New to Padel? Rules, Scoring & How to Play Your First Game
Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the country, and it's ridiculously easy to fall in love with — quick to pick up, hard to put down, and far more social than tennis. If you've got your first game booked, here's everything you need to walk on court knowing what you're doing.
What is padel, exactly?
Think tennis crossed with squash, played in doubles. It's on a smaller enclosed court surrounded by glass walls and mesh — and crucially, the walls are in play. You use a solid, stringless racket and a ball much like a tennis ball. Rallies are longer, the net game is everything, and you don't need to be an athlete to have a brilliant time.
The court & the golden rule: the walls
This is the bit that trips up tennis players. The ball can bounce off the glass walls and stay in play. After the ball bounces once on your side's floor, it can come off your back wall and you can still return it. You can't volley off your own walls, and the ball must always bounce on the floor first before hitting a wall. Learning to let the ball come off the glass instead of panicking is the single biggest beginner leap.
Scoring: just like tennis
Good news — if you know tennis scoring, you already know padel's:
- Points go 15, 30, 40, game (with deuce/advantage at 40–40).
- Win 6 games (by two) to take a set.
- Matches are usually best of three sets.
Serving
The serve is underarm: bounce the ball once behind the baseline, then hit it at or below waist height, diagonally into the opponent's service box. No big tennis serves here — it's about placement, not power.
Three tips for your first game
- Get to the net. Padel is won at the net. As a team, work your way forward and take control.
- The lob is your friend. When you're under pressure at the back, a good high lob sends your opponents scrambling and buys you time to move up.
- Be patient. You don't win points with one big shot — you win them by keeping the ball in play until your opponent makes a mistake. Consistency beats power every time when you're starting out.
What you need to start
Padel's cheap to get into. You need three things: a racket (go for a forgiving round or teardrop shape as a beginner — see our racket guide), a pair of proper court shoes (don't skip these — here's why), and a tube of balls. That's it — the rest you'll pick up as you go.
Welcome to the pack. See you on court. 🐍
