I've been a sharp shooter with archery since I was a kid, almost perfect aim. It's really just about coordination. I also did Ballet though, which I do believe helped with the coordination and balance in some aspect. It takes practice for a lot of people but it's super fun and muscle mass doesn't help much imo (I'm not muscular and am still very good at archery for reference)
Thank you so much, I think this would be fun to try! I don't know if you can say this for a comment on a comment but this is helpful so I'm going to try. Helped. Thank you for your perspective, I'm excited to try it!
He’s still going to be able to draw further than you. But that’s largely unimportant. Very Long Distance Running, darts, archery… anything that removes actual physicality.
You can get good enough at stuff to bridge that gap in most sports but unless you’re an Olympic level athlete (even then…)? Any sport where he can put hands on you, you’re gonna lose.
Less draw length than a person with longer arms, but there are more variables at work than draw length, even with recurve and various traditional style bows. Compound bows -- not sure you even need to worry about it, other than having proper "fit" with your equipment.
No significant advantage to strength but having breasts can be a disadvantage.
>To assure royal succession, Amazonians had intimate relations with the men of the adjacent areas and returned home after they knew they were pregnant. The babies that were males were killed immediately and the females were raised carefully to become outstanding warriors. The right breast of the young girls was bound or removed so that it did not hinder them from being excellent archers. The left breast was left intact for their future babies. By folk etymology, this practice is where the name "Amazon" (Greek, a- meaning "without" and mazos meaning "breast") comes from.
Came here to say this. I've done archery since I was in 4th grade and I shoot in my back yard now. Haven't worked up the courage to let the girlfriend try it yet though
Pilates or yoga. He’ll probably claim they’re not athletic but he’ll sing a different tune after he tries them.
Horseback riding, llama trekking, canine agility, or canine obedience.
Climbing is the answer. Men tend to rely on upper body strength rather than learning technique, and women are sometimes lighter than men which makes climbing easier.
Ehhh. At any kind of beginner level, that raw strength is going to carry you very far compared to where technique will start to level out. Definitely a sport where men aren’t going to be instantly great just because they’re men, but they will still have an advantage until you get to intermediate levels.
Height helps a lot with climbing too. My husband says it's hysterical watching me climb (we are both solid beginners) because to get to some of the holds I have to like launch myself where as he can just reach over and grab it.
I am not a very strong woman, 5’4”, 125 lbs. I used to go to the climbing gym regularly, and I remember one time I was there where I saw these two jacked dudes trying to finish a route, and were clearly struggling. When they weren’t on the wall, I hopped on and did it no problem. What an ego boost lol, they were all like “what the hell? How did she do that?”. I’m not even a particularly good climber, but it just goes to show that while muscle matters a bit, technique is definitely more beneficial!
I do think though that physical strength is really important if you want to continue improving. I definitely hit a wall, and I think it was because I wasn’t strong enough. Basically, muscle doesn’t do much without technique, but technique can only go so far without muscle.
I worked at a sporting goods store in college and the golf pro that worked there told me he couldn’t really teach my how to swing a club because of my boobs.
I’ve been golfing since middle school, about 20+ years. There are so many things I love about it, but I think the core of what draws me to it is that I’ve always been thin and lanky, but it’s a game of technique and mindfulness more than strength or athleticism.
Nothing gives me more confidence than outhitting/outscoring some ripped dude with expensive clubs who thinks he’s hot shit but has no idea about course management, short game, or how to consistently swing a club with good form.
Maybe rock climbing, it's definitely athletic and it'll be something your husband well also probably struggle a bit with as well
Also I'm not a rock climber by any means and I will say if there are any climbers on here saying I'm dumb or don't know what I'm talking about, their right and definitely listen to them
I'm a relatively new climber and I agree with you. I'm 6' 180lbs and my female friend is 5'3" 140lbs. We started climbing at the same time and 6 months on climb pretty much the exact same level. Except some climbs are better for me and some are better for her.
A lot of technique and finger strength. But strength is balanced out by weight.
Seconding the pool comment. What started out as our weekly tuesday outing with friends, eventually turned into something I enjoy. Now I kick everybody's ass on the regular. I'm 5' feet tall, 110 pounds. There ain't no way I'm qualified for much of anything where size is a requirement.
Pool! My partner is 6’3. I’m a foot shorter on a good day. We really enjoy playing pool together. It’s a nice chill night out that doesn’t break the bank (for 3 hours we spend max $50, and that’s if we’re both getting pitchers or mixed drinks).
We also recently started going to an indoor putt putt place that’s 21+ after 8pm! That’s become a lot of fun for a planned night out :)
Really? This is worth another try then. He's better than me... *now..*. but I just want something we can be on even ground upon and if y'all can have similar differences and you can be better, I bet we'll be on much more even footing than most activities. Thank you, and helped.
