Padel Tennis or Padel as it is more commonly known around the world is an exciting, fun and social sport that anyone can pick up and play. Not only is it hugely popular around Europe but it is now fast growing in the UK where the love for racket sports has always been a feature in gyms and leisure clubs across the country.

Padel is a great game for anyone looking to get fit, meet people and have fun. But what exactly do you know about this sport? Our mini padel guide is hopefully going to help answer some of your questions and some of the great tips we’ve been given by our coaches here at The Padel Club.

Padel dates back to 1969 when a Mexican businessman called Enrique Corcuera wanted to play tennis but his beach resort home didn’t have enough space to accommodate a full court. So he created Padel.

It then gained popularity in Spain with royalty and former Wimbledon champion Manolo Santana in the 1970s and then South America with Argentina becoming the biggest active playing nation in the world.

The first court measured 10 by 20 metres in size and surrounded the court by 3-4 metre high walls.

Luckily, nothing has changed size wise – as we think it is the perfect size for a court, but the materials for the ground and the walls have definitely improved.

The playing surface for indoor and outdoor padel courts can be either tarmac, concrete or artificial grass and permitted colours are: green, blue or terracotta. If artificial grass is used it has partial sand infill for indoor courts and full sand infill for outdoor courts.

The walls can either be solid concrete – like a squash court – or preferably by many, reinforced and toughened glass. This allows the ball to bounce with more regularity and makes it safer to play against.

The rules of Padel are very easy to follow and for many who have played tennis – or watched the occasional game on TV – the scoring system is the same.

However there are differences and naturally you need to know these in order to play a game at any court or club. They include;

• You serve underarm below waist height.
• The scoring system is like tennis – 15,30,40, Game.
• You can play off the walls – as many as you like – to score a point.

In padel, you score points if;

• the ball bounces on the ground twice on the opponent’s side
• the opponent hits the ball into the net
• the opponent hits the ball outside the play area, i.e. outside of the cage or against one of your walls
• the opponent hits the ball into their own grid
• an opponent is hit by the ball.

For many, Padel is something that you may have seen on holiday or even notice pop up at your local sports club and always wanted to know how to play but may have felt a bit intimidated to do so.

Here’s the good news, Padel is great for beginners. It’s not only easy to learn the rules, but it’s easy on the joints making it completely accessible for all ages and levels. Another benefit is that you can use Padel to get fit – or if you’re already fit – get fitter!

But for the average beginner, here is what coaches at the Padel club recommend when you start playing Padel.

Play with better players.

One of the best ways to get good at anything is to play with people that already have the skills and knowledge. They can help you learn the game quicker and can also help to point out where you may be going wrong.

What is for certain is that you can learn how to play with better players by simply watching them and picking up little things here and there. From where they position themselves on the court to how hard or soft they are having to hit a ball.

Get some coaching lessons.

Of course, the better players can also be coaches and if you really want to improve the way you play, then coaching is going to be essential at some part of your Padel journey.

From fixing that backhand to getting a better understanding of where you should dominate the court, a 1-2-1 experience with a coach will provide many benefits.

Learn to use the walls.

It sounds strange but the walls are one of your biggest friends and foes in the game of Padel.

You can use any wall you want to score a point, but knowing how to use them is going to be critical. Relaxing your shot or using power against them will be up to you and the point you are playing, but also in defending a point it will be critical to learn how to read the walls. Where will the ball bounce? What can I do to take advantage of my position and so on.

Padel walls are a big feature of this game, knowing how you can best use it to win a point or many will always be an advantage.

Learn the continental grip

There is a lot you will learn about Padel when you start playing and, the continental grip is a technical must have. As you advance and get better at playing this enthralling game, the continental grip will be a piece of armoury that your opponent may not even have in their arsenal. Basically, the Padel continental grip allows you to play the game with more ease – especially in your shot selection.

It will take a few weeks to get used to but once you do, you will realise that it is so important to use it, especially when you’re playing against better players who will have mastered it over a period of time.

Benefits of the continental grip:

• Allows you to have more spin
• More acceleration
• Helps technique across all shots.
• Gives you the best dexterity and manoeuvrability .