How to Play Padel — Complete Beginner's Guide 2026
10 min readUpdated March 2026By PadelPicked
THE SHORT VERSION
Padel is a doubles racket sport played on an enclosed court with glass walls. You serve underarm, the ball can bounce off the walls, and scoring is identical to tennis. Most beginners are rallying within their first session — it's far easier to pick up than tennis.
Padel is a racket sport that combines elements of tennis and squash. Always played in doubles — four players on an enclosed court surrounded by glass walls and metal mesh. The walls are part of the game, which is what makes it so tactical and addictive.
Invented in Mexico in 1969, padel has exploded across Spain, Sweden and now the UK. With a 92% player return rate — the highest of any racket sport — it's easy to see why. Most complete beginners are rallying within 20 minutes of picking up a racket for the first time.
The padel court explained
A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide — roughly a third of the size of a tennis court. It's enclosed on all sides by glass walls and metal mesh fencing, both of which are in play.
The padel court
20m × 10m — glass walls on all sides, service boxes divided by centre line
Court surface
Most UK courts use artificial grass — you need padel shoes with a herringbone sole for proper grip. Regular trainers will slip and could cause injury.
The basic rules
Padel rules are straightforward. Here's everything that matters:
Bounce before wall
The ball must hit the floor before touching a wall. If it hits the wall on the full — it's out.
Walls are in play
Once the ball bounces, it can rebound off your own glass walls. Play it back from the rebound — this is legal and tactical.
Volleys allowed
You can hit the ball before it bounces — volleys at the net are a key part of the game and how most points are won.
Always doubles
Padel is exclusively a doubles sport — always four players, two on each side. Singles padel doesn't exist at recreational level.
How scoring works
Padel uses exactly the same scoring system as tennis. If you know tennis scoring, you already know padel scoring.
Points: 15 → 30 → 40 → Game
Deuce: Both at 40 — win two consecutive points to take the game
Games: First to 6 games wins the set, with a 2-game lead. At 6-6 a tiebreak is played
Match: Best of 3 sets
Golden point: Many UK clubs play golden point at deuce — one point decides the game. Ask before you play
How to serve
Serving in padel is much easier than tennis — always underarm, always a bounce first. Here's how it works:
1
Stand behind the service line
Position yourself behind the service line on your side. You must stay there until you've struck the ball.
2
Bounce the ball
Drop the ball and let it bounce once on the floor. You must strike it at or below waist height — no overhead serving.
3
Serve diagonally
Like tennis, serve into the diagonally opposite service box. The ball should land in the box and then hit the back glass wall.
4
Two attempts
You get two serves. A fault occurs if the ball lands outside the service box or hits the side wall before the back wall. Two faults = double fault = point lost.
5
Receiver must let it bounce
The player receiving the serve must let the ball bounce once before returning it — you cannot volley a serve.
How to serve — where to stand and where to aim
You always serve diagonally into the opposite box, just like tennis
Using the walls
The walls are what make padel unique — and the part beginners find most confusing. Here's how to think about them:
Defensively — when your opponents hit a shot past you, don't panic. Let the ball bounce and then rebound off the back glass wall. You then have time to play it back. This is not only legal — it's a core part of the game.
The golden rule — ball must bounce on the floor before touching your walls. Once it's bounced, the walls are your friend. If it hits the wall without bouncing first, it's out.
Beginner tip — trust the wall
The most common beginner mistake is trying to chase every ball before it hits the wall. Relax, let it rebound, and you'll find you have far more time than you think.
Court positions
This is the single biggest mistake beginners make — standing in the wrong place. The diagram below shows the correct positioning.
Court positioning — where to stand
Both players on the same team should always be at the same depth. Move forward together, retreat together.
Padel vs tennis — key differences
Feature
Padel
Tennis
Court size
20m × 10m
23.8m × 10.97m
Walls
Glass walls — in play
No walls
Serve
Underarm only
Overhead
Format
Doubles only
Singles or doubles
Racket
Solid — no strings
Strung racket
Scoring
Identical to tennis
Standard
Learning curve
Very gentle
Steep
Social factor
Always 4 players
Can play alone
Tips for your first session
Don't rush the serve — take your time, drop the ball and hit it smoothly underarm. There's no pressure to serve hard
Let the ball come off the wall — resist chasing every ball. Let it rebound and play it from there
Stay with your partner — move up and back together. Communication is everything in padel
Aim for the middle — shots down the middle cause the most confusion for your opponents
Control over power — placement beats power at beginner level every single time
Call your shots — shout "mine" or "yours" to avoid confusion. Padel is intensely collaborative
What kit do you need?
You don't need much — padel is one of the most affordable racket sports to pick up.
🎾
Racket
from £39
Round shape only for beginners
👟
Padel shoes
from £55
Herringbone sole essential
🟡
Balls
from £6
Tubes of 3 — most clubs provide
🎒
Bag
from £22
Paletero style for 1–2 rackets
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