Who It Suits

Padel is a doubles-only racket sport played on a compact, fully enclosed court: 20 m by 10 m, surrounded by glass walls and a metal mesh cage, with a net and tennis-style service boxes in the middle. Players use solid, perforated rackets rather than stringed ones, and the ball is a slightly smaller, lower-pressure version of a tennis ball that bounces lower and slower. The walls are the point: once the ball has bounced on the floor, it may rebound off the glass and stay in play, so rallies keep going even when a shot looks lost.

A beginner’s first session usually looks like a short warm-up, learning the underarm serve, gentle half-court rallies with a partner, and a few slow games where the ball is allowed to bounce off the back glass.

It suits people who want a social, fast-moving racket sport without covering a full tennis court alone, and who are happy to learn alongside a partner. The main constraints are practical: you need access to a purpose-built court, you always play in pairs, and peak-time bookings at popular venues fill up.

How Padel Works

Rule area Beginner version
Format Doubles only: two players per side. The court is split by a net, with a service box on each side, like tennis.
Scoring Same as tennis: points are 15, 30, 40, then deuce and advantage, and a game needs a two-point lead. A set is six games with a two-game lead, matches are usually best of three, and a 6-6 tie-break goes to the first side to reach seven points with a two-point lead. Tournament formats vary, so check the local rules.
Serve Underarm. The ball must bounce on your side before you strike it, you hit below waist height, and the serve must land diagonally in the opposite service box with one foot on the ground behind the service line. You get two serves per point; a serve that clips the net cord and lands in is a let and is re-served.
Rally The ball must bounce in the court before it touches the wall or mesh, and you must return it before it bounces twice.
Walls A ball that bounces and then hits any glass wall or the mesh is in play. A ball that hits the glass or mesh before bouncing is out. A serve that bounces in and then hits the back wall is in, but a serve that hits the mesh is out.
Bank shots You may also hit the ball directly into the side or back glass and let it rebound onto the opponents’ side.
Doors If the ball bounces in and exits through a door, you may run outside to chase it.

A Short History

The first recognised padel court was built in 1969 by Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera at his home in Acapulco, walled in to keep the ball off his neighbour’s land. The game reached Spain in 1974, when the first courts were built at the Marbella Club, and Argentina in 1975, where it became hugely popular; Argentina today has more than 10,000 courts and over two million licensed players. The International Padel Federation was formed in 1991, the first world championships were held in 1992, and the first professional tour launched in 2005. In Britain, the LTA has been the recognised national governing body since 2020; courts in Great Britain have grown from 51 to around 760, and players from 65,000 to over 230,000 by the end of 2024.

Court Layout

Simplified padel court layout A top-down diagram of a 20 by 10 metre padel court showing the net, service boxes, glass walls with mesh above the back glass, and a door in each side wall. 20 m 10 m net service boxes service boxes door door
Top-down view of a standard padel court. After bouncing on the floor, the ball may rebound off the glass and stay in play; the doors let players chase balls that exit the court.

The court is 20 m long and 10 m wide — smaller than a tennis court (23.77 m by 10.97 m) — with glass walls on all sides, metal mesh above the back glass, and a door in each side wall. Courts are built indoors or outdoors; indoor courts let you play in any weather, while outdoor courts are often cheaper and more available.

Core Shots and Vocabulary

A handful of terms cover most of what you will do on court. Learning them early makes club sessions and coaching much easier to follow.

Term What it means Beginner note
Serve An underarm stroke that starts each rally, played diagonally into the opposite service box after the ball bounces. The one shot you fully control; keep it low and deep.
Forehand / backhand The basic groundstrokes, hit after the ball bounces. Use short, compact swings rather than full tennis-style backswings.
Volley A shot hit before the ball bounces, usually near the net. Learn it after your groundstrokes are steady; keep the swing small.
Lob A high, deep shot that buys time to get back into position. Your most useful escape when pushed to the net.
Smash A powerful overhead shot played when the ball is high. The last shot to learn; wait until your timing and footwork are steady.
Bandeja A return played after the ball has bounced on your side and rebounded off the back glass. The signature padel shot; give yourself space and take pace off the return.
Bank shot Hitting the ball directly into the side or back glass to land it on the opponents’ side. A placement shot, not a power shot.
Ready position Knees soft, racket forward, weight on the balls of the feet. Return to it after every shot; it is the base for every other movement.

Getting Started

Book a beginner session, group lesson, or open-play slot at a padel club or leisure centre, and bring a partner if you can — padel is doubles-only, so you always play as a pair. In Britain, the LTA’s court finder is the quickest way to locate a venue, and many venues run beginner nights and introductory courses.

Learn the basic grip, the underarm serve, the ready position, simple forehands and backhands, and how the ball can rebound from the glass after bouncing. Keeping the ball controlled and low is more useful at first than hitting hard: padel rewards placement and patience over power.

Many venues hire out rackets and sell or lend balls, so check what is included before buying equipment. A short introductory lesson can make the walls, scoring, and court positioning much easier to understand.

