Padel arrived in Britain with its Spanish vocabulary intact, which is half the charm and all of the confusion. Here is what everyone at the club is talking about.
Shots
Bajada. An attacking shot played off a ball that rebounds high off the back glass. Literally “the descent”.
Bandeja. The control overhead: a sliced, flattish shot hit above head height to keep your pair at the net. “Tray”, because of the shape of the swing. See the bandeja.
Chiquita. A soft, low ball aimed at the feet of opponents at the net, usually to help your pair move forward. See the chiquita.
Contrapared. Hitting the ball against your own back wall so it rebounds over the net. Legal, desperate, occasionally brilliant.
Dejada. A drop shot that dies just over the net.
Globo. The lob. See the lob.
Por tres. A smash hit so the ball bounces and leaves the court over the side wall. See por tres and por cuatro.
Por cuatro. A smash that bounces and leaves the court through a side door.
Rulo. A heavy topspin overhead.
Remate. Any smash.
Salida de pared. Playing the ball after it comes off the wall. The skill that defines padel; see playing off the back glass.
Víbora. “Viper”: an aggressive sliced overhead with sidespin, aimed into the side glass. See the víbora.
The court
Back glass. The end wall behind each pair.
Mesh. The wire fencing above and along the sides. The ball can hit it after bouncing on your side, but a serve that hits it after bouncing is a fault.
Panoramic. A court whose side glass has no steel posts.
Service box. The area between the net and the service line on each side of the centre line.
Formats and scoring
Americano. A social format where you change partners every round and keep your own points. See Americano vs Mexicano.
Golden point. A deciding point at 40–40. See padel scoring.
Mexicano. Like an Americano, but each round’s pairings depend on the standings.
Mix-in. An informal session where players of similar level are mixed into games.
Open match. A game on a booking app with spaces for other players to join.
Positions and people
Drive side. The right-hand side of the court, usually played by the player with the stronger forehand. Also used for a flat, firm groundstroke.
Revés side. The left-hand side, often taken by the player with the better overhead. See which side should you play?
Level. Your rating on a 0–7 scale on most booking apps. See Playtomic levels explained, or take our level quiz.
Quick answers
Why are padel terms in Spanish?
Padel was invented in Mexico and grew up in Spain and Argentina, so most shot names come from Spanish. British clubs use them as is.