed. You can play soccer both outdoors and indoors (or enclosed in a field with walls). The objective is to work together with your team to dribble and pass the ball downfield to score the most goals.

Play offensively if you like the idea of scoring goals. Play defensively if you like blocking goals. Soccer is a great sport if you have a competitive edge and aren’t afraid of some contact.

Plus, you’ll get a cardiovascular workout that’ll rival most sports. Your glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and core will feel the burn after an intense game of soccer.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

While there are some beginner adult soccer leagues, you’ll mostly find leagues geared toward intermediate and advanced players.

Team or Individual Sport:

Soccer is definitely a team sport. A standard outdoor soccer team has 11 players on the field. Adult soccer leagues offer men’s, women’s, and co-ed teams. You can check our directory to find out what soccer leagues are near you.

Gear Recommendations:

Fortunately, soccer requires minimal gear. Most importantly, you’ll need cleats. Grass field cleats have longer studs on the bottom, while turf cleats have shorter, grippy rubber spikes on the bottom, which make for less slipping on artificial turf.

The Adidas Mundial is a popular turf shoe for both men and women. IDA Sports recently came out with a soccer cleat designed specifically for a woman’s foot–wider toe bed, narrower heel, and cleat studs strategically placed to minimize ACL injuries. As a lifelong soccer player, I love the fit and performance of this cleat. So much so that I became an affiliate. If you want to check them out, use this link for a $10 discount.

The only other gear you’ll need besides the field to play on and goals are shinguards and a soccer ball. The Nike Premier League soccer balls are a good choice with offerings of various price ranges.

Baseball

Baseball doesn’t exert as much energy as a lot of other popular sports, but it still requires athleticism, particularly hand-eye coordination. Short bursts of speed to round bases or catch balls are also part of the game.

If you aren’t afraid of a high-speed baseball pitch coming at you and the feeling of cracking the bat on the ball (hopefully out of the field for a homerun), baseball might be the sport for you. You’ll get a full-body workout since baseball requires throwing, catching, swinging the bat, and running to bases.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

While beginner adult baseball leagues are out there, you’ll find most leagues are for intermediate and advanced players.

Team or Individual Sport:

Baseball is played as a team, and all players rely on each other to score points or to get the other team out. There are a multitude of adult baseball leagues to choose from, including senior leagues, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find women’s leagues. You can check our directory to find out what baseball leagues are near you.

Gear Recommendations:

Baseball only requires a handful of gear, most importantly gloves, cleats, and a bat. Rawlings and Wilson gloves are two of the most popular and long-running brands on the market. Easton makes a great composite bat at varying price points, while Louisville Slugger wood baseball bats are another solid choice.

Basketball

If you’re quick on your feet, agile, have good hand-eye coordination, and can handle a lot of quick sprinting, basketball is a great sport for adult athletes like you. While not technically a contact sport, there’s a tendency to get banged up a bit during play. If that worries you, sit this sport out.

You’ll make quick sprints up and down the court, working with your teammates to get balls in the hoop–or block them from the opposing team. Your heart will pump playing basketball, so it’s best to be in decent cardiovascular shape. You’ll also work your legs, arms, and core as you twist, turn, run, and shoot.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

There are beginner leagues out there, but most are intermediate and advanced. Basketball does require a fair amount of coordination and athleticism, so if you aren’t inherently athletic, it’s probably not the best sport for you.

Team or Individual Sport:

Basketball is typically played with 5 players per team who work closely together to move the ball down the court.

Gear Recommendations:

Gear is minimal–a ball and proper shoes are your main requirements. Spalding and Wilson basketballs are used in professional and college basketball leagues. Nike Air Jordans are popular basketball shoes for men and women, in both high and low top versions.

Surfing

If you’re into the ocean and are a strong swimmer, surfing is a great sport of choice. The exhilaration of popping up on your board to ride a wave is an adrenaline rush that will keep you coming back for more. The sport of surfing has been around globally for centuries and remains popular today, obviously more so in coastal areas like California, Hawaii, and Florida.

Surfing requires upper body strength and endurance since much of your time will be spent paddling out to catch the waves you want to surf. You’ll also need a good sense of balance to get up–and stay up–on the board. A good surf session will benefit your legs, back, arms, and core.

Besides just being a sport, surfing tends to be a way of life, a culture. Surfers get up at the crack of dawn (or before) to catch great waves, but you can surf anytime there are optimal waves.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate, Advanced

If you have decent swimming skills, you can learn to surf as a newbie, but be patient, as there will be a bit of a learning curve. Intermediate and advanced surfers will get the most out of the sport as they brave the larger waves.

Team or Individual Sport:

Solo sport, but you sometimes have to compete for waves with other surfers in the water

Gear Recommendations:

A surfboard is the most important gear you’ll need. There are short and longboard options. Longboards are easier for beginners to pop up and balance on. Shortboards allow skilled surfers to maneuver and cut through waves. Depending on the water temperature, you may also need a wetsuit. A rash guard top will protect your skin from surfboard contact.

Golf

Golf is a highly-technical sport that requires patience, agility, and endurance (if you’re walking a large course). You’ll need power to launch balls a long distance. You’ll put your patience to the test as you try to maintain a straight drive of your golf ball down the fairway. The short putting and chipping game is also a mental test as you try to get your ball into the hole at or under par.

Golf is a game of highs and lows—one hole, you’ll absolutely love it, the next, you’ll want to throw your club across the green. But the challenge of the game will keep you coming back for more. It’s a great sport for adult athletes of all ages, and being outside in the fresh air isn’t the worst way to spend a day.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate, Advanced

Golf is a sport where there’s always room for improvement, no matter your level of expertise. Taking lessons if you’re a beginner is highly recommended, which are readily available at most golf courses.

Team or Individual Sport:

While you play for score as an individual, golfers are usually grouped together in foursomes.

Gear Recommendations:

Golf requires a fair amount of gear and isn’t the most affordable sport for an entry-level athlete, but you can find a lot of great deals on used equipment. The necessities for gear include golf clubs, a glove, and you’ll likely want golf shoes. The Cobra XL golf clubs are a solid choice for women’s clubs, while the Callaway Strata is a good starter to mid-level golf set for men. Ancillary items include goofballs and tees. You might also want to invest in a GPS watch or binoculars so you can measure the distance of the ball from the hole.

Swimming

Swimming is a fantastic minimalistic sport choice–the only real essentials are a body of water and your ability to use your own body to swim through it. Adult athletes of all ages can partake in swimming since it’s especially gentle on the joints.

You’ll use your full body when you swim, kicking your legs and propelling forward with your arms. You can swim in a variety of styles–freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, just to name a few. Whether you prefer swimming in a pool or open water in an ocean or lake, you’ll get a good cardiovascular workout and test your endurance.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate, Advanced

If you aren’t afraid of water, many swim schools offer lessons for adults.

Team or Individual Sport:

Swimming is a solo sport, but you can also participate in relay teams. It’s a sport you can participate in competitively as a young adult into your senior years.

Gear Recommendations:

The primary pieces of gear for swimming are swimsuits and goggles.

Skiing

If you love the snow, have a good sense of balance, and crave a good rush, skiing down mountain slopes might be the sport you need in your life. Downhill skiing is the most well-known type of sport skiing.

You’ll strap your boots into a pair of skis and use your body and a set of poles to maneuver yourself downhill. Ski slopes are rated green, blue, and black, representing the easiest to most difficult. More difficult slopes will be steeper and potentially have more obstacles, like trees and moguls.

Skiing is a super full-body workout sport that involves a lot of core and leg work. If you have bad knees, skiing can be a bit rough. Skiiers experience an adrenaline rush flowing down a powdery slope as the beauty of nature surrounds them, keeping them returning again and again.