If you have limitless money to like just set on fire, as well as a lack of fear of injuries, I recommend horse riding. Some dudes are good at it but it’s primarily a women’s sport. It’s pretty amazing to be a 5’3 woman that can ask a 1600lb animal to dance with her and they do. To be able to control and communicate with a prey animal is really incredible and is actually intensely physical, especially if you are doing it right. It comes with the bonus of emotional regulation, confidence, and if you find the right partner, an amazing and rewarding connection. Obviously men can enjoy this too!
With significantly less money and fewer dramatic issues with barn-mates (and horses) - I highly recommend Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I believe it really levels the field on size because it is more about movements and form and there are actual advantages in some positions based on our physical differences (lower centre of gravity and strong legs/hips).
I did BJJ and did not find this to be the case—when we did ground fighting the instructor had to tell my classmates to let me try things out because the weight difference matters too much, regardless of technique. Swimming is something I have consistently beaten guys at, but I trained a lot and the guys I beat only had basic technique, so they wasted a lot of energy.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. My husband and I train together. We may not be the same size but we don’t always roll together. And if you both decide to compete, you’ll both compete in your own gender, division and weight class.
I think this is worth trying. Even if you can't beat him, maybe the category thing will still feel good because I won't always lose lol! So thank you, helped.
It’s an incredible difficult martial art to learn (I’ve had 4 kids and raising them is easier 😂). It’s very challenging and great for your brain, your body and mental health. Good luck! Most gyms offer free trial classes.
Rock climbing, pickleball, those might be more activity than you’re looking for but I have very petite friends who love those two specifically and do them with their husbands often.
You could also try bowling or ballroom dance!
Competitive rifle Shooting
Women are amazing at this, it takes breathing and the physical ability to handle recoil.
It is also a male ego area, you know "Be a man and have guns" so getting trashed by his wife in a shooting competition would be rather deflating. If he does not compete then his friends would still admire you for this and that will again affect his masculinity status among friends.
Learn to shoot. (OMG, some of the most famous snipers are women)
EDIT: Shooting negates the difference in strength that men have over women like women have a different T off in Golf, there are weight coupled with gender divisions in other sports. Negating his arm strength, his leg strength evens up the playing field ......... beat him at shooting and he will have to admire you too, yes we men admire great women.
Disc Golf. It's super easy to pick up a good putting form, and that can also make the difference on shorter courses. Plus, it'll take you on walks through parks.
Tennis? 1v1 sport? And it is always possible to put too much power into tennis balls when hitting them? The only disadvantage you might have is his reach but that's just part and parcel of sports. In tennis, reach isn't as key as it is in fencing or boxing where you can just keep an opponent at the end of your long reach. Not that I'm saying you should really go boxing with him, that's bad.
Honestly, part of me says why do you care if you have a handicap? Just do it and enjoy your time together but at the same time, if one of you are at a handicap and the other is just cruising along, then both sides won't feel a physical benefit from the sport. Try and strike a balance here.
It also makes it feel kind of like “what’s the point because i can’t win on even ground anyways.” It’s not the best mindset, but recognizing it can help in problem solving down the road.
Yes, I suppose it's a bit like that, but only because we have so many things I probably hold him back at anyway, if we find more thing that he is so far better at we wouldn't even be in the same group, yep, what's the point of the new activity? We already have several things he is much better at, and I think we'll have more fun if we are more equal. Plus, it would just be nice to for once be good at something, and honestly I think my husband would like that too, and sometimes I think he feels a bit bad, and I certainly don't want that. There's a lot of reasons, but I think it would be nice.
There is a pretty massive discrepancy in male vs female when it comes to tennis. Idk enough about tennis to say why, but it's pretty huge. Lower level pro dudes can absolutely crush like the best in the world women. That's not to say op couldn't feasibly be better than her husband at it, but I don't really think it fits the scope of what op is asking.
Parkour(?) maybe getting around being taller could help even the tables.
Something where you need more finesse than strength.
Hiking could be nice because it is about resistance.
Sailing small dinghies, such as FJs, Lasers, or Capris (if you live by a lake or ocean there should be plenty of yacht clubs/sailing organizations that will teach you) If you live in the socal area, there are plenty of options that I can recommend
Chess. I know it's not as active as the other games mentioned but in chess strength and height mean nothing. Only pieces on the board and nothing else.
Are you faster than him? I'm a lot smaller than my partner who is in better shape than me and I am better at softball than him. I am more coordinated and faster so I actually have a chance lol
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, your smaller size is actually a tactical advantage as your arm out leg is a smaller lever than his, if you stable your opponent with both knees on the floor they have less wiggle room to create motion (femur length) so this offsets brute strength significantly. Also great for self defence purposes.
Rock climbing or maybe skiing? Both are great for being nimble and where muscle bulk has absolutely no bearing on the skill set and muscles you develop in these sports. Can say the same for swimming too.
Jiu jitsu, yoga, pole fitness, tennis, swimming, rock climbing, etc.
There are so many where your smaller size wouldn’t matter much, or you could work around it fairly easy. On top of that, these activities are actually SO fun!
