Calories burned
jai alai
882 kcal / hour Jai alai burns approximately 882 calories per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, and 441 calories in 30 minutes. Across the normal adult weight range the hourly figure runs from about 630 to 1,512 kcal.
It carries a MET value of 12 in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.
Calories burned jai alai by body weight
Energy cost scales with the mass you move, so body weight changes the answer more than anything else.
| Body weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min | 90 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 158 | 315 | 473 | 630 | 945 |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 189 | 378 | 567 | 756 | 1,134 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 221 | 441 | 662 | 882 | 1,323 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 252 | 504 | 756 | 1,008 | 1,512 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 284 | 567 | 850 | 1,134 | 1,701 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 315 | 630 | 945 | 1,260 | 1,890 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 347 | 693 | 1,040 | 1,386 | 2,079 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 378 | 756 | 1,134 | 1,512 | 2,268 |
Figures in kilocalories (the "calories" on food labels). The highlighted row is the 70 kg reference adult used in the headline figure; the highlighted column is one hour.
What 882 calories an hour actually means
At MET 12, jai alai counts as very vigorous activity — it uses about 12 times the energy your body burns sitting still. For a 70 kg adult that works out to roughly 15 kcal per minute, or 882 kcal across a full hour.
Within sports, that ranks 4th of 91 activities by energy cost, a little below race walking (MET 12.05) and above judo (MET 11.3).
Put differently: one hour of jai alai costs about the same energy as 180 minutes of ordinary walking.
On the food side, a large flat white (about 170 kcal) takes roughly 12 minutes of jai alai to offset at that body weight. That framing is useful for scale, but it is worth saying plainly: exercise and diet are not a ledger that cancels neatly, and appetite tends to rise with activity.
Questions
How many calories does jai alai burn per hour?
About 882 kcal per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, using the Compendium MET value of 12. A 90 kg adult burns closer to 1,134 kcal in the same hour, because energy cost scales almost directly with body mass.
How many calories does 30 minutes of jai alai burn?
Roughly 441 kcal at 70 kg, 378 kcal at 60 kg and 630 kcal at 100 kg. Halving the time halves the calories — the relationship is linear.
What is the MET value of jai alai?
12. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, so MET 12 means 12 times that rate.
Is this an exact number of calories?
No, and no calculator can give you one. MET values are population averages measured in laboratory conditions; your own figure varies with fitness, technique, terrain, temperature and body composition. Treat these numbers as a solid estimate for planning, not a precise measurement — and treat any device or site claiming three-digit precision with suspicion.
Related activities
Three more from sports, and three with a similar energy cost from elsewhere in the Compendium.
MET value from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (activity code 15420). Calories computed as MET × 3.5 × weight kg ÷ 200 per minute. General information only — not medical, fitness or nutrition advice. Calorie figures are population estimates and vary between individuals.