How to play padel: a beginner's guide

Padel is easy to start and hard to master, which is why people get hooked. You can rally in your first session even if you've never played a racket sport, but the game rewards patience and positioning more than power. This guide covers what you actually need to do on court. For the rules themselves, see padel rules.

Your first session

• Find three others. Almost all UK courts are doubles courts booked for four players. If you can't make up a four, look for a club social, a beginners' session or a coaching class, or use the venue's app to join an open match at your level.
• Book the court. Courts are usually booked per hour or per 90 minutes, and the price is split between the four of you. See how much padel costs.
• Kit. Most venues hire rackets and sell balls. Wear trainers with a grippy, flat sole. Running shoes are a common mistake: see the padel shoes guide.
• Arrive early. Ten minutes to warm up and get used to the glass makes a big difference.

Where to stand

Positioning is the biggest difference between new and experienced players. You and your partner each cover one half of the court, left and right, and you move together as a pair, both forward or both back.

• At the back: stand a step or two in front of the back glass, not pressed against it. That gives the ball room to come off the wall to you.
• At the net: stand roughly two metres back from the net. Too close and you'll be lobbed; too far and you'll be volleying off your toes.
• Getting forward: the net is where you win points. The aim of most rallies is to get both players to the net and keep the other pair at the back.
• The middle: balls down the middle are the classic doubles confusion. Agree before you start who takes them; usually the player with the forehand in the middle.

The basic shots

• The serve. Underarm, after a bounce, at or below waist height. Aim deep into the box and towards the side glass or the receiver's body. Don't try to blast it.
• The volley. A short punch with a firm wrist, racket head up. No big backswing. Most beginners hit volleys too hard; placement wins.
• The lob. The most important shot in padel. When both opponents are at the net, a high, deep lob over their heads pushes them back and lets you take the net. A good lob lands close to the back glass.
• The bandeja. A controlled overhead with slice, played from about the service line, used to keep the net position after a lob rather than to win the point outright. Learn this once you're comfortable.
• The smash. Tempting, but often a mistake. Unless you can hit it hard enough to bounce out of the court, the ball comes off the back glass and gives your opponents an easy return.

Playing off the glass

This is what new players find strangest. When the ball is coming at the back wall, don't rush to hit it before it gets there. Let it bounce, let it come off the glass, and hit it as it comes back towards you. Turn side-on early, keep your racket low and move with the ball. Most beginners stand too close to the wall and get jammed. Side-wall-then-back-wall balls (and the other way round) take more practice, so expect to miss a lot of them at first.

Avoid letting the ball hit the mesh if you can: it bounces unpredictably and usually dies.

Etiquette and getting better

• Spin the racket or toss a coin to decide who serves first, and call the score before each serve.
• Collect balls between points and don't walk behind a court mid-rally.
• Be off the court on time; the next four are waiting.
• If a ball from another court rolls onto yours, stop and replay the point. Return the ball between points.
• One or two group lessons early on will save you months of bad habits, especially on positioning and the glass.

The fastest way to improve is simply to play more. Find padel courts near you, or browse every UK padel venue. In the capital? Start with padel in London.