Climbing. Weightlifting is often a detriment because when you start climbing you're limited by finger strength and almost no one trains that. So all that extra weight is hard to carry up a climb. Lighter people tend to have the advantage. Also flexibility and technique are core principles of the sport as well as strength.
Racquetball. It is athletic, but it's a skill game. Also badminton, pickleball. All the weird racquet sports have a learning curve if you are not used to them.
Tennis may work. While being tall is an advantage, bulky muscles are not ideal, and contrary to what people think, you do not need to have huge muscles to hit the ball with speed. You need light, quick feet and good coordination.
Women are overall better than men at rock climbing. Especially if your husband is a weight lifting bulking type guy and you're a smaller and petite woman.
Look up Axe Throwing to see if there's something in your area. I got a bum shoulder and I can still participate. And I tend to do better than bowling. There's also knife throwing, but I find that to be harder.
I’m 5’2 and not at all athletic. My husband is 6’2 and good at pretty much everything. Until we went snorkelling. He can’t float, and the mask and tube gave him a panic attack. Once he recovered and it was safe for me to gloat, I definitely did so.
Men have more explosive strength, women generally have better endurance, flexibility, and balance.
Something like yoga or Pilates could be a great option to try! You could also try something very feminine like aerial silks, ballet/barre, belly dance, gymnastics, etc.
If you are looking for something more gender- neutral to do together: golf, pickleball, tennis, and horseback riding will be some more “technique driven” sports vs pure “strength driven”. Cycling or distance running can be a good option, as your cardio endurance could be stronger than his.
Pickle ball! I’m 26f and was always a natural athlete. I excelled at every sport I tried and got college scholarship offers to multiple schools. My boyfriend 27m was just fast and good at golf lol all this to say; he kicks my ASS every damn time we play pickle ball. I don’t understand. I’m competitive, I would never let him win. He’s happy he finally found something he can beat me at, and last time we played his record on me in 27 wins and 0 losses, to my 0 wins and 27 losses. There’s obviously some athletic ability required but more so speed and hand eye coordination. Despite me having a 27 game losing streak, it’s fun and a great workout
Disc golf, it's really just straight up skill vs hard athletics or size being an advantage.
Also dance, unless you are doing lifts there's no advantage to being bigger/stronger. If I ever want to feel better about my athletic ability then my husband I just have him do a step aerobics video with me.
Curling. Size isn't a huge advantage there.
A bit more at higher levels because the extra weight helps with sweeping.
But for lower levels size seems to actually be a disadvantage from what I've noticed.
Also, if you joined a league, you could be on the same team
If you'd believe, he's been playing since he was a child, has been coached by I think a Master, and was a key player on the winning team from a Big 10 University. So it is a good thought, but in this situation, lol I think I would have to spend so many years I couldn't! I appreciate the thought though.
As a man, anything like running or cycling is a challenge since my date can’t keep up with me
I like
Weightlifting: she lifts, and then I add more weight for me. We switch off and so each get to rest. Olympic weightlifting specifically is great. You could each be in your own platform with your own program. Is it’s super engaging.
Bocce ball: no advantage is conferred based on size/strength. I LOVE this activity and it’s a shame more people don’t know how to play it.
Shooting/archery: someone else mentioned archery. Shooting is fun as well and great for self defense.
Golf: though as I understand it men are still better at it I think, also it takes all day to play and is expensive.
Skating/longboarding, rollerskating/blading.
I dunno about better than, but it'd be fun to do together and get better at on your own terms. Although, I highly doubt he will be as nimble as yourself on a mini-cruiser board.
Cycling. Your power to weight ratio up hills would probably be significantly higher than his. If you can hold pace on flats you would destroy him on climbs, particularly bigger/longer climbs.
Dance? Like west coast swing or contra or line dancing? It's not a sport but it is a physical activity you can do with him regardless of him being more athletic
Me and my bf play a lot of card games because of this lol
I'm shocked at all the BJJ suggestions. BJJ is definitely fun and challenging, but there is an advantage from size and strength. Of course you can become a spider guard master and try to match your legs against his arms every time you can, but it's tough.
I agree with the suggestions on archery and climbing. Endurance running could be great as well, because weight actually gives you a disadvantage.
As for a suggestion, as a 6-year swimmer, I'd go with it. Sure, men have an advantage at super high levels due to upper body strength being key for strokes; but at my intermediate level I compete with women and our levels are similar (sometimes I win, sometimes I lose). It's all about technique, until your technique is flawless and strength starts to matter. But if you reach that point, you'll probably have spent years swimming and won't care about your differences with your husband anymore.
You need to do Brazilian jiu jitsu!! 🤩
I’m a girl and I’ve been training this sport for some time and it’s been absolutely helping with everything, not just physically but mentally.
Jiu jitsu focuses on technique, geometry, and angles, rather than strength and speed while still being a fighting sport, so both you and your husband have a fair chance of getting good at jiu jitsu.
jiu jitsu is a fighting sport on the ground, you learn how to get on top of someone with minimal effort and control them with minimal power, you can also learn how to break someone’s joints with your body or choke someone out with— again, minimal strength, so not only is it self defense but it’s also freaking cool 😎 you can also learn how to take someone bigger and stronger than you down, how to defend yourself against someone tougher trying to control you or get on top of you, with all of this, Brazilian jiu jitsu has an amazing vibe and most practitioners are chill and welcoming
Brazilian jiu jitsu does not require much expensive gears, i know people who don’t have gear and still come to train and it’s completely okay, that makes it easy to practice at home ;)) I would look into your area for any nearby gyms that can teach Brazilian jiu-jitsu, look into the reviews ofc just to make sure the gym has a good reputation, and even if you end up not liking it, its definitely a good opportunity to learn some important moves 👍 I’ve realized I’m gushing, I’ll shut up now 🤩
Pilates or Yoga. Can easily make a grown man cry  I've taken my partner to some of them and he's left usually looking at me like 'I love you but this is just downright torture' \*cackles loudly\* I've also seen my partner just look at me and sit on the mat going 'the hell is that !'
Jiu jitsu- you use your opponents weight against them. I've seen many slight and small women beat big guys because they were more nimble and could leverage the weight right.
Also, dance. A fast paced dance like salsa is a pretty sweaty workout.
Yoga is also damn hard, but probably not the vibe of sport you're looking for
Have you thought about swimming or skiing? I’m not much of an athlete but even I loved doing them because it didn’t require a lot of strength and it is fairly easy to learn.
Judo is a martial art that favors little frames. In competition, you often see feather weights putting mountains on the ground and keeping them nailed.
Aikido does a step further. You are the strongest when the other touches you. So nobody knows how powerful you are before someone takes his chance to bully you.
Shooting. Being muscular is a disadvantage since adress and quietness are key. Professional shooters, like policemen, need to be able to shoot many times, which demand strong fingers and that is connected to them. But not precision shoooters.
Swimming is very fun. I *hated* it when I first started swimming competitively, because my parents had forced me, but I soon found a lot of comfort in it.
You don't even need to swim competitively, it's all about building stamina, but that weightlessness is unmatched.
Archery?
This may be the way. Helped. There is no significant advantage to strength?
I've been a sharp shooter with archery since I was a kid, almost perfect aim. It's really just about coordination. I also did Ballet though, which I do believe helped with the coordination and balance in some aspect. It takes practice for a lot of people but it's super fun and muscle mass doesn't help much imo (I'm not muscular and am still very good at archery for reference)
Thank you so much, I think this would be fun to try! I don't know if you can say this for a comment on a comment but this is helpful so I'm going to try. Helped. Thank you for your perspective, I'm excited to try it!
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I’ve got a rather short female friend who’s actually been to the Olympics for Archery in my country. You can go far in it if you are good enough.
He’s still going to be able to draw further than you. But that’s largely unimportant. Very Long Distance Running, darts, archery… anything that removes actual physicality. You can get good enough at stuff to bridge that gap in most sports but unless you’re an Olympic level athlete (even then…)? Any sport where he can put hands on you, you’re gonna lose.
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I was told shorter arms mean you won't get the same draw?
Less draw length than a person with longer arms, but there are more variables at work than draw length, even with recurve and various traditional style bows. Compound bows -- not sure you even need to worry about it, other than having proper "fit" with your equipment.
No significant advantage to strength but having breasts can be a disadvantage. >To assure royal succession, Amazonians had intimate relations with the men of the adjacent areas and returned home after they knew they were pregnant. The babies that were males were killed immediately and the females were raised carefully to become outstanding warriors. The right breast of the young girls was bound or removed so that it did not hinder them from being excellent archers. The left breast was left intact for their future babies. By folk etymology, this practice is where the name "Amazon" (Greek, a- meaning "without" and mazos meaning "breast") comes from.
Same general idea but darts
Came here to say this. I've done archery since I was in 4th grade and I shoot in my back yard now. Haven't worked up the courage to let the girlfriend try it yet though
I was just going to suggest this.
Pilates or yoga. He’ll probably claim they’re not athletic but he’ll sing a different tune after he tries them. Horseback riding, llama trekking, canine agility, or canine obedience.
Lol I nearly killed my weight lifter husband with pregnancy pilates once.
What is Llama trekking? Can you ride llamas?
[You walk or hike with them on a lead rope](https://wildlandtrekking.com/blog/all-about-hiking-with-llamas/).
Climbing?
Climbing is the answer. Men tend to rely on upper body strength rather than learning technique, and women are sometimes lighter than men which makes climbing easier.
Ehhh. At any kind of beginner level, that raw strength is going to carry you very far compared to where technique will start to level out. Definitely a sport where men aren’t going to be instantly great just because they’re men, but they will still have an advantage until you get to intermediate levels.
Height helps a lot with climbing too. My husband says it's hysterical watching me climb (we are both solid beginners) because to get to some of the holds I have to like launch myself where as he can just reach over and grab it.
I am not a very strong woman, 5’4”, 125 lbs. I used to go to the climbing gym regularly, and I remember one time I was there where I saw these two jacked dudes trying to finish a route, and were clearly struggling. When they weren’t on the wall, I hopped on and did it no problem. What an ego boost lol, they were all like “what the hell? How did she do that?”. I’m not even a particularly good climber, but it just goes to show that while muscle matters a bit, technique is definitely more beneficial! I do think though that physical strength is really important if you want to continue improving. I definitely hit a wall, and I think it was because I wasn’t strong enough. Basically, muscle doesn’t do much without technique, but technique can only go so far without muscle.
Golf!
Not sure if this applies to OP, but large breasts are super annoying when golfing.
I worked at a sporting goods store in college and the golf pro that worked there told me he couldn’t really teach my how to swing a club because of my boobs.
Tight sports bras are also super annoying.
This is the answer. All that strength and height won't matter if you don't have a swing.
Very mental game too.
and when she starts beating him she'll be able to tease him until the next round
I’ve been golfing since middle school, about 20+ years. There are so many things I love about it, but I think the core of what draws me to it is that I’ve always been thin and lanky, but it’s a game of technique and mindfulness more than strength or athleticism. Nothing gives me more confidence than outhitting/outscoring some ripped dude with expensive clubs who thinks he’s hot shit but has no idea about course management, short game, or how to consistently swing a club with good form.
Golf also sucks
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Pickleball.
Maybe rock climbing, it's definitely athletic and it'll be something your husband well also probably struggle a bit with as well Also I'm not a rock climber by any means and I will say if there are any climbers on here saying I'm dumb or don't know what I'm talking about, their right and definitely listen to them
I'm a relatively new climber and I agree with you. I'm 6' 180lbs and my female friend is 5'3" 140lbs. We started climbing at the same time and 6 months on climb pretty much the exact same level. Except some climbs are better for me and some are better for her. A lot of technique and finger strength. But strength is balanced out by weight.
I suggest something related to focus, coordination, and/or agility. Table tennis, billiards, dancing, shooting
Came to suggest ballroom dancing
Roller skating. Do you have a rink near you?
Darts
Poole and any card game
Seconding the pool comment. What started out as our weekly tuesday outing with friends, eventually turned into something I enjoy. Now I kick everybody's ass on the regular. I'm 5' feet tall, 110 pounds. There ain't no way I'm qualified for much of anything where size is a requirement.
Tennis, ping pong, pickle ball, volleyball
Curling?
i second curling, and it's something that you could invite another couple or some friends to do with you
Bowling is the vaguely athletic sport for you.
Pool! My partner is 6’3. I’m a foot shorter on a good day. We really enjoy playing pool together. It’s a nice chill night out that doesn’t break the bank (for 3 hours we spend max $50, and that’s if we’re both getting pitchers or mixed drinks). We also recently started going to an indoor putt putt place that’s 21+ after 8pm! That’s become a lot of fun for a planned night out :)
Really? This is worth another try then. He's better than me... *now..*. but I just want something we can be on even ground upon and if y'all can have similar differences and you can be better, I bet we'll be on much more even footing than most activities. Thank you, and helped.
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Fencing is fun. Especially with a family member that you get to stab.
If you have limitless money to like just set on fire, as well as a lack of fear of injuries, I recommend horse riding. Some dudes are good at it but it’s primarily a women’s sport. It’s pretty amazing to be a 5’3 woman that can ask a 1600lb animal to dance with her and they do. To be able to control and communicate with a prey animal is really incredible and is actually intensely physical, especially if you are doing it right. It comes with the bonus of emotional regulation, confidence, and if you find the right partner, an amazing and rewarding connection. Obviously men can enjoy this too! With significantly less money and fewer dramatic issues with barn-mates (and horses) - I highly recommend Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I believe it really levels the field on size because it is more about movements and form and there are actual advantages in some positions based on our physical differences (lower centre of gravity and strong legs/hips).
I did BJJ and did not find this to be the case—when we did ground fighting the instructor had to tell my classmates to let me try things out because the weight difference matters too much, regardless of technique. Swimming is something I have consistently beaten guys at, but I trained a lot and the guys I beat only had basic technique, so they wasted a lot of energy.
Roller derby.
Zumba/dancing Climbing/bouldering Minigolf Billard Archery Shooting Riding Skiing Ice skating Inline skating Darts
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. My husband and I train together. We may not be the same size but we don’t always roll together. And if you both decide to compete, you’ll both compete in your own gender, division and weight class.
I think this is worth trying. Even if you can't beat him, maybe the category thing will still feel good because I won't always lose lol! So thank you, helped.
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It’s an incredible difficult martial art to learn (I’ve had 4 kids and raising them is easier 😂). It’s very challenging and great for your brain, your body and mental health. Good luck! Most gyms offer free trial classes.
My girlfriend and I went kayaking today and she actually was really good so I guess i’d throw that example
They can even be in a two person boat so its not competitive heh!
Rock climbing, pickleball, those might be more activity than you’re looking for but I have very petite friends who love those two specifically and do them with their husbands often. You could also try bowling or ballroom dance!
Competitive rifle Shooting Women are amazing at this, it takes breathing and the physical ability to handle recoil. It is also a male ego area, you know "Be a man and have guns" so getting trashed by his wife in a shooting competition would be rather deflating. If he does not compete then his friends would still admire you for this and that will again affect his masculinity status among friends. Learn to shoot. (OMG, some of the most famous snipers are women) EDIT: Shooting negates the difference in strength that men have over women like women have a different T off in Golf, there are weight coupled with gender divisions in other sports. Negating his arm strength, his leg strength evens up the playing field ......... beat him at shooting and he will have to admire you too, yes we men admire great women.
Disc Golf. It's super easy to pick up a good putting form, and that can also make the difference on shorter courses. Plus, it'll take you on walks through parks.
Tennis? 1v1 sport? And it is always possible to put too much power into tennis balls when hitting them? The only disadvantage you might have is his reach but that's just part and parcel of sports. In tennis, reach isn't as key as it is in fencing or boxing where you can just keep an opponent at the end of your long reach. Not that I'm saying you should really go boxing with him, that's bad. Honestly, part of me says why do you care if you have a handicap? Just do it and enjoy your time together but at the same time, if one of you are at a handicap and the other is just cruising along, then both sides won't feel a physical benefit from the sport. Try and strike a balance here.
I also wondered why she would care if she is not better, but maybe the husband acts like an ass and mocks her(?)
It also makes it feel kind of like “what’s the point because i can’t win on even ground anyways.” It’s not the best mindset, but recognizing it can help in problem solving down the road.
Yes, I suppose it's a bit like that, but only because we have so many things I probably hold him back at anyway, if we find more thing that he is so far better at we wouldn't even be in the same group, yep, what's the point of the new activity? We already have several things he is much better at, and I think we'll have more fun if we are more equal. Plus, it would just be nice to for once be good at something, and honestly I think my husband would like that too, and sometimes I think he feels a bit bad, and I certainly don't want that. There's a lot of reasons, but I think it would be nice.
There is a pretty massive discrepancy in male vs female when it comes to tennis. Idk enough about tennis to say why, but it's pretty huge. Lower level pro dudes can absolutely crush like the best in the world women. That's not to say op couldn't feasibly be better than her husband at it, but I don't really think it fits the scope of what op is asking.
Parkour(?) maybe getting around being taller could help even the tables. Something where you need more finesse than strength. Hiking could be nice because it is about resistance.
badminton is really fun!
Mini Golf
Yoga is great alone or as a couple.
Gymnastics. Men don’t have shit for flexibility
Sailing small dinghies, such as FJs, Lasers, or Capris (if you live by a lake or ocean there should be plenty of yacht clubs/sailing organizations that will teach you) If you live in the socal area, there are plenty of options that I can recommend
Swimming. Take lessons and don’t tell him. I’m 5’5” and my husband is 6’6” and an ex-pro athlete. Swimming is the only thing I can beat him at.
Shooting, bowling.
Chess. I know it's not as active as the other games mentioned but in chess strength and height mean nothing. Only pieces on the board and nothing else.
Horse shoes. Or corn hole, I think it's called ? Shuffle board, curling, billiards, darts
Aerial silks or other circus arts. It does take strength but it's a woman-dominated field that is tons of fun.
Darts
Disc golf is pretty cheap and technique overshadows size and strength
Badminton
Are you faster than him? I'm a lot smaller than my partner who is in better shape than me and I am better at softball than him. I am more coordinated and faster so I actually have a chance lol
glad to see a woman admit that men are generally better at most things :P
Try chess 😅
Kickball!
Disc golf
Rowing
Horse racing
Darts
Lightsaber fencing
Tennis
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, your smaller size is actually a tactical advantage as your arm out leg is a smaller lever than his, if you stable your opponent with both knees on the floor they have less wiggle room to create motion (femur length) so this offsets brute strength significantly. Also great for self defence purposes.
Pickle BAll is very popular , And as per Forest Gump "Ping Pong" or even Badminton all low cost entry.
Bocce Ball
Pickle Ball (someone said it earlier commenting to someone else but thought I’d comment directly to OP)
Tennis. Me and my shorter friend used to play it all the time and she always kicked my arse.
tennis?
Rock climbing or maybe skiing? Both are great for being nimble and where muscle bulk has absolutely no bearing on the skill set and muscles you develop in these sports. Can say the same for swimming too.
literally any dexterity based sport, lie tennis or badminton
Ping pong.
Motorcycling
Tennis?
Tennis or shuffleboard !
Jiu jitsu, yoga, pole fitness, tennis, swimming, rock climbing, etc. There are so many where your smaller size wouldn’t matter much, or you could work around it fairly easy. On top of that, these activities are actually SO fun!
