How to play padel
Padel is played in doubles on a small court surrounded by glass walls, with solid paddles and a tennis-like ball. It is easy to learn, very social, and one of the fastest-growing sports in Europe.
The basics
- Scoring is the same as tennis: 15, 30, 40, game, and sets to 6.
- Serve underhand, after a bounce, diagonally into the service box.
- The ball may bounce once on your side and then hit the walls, and you can still play it.
- You may not hit the ball into the walls on the other side before it bounces.
- Padel is almost always played as doubles.
What you need
- A padel racket (solid, with holes, no strings).
- Padel balls, slightly softer than tennis balls.
- Padel or tennis shoes with a herringbone sole for artificial grass.
How a pickup game works
Most padel is booked by court and hour, so players form a four through clubs, apps or "open matches", where you join a game that needs one or two more at your level. Many clubs run mixers with partners changing every game.
Pickup etiquette
- Shake hands or tap rackets before and after the match.
- Agree on whether you play golden point (one deciding point at deuce) before you start.
- Call the score clearly; walls make it easy to lose count.
- Wait for the point to end before entering the court door.
Your first games
- Let the ball come off the back wall: it gives you more time than you think.
- Play from the net with your partner; most points are won there.
- Book a beginner class or mixer for your first games.
Questions
What is the difference between padel and pickleball?
Padel uses walls, a tennis-like ball and tennis scoring on an enclosed court. Pickleball has no walls, a plastic ball and points to 11.
Is padel hard to learn?
No. The underhand serve and small court make rallies easy from the first session.
Can you play padel singles?
Some clubs have narrow singles courts, but almost all padel is doubles.
The cities with the most padel courts on JOGO.
How many calories does padel burn?
Work it out for your weight on JOGO Fuel, free.