Love Racket Sports? Learn How to Play Padel

There’s a new racquet game in town, and it's called Padel!

Padel is an exciting and fast-paced sport that emphasizes teamwork, strategy, and skill. It is a sport that combines elements of tennis and squash. It is usually played in doubles on a closed court that is slightly smaller than a tennis court. 

If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to playing Padel, you’ve come to the right place! C&C Courts explains how to play. 

Padel Equipment & Court

To play Padel, you need some equipment and an available court. You might have to search your local area for Padel courts near you. 

A typical Padel court is enclosed with glass walls and metal mesh. The net is 88 cm in the center, lower than a tennis net. 

In addition to the playing location, you need a racquet and balls. The Padel racquet is sold and perforated but does not have strings. They are smaller and more compact than tennis racquets. 

The balls used in Padel are similar to tennis balls but with slightly less pressure. 

Basic Rules of Padel

The general gameplay of Padel involves serving the ball and bouncing it off the walls. 

The scoring follows tennis, where points are 15, 30, 40, and game, along with tennis rules for sets and matches. Typically, Padel is played as a best-of-three set. 

To play Padel, the ball is served underhand, with the ball hit below the waist. The server must bounce the ball on the ground before hitting it, and serve the ball diagonally into the opponent’s service box. 

The server gets two attempts to serve, similar to tennis. 

After the serve, players can hit the ball before or after it bounces on the court. The ball can also bounce off walls, but it must hit the ground before bouncing off a wall on the opponent’s side. The ball is still in play if it hits the walls of the player’s own side, provided it does not hit the ground before being returned. 

A miss counts for points. 

Padel Playing Techniques

There are some essential playing techniques that beginner Padel players need to know. 

Strokes

When striking the ball, you can either strike your forehand or backhand, similar to tennis, but shorter and more controlled. Volleys are played close to the net, requiring quick reflexes. 

Smashes are offensive shots aimed at winning points, often directed towards walls to make the ball difficult to return. 

Positioning

Players must work as a team, usually with one player covering the net while the other covers the back of the court. Maintaining communication and coordination is key. 

Using the Walls

You can incorporate the walls as a strategy, allowing the ball to bounce off them to create difficult angles for your opponents to return. 

Common Padel Terms

Understanding the lingo associated with Padel is important. 

Here are a few common Padel terms. 

• Bandeja: a defensive smash played to maintain control rather than to win the point
• Chiquita: a soft shot aimed at the opponent’s feet
• Globo: a lob shot intended to push opponents back to the baseline

Purchase Your Padel Equipment Through C&C Courts

C&C Courts is proud to be an official distributor of Absolute Padel. Through us, you can get your Padel court project developed quickly and start playing the fastest-growing new sport! 

Don’t forget about the classics! As Minnesota’s indoor-outdoor sport court builder, we can help you design and build the ultimate sports court for your backyard. From pickleball to bocce ball, you can spend endless hours playing a variety of sports.

Give us a call today at 952-746-4545 for a backyard sports court quote from C&C Courts!