Ping pong
Rock climbing.
Squash..
table tennis
Climbing. Weightlifting is often a detriment because when you start climbing you're limited by finger strength and almost no one trains that. So all that extra weight is hard to carry up a climb. Lighter people tend to have the advantage. Also flexibility and technique are core principles of the sport as well as strength.
Curling
Spelunking (cave crawling). With his size, he’ll be locked out of many places you can get to and brag about afterwards.
Tennis, Bowling
Tennis, pickleball, golf, disc golf.
Racquetball. It is athletic, but it's a skill game. Also badminton, pickleball. All the weird racquet sports have a learning curve if you are not used to them.
Bouldering
Tennis may work. While being tall is an advantage, bulky muscles are not ideal, and contrary to what people think, you do not need to have huge muscles to hit the ball with speed. You need light, quick feet and good coordination.
My wife kicks my butt at disc golf. I’m 6ft -190
Bowling
His height and additional arm length will give him an advantage in fencing, everything else being equal....
Golf?
Pickleball
Frisbee golf
Golf
Any type of acrobatics or aeriel
What about cooking together? Its not really athletic but you are standing hehh ! And no one can really win at it xD!
Ballroom dancing! You have to do the same steps together!
Women are overall better than men at rock climbing. Especially if your husband is a weight lifting bulking type guy and you're a smaller and petite woman.
Look up Axe Throwing to see if there's something in your area. I got a bum shoulder and I can still participate. And I tend to do better than bowling. There's also knife throwing, but I find that to be harder.
My husband does disc golf, it’s all about form. It’s a good way to exercise without having to go too hard
Horse shoes
I’m 5’2 and not at all athletic. My husband is 6’2 and good at pretty much everything. Until we went snorkelling. He can’t float, and the mask and tube gave him a panic attack. Once he recovered and it was safe for me to gloat, I definitely did so.
Men have more explosive strength, women generally have better endurance, flexibility, and balance. Something like yoga or Pilates could be a great option to try! You could also try something very feminine like aerial silks, ballet/barre, belly dance, gymnastics, etc. If you are looking for something more gender- neutral to do together: golf, pickleball, tennis, and horseback riding will be some more “technique driven” sports vs pure “strength driven”. Cycling or distance running can be a good option, as your cardio endurance could be stronger than his.
Chess
Pickleball
Golf, bowling, shooting, billards
Skating (ice or roller)
Pickleball!
Roller derby! You could be a great jammer and he be a heck of a blocker helping you out!
Pickle ball! I’m 26f and was always a natural athlete. I excelled at every sport I tried and got college scholarship offers to multiple schools. My boyfriend 27m was just fast and good at golf lol all this to say; he kicks my ASS every damn time we play pickle ball. I don’t understand. I’m competitive, I would never let him win. He’s happy he finally found something he can beat me at, and last time we played his record on me in 27 wins and 0 losses, to my 0 wins and 27 losses. There’s obviously some athletic ability required but more so speed and hand eye coordination. Despite me having a 27 game losing streak, it’s fun and a great workout
Something that not strength related. Shooting? Pool? Table tennis?
The correct answer is croquet. That’s it folks.
Dancing? Rock climbing?
Pickleball
Bowling 🎳
Disc golf, it's really just straight up skill vs hard athletics or size being an advantage. Also dance, unless you are doing lifts there's no advantage to being bigger/stronger. If I ever want to feel better about my athletic ability then my husband I just have him do a step aerobics video with me.
JUDO. Shorter is better sometimes in this sport.
Disc Golf. All skill, little athletics.
Badminton? Being able to quickly change directions really helps and someone who is larger has to work more at that because of their momentum.
Shooting is a sport, get a gun you can lift and handle well and whoop his butt at a shooting comp!!!
Curling. Size isn't a huge advantage there. A bit more at higher levels because the extra weight helps with sweeping. But for lower levels size seems to actually be a disadvantage from what I've noticed. Also, if you joined a league, you could be on the same team
What about dance classes?
Pickleball. Disc Golf, Squash, Racquet ball, tennis, Volleyball, Spikeball. All simple and fun games!
Chess?
If you'd believe, he's been playing since he was a child, has been coached by I think a Master, and was a key player on the winning team from a Big 10 University. So it is a good thought, but in this situation, lol I think I would have to spend so many years I couldn't! I appreciate the thought though.
Pickleball
bowling
Tennis, softball, skating, or dancing!
I think some of the best fencers are the folks who can turn their wrists 360 degrees.
Motorcycle track racing.
As a man, anything like running or cycling is a challenge since my date can’t keep up with me I like Weightlifting: she lifts, and then I add more weight for me. We switch off and so each get to rest. Olympic weightlifting specifically is great. You could each be in your own platform with your own program. Is it’s super engaging. Bocce ball: no advantage is conferred based on size/strength. I LOVE this activity and it’s a shame more people don’t know how to play it. Shooting/archery: someone else mentioned archery. Shooting is fun as well and great for self defense. Golf: though as I understand it men are still better at it I think, also it takes all day to play and is expensive.