Basic Gear

Item Essential starter Optional later Avoid at first
Racket Borrow or hire for the first few sessions. Then buy a solid, perforated padel racket that feels comfortable; round heads tend to favour control, diamond or teardrop heads more power. A racket matched to your style once you know whether you prefer control or power. Expensive or very heavy rackets bought before you have tried a few options.
Balls Venues usually supply them for hire and lessons. A tin of your own low-pressure padel balls for regular play. Standard tennis balls — they are more pressurised and bounce higher than padel balls.
Shoes Court shoes or stable trainers with a sturdy outsole and good lateral support; clay-court tennis shoes are the closest style. Padel-specific shoes once you play weekly. Running shoes with tall, soft heels, or worn-out trainers that slide on court surfaces.
Clothing and bottle Comfortable movement clothing and a water bottle. A kit bag, spare shirt, and sweat towel for regular sessions. Restrictive clothing or loose jewellery that catches during overhead shots.
Accessories The racket’s wrist strap, used every session. Eye protection if you or your venue prefer it; a replacement grip. Playing without the wrist strap on.

First Session

Warm up first: a few minutes of easy movement to raise your heart rate, then padel-specific work for the arms, shoulders, thighs, and calves. Then practise short controlled rallies from near the service line — a useful drill is a half-court rally with one player at the net and the other at the back, keeping the ball in play and counting how long the rally lasts.

Get comfortable serving underarm and diagonally, letting the ball bounce before returning it, and moving back into position with your partner after each shot. Ask an instructor or experienced player to demonstrate a safe glass rebound: let the ball bounce on the court before it reaches the back wall, give yourself space, and use a compact swing. Avoid turning blindly or swinging close to your partner.

First Month

Play once or twice a week if possible. Focus on reliable serves, returns, lobs, volleys, and communication before adding speed. LTA coaching advice for beginners is consistent: control over power, short sharp racket movements, and staying on the balls of the feet with short side steps.

Learn to move forward and back as a pair rather than leaving one player at the net and the other deep in the court. Try games with different partners once the basics feel comfortable — rotating partners quickly teaches pace, placement, and positioning. You can also practise at home: tapping a ball up with the racket builds control, and volleying against an outside wall builds consistency.

Costs

Padel has a moderate starting cost, and court access is usually the main ongoing expense. Court hire is typically charged per hour and varies by country, venue, and time of day, so check local prices; sharing a court between four players keeps a trial session manageable.

Borrow or hire a racket and use venue balls for the first few sessions. When you do buy, the most worthwhile early purchases are usually shoes and a comfortable beginner racket — choose the racket only after you know which weight and head shape feel comfortable. Club membership, regular court bookings, lessons, and balls raise the budget over time.

Space Needed

Padel needs a purpose-built enclosed court: 20 m by 10 m, with a net, marked surface, glass or solid rebound walls, mesh above the back glass, and doors in the side walls. It is not practical to reproduce at home, although footwork, ball-tapping, and shadow swings need very little space.

Courts may be indoors or outdoors. Availability, weather, lighting, and booking times can matter more than the amount of equipment you own.

Solo or Social

Padel is strongly social and is played only as doubles. Club mixers, beginner leagues, lessons, and regular groups make it easy to meet players and arrange games; in Britain, the LTA runs a court finder, a national league, and a British tour, and venues list accredited coaches. Solo practice can help with footwork, ball-tapping, shadow swings, and controlled wall drills where a venue permits them, but the full game needs other people.

Common Mistakes

  • Hitting every ball hard instead of using placement and patience.
  • Swinging like tennis with big backswings instead of short, compact movements.
  • Forgetting that the ball must bounce before it can rebound legally from your own glass.
  • Standing too close to the back wall when waiting for a rebound.
  • Moving independently instead of keeping a balanced formation with your partner.
  • Skipping the warm-up before quick side steps and lunges.
  • Buying an advanced or heavy racket before trying several options.
  • Using running shoes that lack support for side-to-side movement.

Safety / Accessibility

Padel involves quick side steps, turns, lunges, overhead shots, and movement near glass walls and another player’s swing. Warm up, use the racket’s wrist strap, wear stable trainers with a sturdy outsole to reduce slipping and ankle injury, keep aware of your partner, and build session length gradually. Do not chase a ball into an unsafe collision.

Doubles reduces the area each person covers, and beginners can slow the game with cooperative rallies, lighter feeds, shorter sessions, and longer rests. The small court and simple rules also make padel adaptable: in wheelchair padel, for example, the ball is allowed to bounce twice before being returned. In Britain, the LTA’s Open Court Programme (jointly funded with Sport England) runs inclusive and adaptive sessions at venues across Great Britain, and children as young as four can start with low-pressure orange or green balls before moving to standard padel balls. Ask local clubs about adapted coaching, accessible facilities, quieter court times, and equipment options if you have mobility, sensory, or balance needs.

Where It Can Go

Padel can stay casual or become a long-term sport. In Britain, the LTA runs local and national competitions, a national league, and the LTA Padel British Tour, with a pathway toward coaching and national teams; internationally, the FIP runs the FIP Tour and the Euro Padel Cup, and professional tours such as the World Padel Tour and Premier Padel host events worldwide. Its tactics and racket skills also connect naturally with tennis, squash, pickleball, badminton, and table tennis.

Tennis, pickleball, squash, badminton, racquetball, table tennis, volleyball, running, yoga, and swimming all sit nearby.

References

Last reviewed: 18 August 2026.

Editorial note: This page is written as beginner discovery guidance, not as a maintained product ranking. Court hire, membership, and gear prices vary by country, venue, and season; check local venues for current costs.

Official and institutional sources: