How to play padel

To play padel, two teams of two hit a ball over a net on an enclosed court. Serve underarm into the diagonal box. After that, every ball must bounce once on your side (or be volleyed before it lands), and you return it onto the ground on the other side. Once it has bounced, the ball can come off the walls and stay in play.

That is the whole game. Everything else is technique, teamwork and learning to love the glass.

The setup

• Teams. Two players per side. One plays the right side of the court and one plays the left. Agree who goes where before you start.
• Court. A 20 x 10 m court with a net in the middle and walls around it. Glass at the back, mesh and glass on the sides. See court dimensions.
• Who serves first. Spin a racket or toss a coin. The winners choose to serve, receive or pick a side.

Step 1: serve

1. Stand behind the service line on the right side of your half.
2. Bounce the ball behind the line.
3. Hit it at or below waist height, diagonally across the net, so it lands in your opponent's service box.
4. You get two attempts, just like tennis.

After the serve bounces in the box it may hit the glass and stay in play. If it hits the mesh fence before bouncing a second time, it is a fault. Full detail: padel serve rules.

Step 2: return

The receiver must let the serve bounce, then hit it back before it bounces a second time. From here on, the rally is open.

Step 3: rally

• Let it bounce once, or volley it. You can hit the ball before it bounces (a volley) or after one bounce on your side. Never after two.
• Walls are your friend. After the ball bounces on your side it can hit your back or side walls and you can still play it.
• Your own walls are allowed, theirs are not. You may hit the ball into your own wall so that it carries over the net, as long as it then lands on the ground on the other side. If your shot hits their wall or fence before bouncing on their ground, you lose the point.
• Do not touch the net. Touching the net with your body or racket while the ball is in play loses the point.

Step 4: win the point

You win the point when the other team:

• lets the ball bounce twice
• hits it into the net or out of the court without it bouncing on your side first
• hits it straight into your walls or fence without it bouncing on your ground first
• hits the ball twice, or it touches one of their bodies

The rules guide has the full list, situation by situation.

Where to stand

Padel is a game of positions. The simple version:

• Both at the net is the goal. The team at the net controls the point. Volleys from close in are hard to defend.
• Both back is fine, too. When you are pushed back, stay back together and defend off the glass.
• Move as a pair. Imagine a rope between you and your partner. If one goes forward, both go forward. Avoid one up, one back: it leaves a gap down the middle.
• The lob is how you take the net. Lift the ball high over the net players, run forward while they turn to chase it.

Using the walls

The best tip for beginners: when a ball is coming at you hard and deep, step back and let it come off the back glass. It will slow down and pop out towards you. Turn side-on, wait for it, and hit it on the way out. Side walls work the same way, with a sharper angle. It feels strange at first and then suddenly clicks.

Shots to learn first

1. Forehand and backhand drive. Compact swings. Think control, not power.
2. Volley. A short punch at the net, racket up in front of you.
3. Lob. Your escape route and your attacking weapon.
4. Ball off the back wall. The signature padel shot.
5. Bandeja. A controlled overhead that keeps you at the net. When you are ready, the shots and terms guide explains it.

Scoring in one line

15, 30, 40, game. First to six games wins the set, best of three sets. Many social games use a golden point at 40 all. Full detail: padel scoring.

Common beginner mistakes

• Hitting too hard. The walls bring hard balls back to your opponents. Placement wins more points than power.
• Rushing the ball off the glass. Give it time to come out to you.
• Standing still in the middle of the court. Be at the net or at the back, not in between.
• Forgetting the wrist cord. It is there for a reason, and it is required by the rules.