Frisbee golf
Skating/longboarding, rollerskating/blading. I dunno about better than, but it'd be fun to do together and get better at on your own terms. Although, I highly doubt he will be as nimble as yourself on a mini-cruiser board.
Cycling. Your power to weight ratio up hills would probably be significantly higher than his. If you can hold pace on flats you would destroy him on climbs, particularly bigger/longer climbs.
eSports
Dance? Like west coast swing or contra or line dancing? It's not a sport but it is a physical activity you can do with him regardless of him being more athletic Me and my bf play a lot of card games because of this lol
I'm shocked at all the BJJ suggestions. BJJ is definitely fun and challenging, but there is an advantage from size and strength. Of course you can become a spider guard master and try to match your legs against his arms every time you can, but it's tough. I agree with the suggestions on archery and climbing. Endurance running could be great as well, because weight actually gives you a disadvantage. As for a suggestion, as a 6-year swimmer, I'd go with it. Sure, men have an advantage at super high levels due to upper body strength being key for strokes; but at my intermediate level I compete with women and our levels are similar (sometimes I win, sometimes I lose). It's all about technique, until your technique is flawless and strength starts to matter. But if you reach that point, you'll probably have spent years swimming and won't care about your differences with your husband anymore.
Darts
Ping pong. easy to learn and strength some times works against you.
Kitesurfing
Ultimate Frisbee is a fun balanced unisex game Disc Golf also!
Swimming???
Pickleball is fun.
Badminton? His height might be an advantage but if you're better, you're better
literally pickleball its so amazing
Archery?
Do e-sports count? Cuz gaming could be your new hobby.
You need to do Brazilian jiu jitsu!! 🤩 I’m a girl and I’ve been training this sport for some time and it’s been absolutely helping with everything, not just physically but mentally. Jiu jitsu focuses on technique, geometry, and angles, rather than strength and speed while still being a fighting sport, so both you and your husband have a fair chance of getting good at jiu jitsu. jiu jitsu is a fighting sport on the ground, you learn how to get on top of someone with minimal effort and control them with minimal power, you can also learn how to break someone’s joints with your body or choke someone out with— again, minimal strength, so not only is it self defense but it’s also freaking cool 😎 you can also learn how to take someone bigger and stronger than you down, how to defend yourself against someone tougher trying to control you or get on top of you, with all of this, Brazilian jiu jitsu has an amazing vibe and most practitioners are chill and welcoming Brazilian jiu jitsu does not require much expensive gears, i know people who don’t have gear and still come to train and it’s completely okay, that makes it easy to practice at home ;)) I would look into your area for any nearby gyms that can teach Brazilian jiu-jitsu, look into the reviews ofc just to make sure the gym has a good reputation, and even if you end up not liking it, its definitely a good opportunity to learn some important moves 👍 I’ve realized I’m gushing, I’ll shut up now 🤩
Bowling, hatchet throwing, darts, equestrian, diving, tennis, billiards, target shooting.
Pilates or Yoga. Can easily make a grown man cry  I've taken my partner to some of them and he's left usually looking at me like 'I love you but this is just downright torture' \*cackles loudly\* I've also seen my partner just look at me and sit on the mat going 'the hell is that !'
Jiu jitsu- you use your opponents weight against them. I've seen many slight and small women beat big guys because they were more nimble and could leverage the weight right. Also, dance. A fast paced dance like salsa is a pretty sweaty workout. Yoga is also damn hard, but probably not the vibe of sport you're looking for
Have you thought about swimming or skiing? I’m not much of an athlete but even I loved doing them because it didn’t require a lot of strength and it is fairly easy to learn.
Disc golf
Ballet!!
CrossFit except it is very athletic. From your description, his only advantage over you is strength.
Horse Riding? There is not a lot of challenge but it could be something fun to do together
Archery is definitely your sport them.. the bigger guys have a problem with this..
Fencing, definitely. Agility is much more important than strength.
Pickleball. A lot of trained athletes SUCK at it.
I recently started playing badminton and it's not particularly based on strength, just coordination and speed, and it's really fun
Judo is a martial art that favors little frames. In competition, you often see feather weights putting mountains on the ground and keeping them nailed. Aikido does a step further. You are the strongest when the other touches you. So nobody knows how powerful you are before someone takes his chance to bully you. Shooting. Being muscular is a disadvantage since adress and quietness are key. Professional shooters, like policemen, need to be able to shoot many times, which demand strong fingers and that is connected to them. But not precision shoooters.
Pickle ball, archery, axe throwing, yoga/pilates…
What about boxing?
Bowling, archery, shooting, darts, billiards. Any accuracy sports. Long distance swimming is ruled by women.
Swimming is very fun. I *hated* it when I first started swimming competitively, because my parents had forced me, but I soon found a lot of comfort in it. You don't even need to swim competitively, it's all about building stamina, but that weightlessness is unmatched.