There are Masters ski competitions for adults of all ages who love some competition in their lives.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

If you are athletic, taking up skiing as an adult is an option, but lessons are recommended. Many skiers started this sport when they were young and continued well into adulthood, making it more of an intermediate or advanced sport for adults.

Team or Individual Sport:

Individual, but typically done in groups

Gear Recommendations:

Skiing requires a fair amount of gear, ranging from skis to boots to helmet to googles to gloves. You’ll also need ski pants, a parka, and other layers of warm clothing.

Snowboarding

The little cousin of skiing, snowboarding involves strapping both feet into boots perpendicularly on a wide board, using only your body and the board to maneuver down the slopes. Snowboarding requires an incredible sense of balance and athleticism and has a steep learning curve. So if you don’t have patience, and are afraid of spending a lot of time falling on your rear as you learn, check out a different sport.

If you do master the ability to get up on your snowboard, you are in for an exhilarating thrill as you use your body to traverse downhill. Snowboarding puts your lower body and your core to the test. While you won’t exert yourself too much cardiovascularly as you board downhill, you’ll require strength to get yourself back up when you fall.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

Adult athletes who want to learn to snowboard can take lessons, but most adult snowboarders are intermediate and advanced-level participants of the sport.

Team or Individual Sport:

This is a solo sport.

Gear Recommendations:

Snowboard, boots, googles, helmet, gloves, ski pants, parka, additional layers.

Motocross

Motocross is one of the more dangerous sports on our list, but also one of the most adrenaline-inducing ones. So if you like a rush and are fearless, check out motocross. Motocross is one level up from mountain biking–dirt trails and a bike. But this time, your bike is gas-powered and can reach much faster speeds than a mountain bike.

If you’ve mastered mountain biking, it’ll be an easier segue into motocross. Check for motocross tracks in your area, and if you don’t already know how to ride a motocross bike, instruction is highly recommended. You’ll learn the ins and outs of riding properly, along with the most safe way to do it.

Once you’re comfortable, you can soak up the thrilling feeling of racing around a track and eventually make jumps and catch air on your bike. If you’re into the competitive side of motocross, there are a ton of races you can enter.

Motocross is a full-body workout, so you need to be in decent shape. Besides the physical aspect of the sport, mental focus is necessary to navigate the track–and the moves of other riders around you.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

Motocross is geared toward more experienced athletes, but if you excel at mountain biking, don’t be afraid to try this sport if you want even more of a thrill.

Team or Individual Sport:

You ride as an individual, but there are some races where you participate as a team.

Gear Recommendations:

You’re going to need a lot of gear for this sport, and it isn’t cheap. The motocross bike, of course, is the most important. Brands like Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Honda, and Husqvarna are pretty popular. Then you’ll need other gear like a helmet, boots, gloves, goggles. You’ll also need pants and a jersey. And, of course, since crashes are bound to happen, protecting your body is imperative. Back, chest, knee, and neck protection should be on your shopping list.

Figure Skating

If you’re one of those people who gets mesmerized by the grace and elegance of figure skaters at the Olympics and wish you could skate like they do–you can certainly try. There are a ton of adult figure skating lessons and classes around the country. You’re at an advantage if you already know how to ice skate. If you don’t, take a learn-to-skate lesson first.

Balance is key for figure skating. You’ll also need strong coordination skills. As your skills improve, you’ll advance from skating across the ice to incorporating spins and jumps. Figure skating will work your core and lower body the most, but it’s generally a full-body workout. There are competitions for adult skaters if you really want to put your skills to the test.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

You can start figure skating as a newbie adult, but you should have some inherent athletic ability to do well at this sport.

Team or Individual Sport:

Figure skating is done both solo and in pairs for competition.

Gear Recommendations:

Ice skates will be your primary gear for this sport, with additional ancillary items like skate guards, gloves, and apparel ranging from form-fitting pants/leggings to skate dresses/skirts to tights.

Martial Arts

Martial arts cover a broad swath of disciplines, but a few stand out as popular sports. Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Judo, Karate, and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) are probably some of the better-known combat sport martial arts. If those aren’t your jam, you have about 150 other types to choose from.

Martial arts require mental and physical strength, as well as endurance. You’ll learn both defensive and offensive maneuvers and as an adult athlete, you will have a wide selection of competitive meets and tournaments available to them. Most of the aforementioned martial arts are full-contact, so if you’re wary of person-to-person grappling, stick with another sport.

Martial arts work your whole body, and most who participate in the sport are pretty physically fit.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate, Advanced

There are plenty of options from beginner to advanced to learn martial arts, so if you’re prepared to put in the work as a newbie, don’t be afraid to give this sport a try.

Team or Individual Sport:

You will compete individually, although you can also be part of a larger team.

Gear Recommendations:

Fortunately, gear is minimal for martial arts. The apparel recommendations will vary depending on the discipline you choose.

Hockey

Hockey is a fantastic sport for adult athletes since adult hockey leagues are widely available. Whether you played in high school or college and want to continue into adulthood, or if you’ve never played but are “hockey curious“, you’ve got options.

Hockey combines speed, agility, endurance, and a healthy dose of competition. If that sounds like you, lace up some skates and get your game on. And if you don’t know how to skate, it’s kind of important, so take a lesson first.

You’ll engage your core as you twist and turn on the ice. You’ll also work your legs, glutes, and arms as you skate, pass, shoot, and check opponents as you move down and across the rink. Hockey also requires a healthy dose of balance.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate, Advanced

While you should have some athletic ability to play hockey, there are plenty of opportunities for newbies to get into the sport as adults. Camps, clinics, and all-skill leagues are available.

Team or Individual Sport:

Hockey is definitely a team sport, where you work as a unit to score on opponents–or stop them from scoring on you.

Gear Recommendations:

Besides a comfortable pair of skates, you’ll need a hockey stick, a helmet, gloves, hockey pants, and protective gear. This can include elbow pads, shin pads, shoulder pads, a mouthguard, and a neck guard.

Bowling

Sometimes debatable as to whether it’s actually a sport, bowling is, in fact, a sport. The United States Bowling Congress governs it.

Although not known to torch calories or elevate your heart rate (save for the excitement of getting a strike and knocking down all pins), bowling does require hand-eye coordination. Bowling is a solid option if you don’t like contact sports or working up a sweat but still enjoy some competition.

Bowling has plenty of opportunities for those who want to compete, be it in a league or in a tournament.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate

Team or Individual Sport:

You can bowl individually or on a team.

Gear Recommendations:

If you’re a casual bowler, you can rent shoes and balls. If you plan to bowl often, invest in a comfortable pair of bowling shoes and your own bowling ball. Dexter rules the market for shoes, and you can find a style to suit your personality.

Cornhole

Yes, there are cornhole competitions, but whether it’s really a game or a sport is up for discussion. Cornhole (also called bags or some other name variation) entails tossing bean bags onto or into a slanted wooden board with a hole in it.

You pair up in teams of two, with each person on the team taking turns tossing their bags to the board across from them in an attempt to score the most points by getting the bag into the hole (3 points) or onto the board (one point).

Many social sports leagues offer cornhole as one of their sports since it’s accessible even to non-athletes, but there’s still some fun competition in the game.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate

Cornhole is great for newbies, and intermediate players with good aim will do well at scoring points.

Team or Individual Sport:

Cornhole is played in teams of two.

Gear Recommendations:

If you play in a social sports league or at a bar, they’ll provide the cornhole set. If you want to play at home, you can grab an inexpensive one like the one below on Amazon.

Dodgeball

Most of us remember playing dodgeball as a kid. There’s nothing like standing in a line with zero protection waiting to get pelted with a red rubber ball. The nostalgia of dodgeball helps it remain a popular activity in social sports leagues today.

While it helps if you have decent aim and quick reflexes, dodgeball doesn’t require immense athletic prowess. That makes it perfect for athletes and non-athletes alike to get a bit of cardiovascular activity while having fun.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate

Dodgeball is a good choice for newbies who aren’t super sporty but still want to participate, and also good for intermediate athletes with solid aim and throwing skills.

Team or Individual Sport:

Dodgeball is played as a team. Check out our directory to find out where you can play dodgeball near you.

Gear Recommendations:

Nothing but a red rubber ball.

Softball

Adult softball leagues are easy to find. Whether they are competitive or office leagues, you can find one that’s at a pace of play from beginner to advanced. Softball is either fastpitch or slowpitch, but most adult recreational leagues are slowpitch. You can find a softball league near you in our sports directory, including senior leagues.

Many softball leagues are co-ed, and there are adult female leagues as well, so there are more options for women to play softball than baseball as an adult. The workout you get from softball will depend on your level of play, but at the least, you’ll run around bases and snag balls in the infield and outfield.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate, Advanced

There are a lot of options for all skill levels.

Team or Individual Sport:

Team sport all the way.

Gear Recommendations:

If you’re a casual league player, your glove is the most important thing you’ll need. Wilson and Rawlings are popular glove brands. Bats, softballs, baseball cleats, and batting gloves should also be on your list.

Kickball

Another nostalgic sport from childhood, kickball is one of the most popular sports in social sports leagues. You play on what looks like a baseball diamond, kicking a ball instead of batting at one before you round bases, just like in baseball or softball.

Most kickball leagues are co-ed and meant for fun, so you don’t need to be a superstar athlete to play, but it can help.

Playing kickball will burn some calories from running the bases or trying to stop, catch, and throw the ball. You’ll work your legs, arms, and core.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate

Team or Individual Sport:

Kickball is a team sport.

Gear Recommendations:

There’s not much of a barrier to entry when it comes to kickball gear. The kickball is your main piece of equipment.

Football

An all-American sport, adult football leagues are all around the country (and even in other countries). Whether you’re looking for full tackle on the gridiron or the less dangerous flag version of the game, football is a high-intensity sport filled with competition.

You’ll use your full body as you run, twist, and pivot on the field in an attempt to score–or block–touchdowns. While men have dominated football for decades, women’s leagues are cropping up in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere.

You’ll get a full-body workout playing football, and the risk of injury increases with playing full tackle.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

There are some leagues that say they are open to newbies, but most are geared toward intermediate and advanced players. Newbies should have some inherent athletic skill.

Team or Individual Sport:

It’s all about the team for football.

Gear Recommendations:

If you’re playing full-contact football, you’ll definitely need more gear than flag football, including a helmet, pads, cleats, and gloves for some players. Schutt is a very well-known and popular helmet brand that comes in adult sizes. You can opt for varying styles of facemasks.

Rugby

Rugby is not for the faint of heart. The sport requires a lot of athleticism, endurance, and fearlessness. It is a full-contact sport that involves kicking, carrying, and passing an oval ball down a field (larger than a football) to score goals. Like football, players can tackle each other to stop the ball.

Rugby will work pretty much every muscle group, and if you’re afraid of contact, skip this sport. But if you like competitive sports with no holds barred, check out rugby.

There are both men’s and women’s adult rugby leagues, so access to the sport is readily available in most areas.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

There are leagues that say no experience is necessary, but you should probably have some athletic abilities if you want to play rugby as a newbie.

Team or Individual Sport:

Very much a team sport.

Gear Recommendations:

Your basic rugby gear list will include a ball and cleats (or boots). Besides that, you can opt for protective equipment like headgear, a mouthguard, and padding. Gilbert rugby balls are highly reputable and affordable.

Volleyball

The beauty of volleyball is that you can play indoors, outdoors, on hard surfaces, on sand, on grass–even in mud. The goal is to volley the ball over the net, with each team getting no more than three touches on the ball before having to volley–or spike–the ball back to the other side.

Depending on the type of volleyball, there can be from two to eight players on a side. Volleyball requires good hand-eye coordination, agility, power, and speed. It’s a great workout for the arms, legs, quads, and core. Sand volleyball will add an additional burn to your calves. There’s no contact in volleyball, but balls can fly at high speeds, so if you’re fearful of getting hit, you might want to look into another sport.

There are a ton of adult volleyball leagues around the country, so getting into the sport is no problem.

Athletic Ability:

Newbie, Intermediate, Advanced

Many social sports leagues offer volleyball, which is good for newbies, but most leagues are advanced and intermediate.

Team or Individual Sport:

Teams are part of volleyball, whether in twos, fours, sixes or eights.

Gear Recommendations:

Besides having a net, the ball is your most valuable piece of gear. You can’t go wrong with the iconic brand that Tom Hanks made famous in his film Castaway.

Indoor volleyball players also need volleyball shoes and typically wear knee pads on hard court floors.

Lacrosse

Fun fact: lacrosse is the oldest organized sport in North America. This sport combines speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, and a fierce sense of competition.

Lacrosse will pump your heart, legs, and arms since you use all of them playing this sport. The objective is to get the ball down the field and score goals by passing the ball to your teammates via a stick with a small net at the tip. Besides physical agility, you’ll need mental agility to play lacrosse, as it is a fast-paced game that requires quick thinking.

Depending on whether you play men’s or women’s lacrosse will determine the level of contact. Women’s lacrosse prohibits physical contact, which is allowed in the men’s version of the game.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

While you might find some newbie leagues, lacrosse is a physically challenging sport better left to intermediate and advanced athletes.

Team or Individual Sport:

Lacrosse is a team sport.

Gear Recommendations:

Most importantly, you’ll need a stick and a ball to play lacrosse. Since men’s lacrosse is a contact sport, they’ll typically require more protective gear, like helmets, gloves, elbow and shoulder pads, and a helmet. Women’s protective gear usually only consists of a mouthguard and goggles. The footwear for both men’s and women’s lacrosse includes cleats.

Field Hockey

While field hockey is more popular with women than men, there are leagues for both. And, as its name implies, you essentially play hockey on a field, albeit with shorter sticks and a ball instead of a puck. The objective is to work with your teammates to score goals against your opponents–or block them.

Field hockey is fast-paced, competitive, and requires speed and agility. You’ll work most of your muscle groups playing this sport. It requires good hand-eye coordination and some athleticism, so the uncoordinated non-athletic types should skip this sport.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

Since players should have some inherent athleticism, field hockey is best suited for intermediate and advanced athletes.

Team or Individual Sport:

Field hockey is definitely a team sport. There are men’s, women’s, and co-ed leagues.

Gear Recommendations:

The most critical piece of gear you’ll need is your stick, followed by the ball. STX is a reputable stick brand, but the style will depend on your position and style of play. Cleats for traction and stability will help your game and protective gear like shinguards and mouthguards are recommended.

Tennis

Tennis is a great competitive sport that requires agility, hand-eye coordination, and endurance. Depending on the level of play, ball speed can be crazy fast, and you’ll need to have a quick response to return the ball across the net.

Tennis uses quick bursts of speed and power both to serve and return, and you’ll get a full-body workout, twisting your core, swinging at and serving the ball, and making short and fast lateral moves with your legs.

If you aren’t coordinated to begin with, you might want to consider another sport. But if you’re athletic, have endurance, and a competitive streak, tennis could be for you.

Athletic Ability:

Intermediate, Advanced

Since tennis requires some innate athleticism, it’s best suited for intermediate and advanced athletes.

Team or Individual Sport:

You can play tennis as an individual (singles) or with a teammate (doubles).

Gear Recommendations:

A tennis racket, balls, and tennis shoes are the essentials for this sport, and you can’t go wrong with a Wilson tennis racket.

Wrap Up

There you have it. While the list isn’t exhaustive, it covers every athletic level, so there is no doubt you can find a sport to suit your ability and your personality. What are you waiting for? Find the sport of your choice near you in our directory.