Learn padel, drawn out
Shots, rules and tactics explained with court diagrams and 3D scenes you can turn, plus the numbers behind British padel, built from every club we've verified.
Original UK padel data
UK Padel Statistics 2026: Players, Courts, Clubs and Prices
Sourced national figures on players and courts, plus our own count of every verified UK club: operators, indoor share, booking apps and prices. Charts to embed, CSVs to download.
Price indexUK Padel Price Index: What 90 Minutes Costs in Every City
Off-peak and peak prices per player for a 90-minute game, computed from every pay-and-play club we have verified, ranked from cheapest city to dearest.
DataWhere You Can Play Padel in the Rain: Britain’s Rain-Proof Courts
The share of UK padel courts that are indoor or under a canopy, by city and nation, and what a dry court costs compared with an open one.
DataBritain’s Padel Deserts: Courts per 100,000 People by Region
Verified padel courts per head of population for every UK region and nation, using official population estimates. Where padel is everywhere, and where it barely exists.
DataThe Members-Only Problem: How Much UK Padel Can You Actually Book?
How many UK padel courts anyone can book, how many give members first pick, and how many are locked behind a membership, by operator and region.
DataThe Peak-Time Premium: How Much More Evening Padel Costs
The gap between off-peak and peak prices at every UK club that publishes both, city by city, and the cheapest evening games we could find.
DataPlaytomic, MATCHi and the Rest: Which Booking Apps UK Padel Clubs Use
Booking platform share across every verified UK padel club: which app you will need, by region, and what that means for players.
Start here
Rules, the court and how a game works.
How to Play Padel: The Complete Beginner’s Guide
Everything you need for your first game of padel: the court, the walls, the serve, the scoring and the three habits that make beginners good quickly.
RulesPadel Rules Explained: Serve, Walls, Faults and Scoring
The rules of padel in plain English: how to serve, what the walls allow, the faults that lose points, and how scoring works, with court diagrams.
RulesHow Padel Scoring Works: Points, Games, Sets and the Golden Point
Padel scoring explained: 15-30-40, deuce and the golden point, sets and tie-breaks, which side to serve from, and how Americano scoring differs.
The courtPadel Court Dimensions: Size, Walls, Net and Space Needed
Every padel court measurement in one place: the 20 m by 10 m court, service lines, net height, wall and glass heights, singles courts, and the space a club needs to build one.
GlossaryPadel Glossary: Every Term You’ll Hear on Court
A plain-English glossary of padel terms, from Americano and bandeja to víbora and por tres, with links to the guides that explain each one.
Shots
Every shot that matters, drawn out on the court.
Padel Volleys: Block, Punch and Stay at the Net
How to volley in padel: the ready position, short punches instead of swings, where to aim, and how to survive fast exchanges at the net.
ShotsPlaying Off the Back Glass: The Skill That Makes You a Padel Player
How to play a ball after it comes off the back wall: when to wait, where to stand, how to time it, and the three replies that keep you in the point.
ShotsPor Tres and Por Cuatro: Smashing the Ball Out of the Court
What por tres and por cuatro mean in padel, how to hit a smash that bounces out of the court, the rules on running outside to retrieve it, and when to try it.
ShotsThe Bandeja: How to Hit Padel’s Most Important Overhead
How to hit a bandeja in padel: why it beats the smash, the grip and swing, where to aim, and the mistakes that send you back to the baseline.
ShotsThe Chiquita: Padel’s Soft Shot to the Feet
How to play the chiquita in padel: a soft, low ball to the feet of the net players that lets your pair move forward. When to use it and how to hit it.
ShotsThe Lob in Padel: How to Win the Net Back
How to lob in padel: why it is the most important defensive shot, how high and deep to hit it, the best targets, and how to follow it to the net.
ShotsThe Padel Serve: Legal, Consistent, Then Clever
How to serve in padel: the rules that make a serve legal, where to aim, how much spin to use, and where the server’s partner should stand.
ShotsThe Side Glass and Double Walls: Reading Padel’s Angles
How to play balls off the side glass and double walls in padel: how the ball changes direction, where to stand, and how to turn tricky angles into lobs.
ShotsThe Víbora: Padel’s Viper of an Overhead
How to hit the víbora in padel: how it differs from the bandeja, the sidespin swing, aiming into the side glass, and when it is worth the risk.
Tactics
Where to stand, when to move and how pairs win points.
Where to Stand in Padel: Positioning for Doubles
Padel positioning explained: where to stand at the net and at the back, moving as a pair, covering the middle, and switching sides when you are lobbed.
TacticsLeft or Right? Choosing Your Side in Padel
Should you play the left or right side in padel? What each side demands, why the stronger overhead usually plays left, and how left-handers change the decision.
Formats & levels
Americanos, Mexicanos, ratings and finding your level.
Americano vs Mexicano: Padel’s Social Formats Explained
How padel Americanos and Mexicanos work: rotating partners, points-based scoring, how pairings change each round, and which format suits your group.
LevelsPlaytomic Levels Explained: What 0 to 7 Means in Padel
What the 0–7 padel level on Playtomic and other booking apps means, how your level is set and changes, roughly what each band looks like on court, and how to use it.
Padel in the UK
Costs, clubs, kit and playing through a British winter.
How to Choose a Padel Racket: Shape, Weight and Balance
Round, teardrop or diamond? How to choose a padel racket in the UK: what shape, weight, balance and core hardness do, and what a beginner should buy.
Getting startedPadel for Tennis Players: What Transfers and What Doesn’t
Moving from tennis to padel? What your tennis game gives you, the habits you will need to unlearn, the court differences, and how to get good quickly.