How to Play Padel: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

The court

A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, split by a net that is 0.88 m high in the middle. At each end is a wall: 3 metres of toughened glass with a metre of wire mesh on top. Along the sides, glass runs 4 metres in from each end, and wire mesh fills the middle. The only lines that matter in a rally are the walls; the painted lines are there for the serve.

If you have played tennis, the size is the first surprise. Everything is closer, so reactions matter more than reach, and four players fill the space quickly.

The basic rules in one minute

1. Serve underarm. Bounce the ball behind the service line and hit it at or below waist height, diagonally into the opposite service box.
2. One bounce. The ball must bounce once on the other side before it touches a wall. If it hits their glass or mesh first, you lose the point.
3. Walls are friends after the bounce. Once the ball has bounced on your side, it can hit any of your walls and you can still play it, as long as it has not bounced twice.
4. Volleys are allowed, except on the return of serve.
5. Scoring is tennis scoring. 15, 30, 40, game; six games for a set. Many clubs play a golden point at deuce, which we explain in how padel scoring works.

The full detail, including the faults that catch people out, is in the rules of padel.

How a point usually goes

Padel rewards patience. The pair at the net is usually winning; the pair at the back is usually trying to get there. Most points are a tug of war over the net, fought with lobs and overheads.

When you are at the back, hit lobs and low, slow balls to the net players’ feet. When you are at the net, volley deep and use the overhead called the bandeja to stay there instead of smashing everything. Our guides to the lob and the bandeja show both in 3D.

The three habits that make beginners good quickly

Let the ball come off the back glass. Every beginner rushes the ball before it reaches the wall. Wait. A ball that comes off the glass slows down and gives you time. It is the single biggest difference between a first-timer and a club player, and it gets a whole guide.

Move with your partner. Imagine you are tied together with a three-metre rope. When one of you goes forward, so does the other. Gaps down the middle lose more points than bad shots.

Don’t smash the lob. It feels wrong, but smashing a lob from mid-court usually bounces up off their back glass for an easy return. A controlled overhead that keeps you at the net is worth more.

What to bring

• Court shoes with a herringbone or omni sole. Running shoes slide.
• A racket, hired from the club if you are trying it out. Most UK clubs charge £2 to £5.
• Balls: padel balls, not tennis balls. They are slightly smaller and lower pressure. Clubs sell tubes of three for about £5 to £8.
• Three friends, or an open match on the club’s booking app.

Booking your first game

Most UK clubs book through an app (Playtomic is the most common, used by over half the clubs we have checked). Courts are usually hired for 60 or 90 minutes and the price is for the whole court, so split it four ways. Our price index shows what a game costs where you live, and every club page tells you whether you can book without a membership.

Ready? Find a court near you, or check your level first so you can join an open match at the right standard.