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Padel guides

Rules, rackets, technique and kit care, written for UK players. Start with how to play if you are new.

A padel player in a red shirt crouches into a two-handed backhand on a blue indoor court with glass walls behind him.GuideWhat is padel? A plain guide to the sport filling up UK courtsPadel is a doubles racket sport played on an enclosed court 10 metres wide and 20 metres long, with glass walls you can play the ball off. A female padel player leans back to hit an overhead near the glass wall in a full indoor arena.GuideHow to play padel: the serve, the walls and the first ralliesTo play padel, two pairs face each other on a 10 by 20 metre walled court. A woman in pink lunges into a one-handed backhand on a blue outdoor court with empty white stand seats behind the glass.GuidePadel rules: every rule you need for doubles, from the serve to the fencePadel rules come from the International Padel Federation. Two players on a green outdoor padel court with glass and mesh walls next to a low dark building.GuidePadel scoring: points, golden point, Star Point, tie-breaks and setsPadel is scored like tennis: 15, 30, 40, then game, with sets won at six games by a two game margin and a tie-break at 6-6 (first to 7 points, two clear). Blue outdoor padel courts seen from above in a town centre, with a stone church and terraced houses behind.GuidePadel court size: every dimension in metres, from the net to the roofA padel court is 10 metres wide and 20 metres long, measured inside the walls, with a 0.5% tolerance. An empty outdoor padel court with green posts and glass walls, with hills and a white village house behind.GuideHow to choose a padel racket: shape, weight, core and face in six decisionsChoose a padel racket by your level first, then shape, weight and core. Two female players hug on court after a point while their opponents stand at the far side of the net.GuidePadel racket shapes explained: round, teardrop, diamond and what each does to the ballPadel rackets come in three main shapes. A row of floodlit outdoor padel courts at night, with players on the green turf and picnic tables on the lawn.GuidePadel racket weight: how heavy should your racket be?Most adult padel rackets weigh between 340 and 375 g; the FIP rules set no weight limit. A young padel player in a white T-shirt holds his racket high, ready to volley, on a blue indoor court with dark glass walls.GuidePadel racket balance: head light, even or head heavy, and how it changes your gameBalance is where a padel racket's weight sits along its length. Two women in black kit stretch for a high ball at the net, one reaching with her racket, the other covering behind her.GuideWhat are padel rackets made of? Faces, frames, cores and finishesA padel racket is a solid sandwich: two faces of glass fibre or carbon fibre over a foam core, usually EVA rubber, held in a tubular frame of carbon or glass fibre. A professional female player takes a backhand volley at the net with the ball just in front of her racket.GuidePadel racket cores: what is inside your racket and why it decides the feelThe core is the foam slab inside a padel racket, usually EVA rubber, sitting between the two faces in a racket no thicker than 38 mm. A woman in pink plays on a green court seen through the tall sunlit glass back wall of an outdoor padel court.GuidePadel balls: what makes them different, which to buy and how long they lastPadel balls must be 6.35 to 6.77 cm across, weigh 56.0 to 59.4 g and bounce 135 to 145 cm when dropped from 2.54 m, under FIP rules. An empty green outdoor padel court with glass and mesh walls under a clear summer sky, with trees behind.GuideHow to regrip a padel racket: fitting an overgrip in two minutesTo regrip a padel racket, peel off the old overgrip, start the new one at the butt of the handle with the tapered end, wrap upwards with a slight overlap of a few millimetres while keeping tension, and finish just below the throat with the finishing tape. A wide angle view along the glass side wall of an empty blue outdoor padel court under a deep blue sky.GuideWhat shoes for padel? Herringbone soles, grip on sand and what to avoidWear court shoes with a herringbone or herringbone and omni mixed sole for padel, because most UK courts are sand filled artificial grass and that zig zag pattern grips the sand when you stop and change direction. Two professional female padel players in red kit smile and give a thumbs up on an indoor court.GuideWhat to wear for padel: outfits for indoor courts, cold outdoor courts and club nightsWear breathable sportswear you can lunge and reach in: a technical t-shirt or polo, shorts, a skort or leggings, cushioned sports socks and court shoes with a herringbone sole. Rows of temporary outdoor padel courts on a London site seen from above, with a tower block behind.GuideYour first padel session: what to bring, what to expect and 10 tips from the first hourFor your first padel session, bring grippy trainers, sportswear, water and a friend or three: most venues hire rackets for a few pounds and sell balls at reception. Four players spread across a green artificial grass padel court seen from high above, with long shadows on the turf.GuidePadel shots explained: the 16 strokes you will hear about, and when to play eachThe core padel shots are the groundstroke, the volley, the lob, the bandeja (a controlled sliced overhead), the vibora (a faster, more side spun overhead), the smash, the chiquita (a soft, low ball to the feet of net players) and the back glass return. A player in dark kit leaps with one leg kicked back to smash a ball under the roof lights of an indoor arena.GuidePadel glossary: 50 terms, from americano to vibora, with the Spanish shot namesMost padel terms are Spanish: globo is a lob, remate a smash, bandeja a sliced overhead, vibora a faster side spun one, chiquita a soft ball to the feet, and salida de pared a shot played after the ball comes off the wall. A club player in green reaches forward after a shot while his partner stands at the back on a blue outdoor court.GuideThe padel serve: the rules, the faults and a serve that gets you to the netIn padel you serve underarm: bounce the ball behind your service line, hit it at or below waist height with at least one foot on the ground, and send it diagonally into the receiver's box. A single outdoor padel court with a red steel frame, glass walls and blue turf on a park lawn.GuidePlaying off the walls: how to read the back and side glass in padelTo play off the back glass in padel, turn sideways early, let the ball pass you, move with it towards the wall and hit it as it comes back off the glass, usually upwards into a lob or a low ball to the middle. A blue padel court with glass walls set on green turf, with palm leaves overhanging the top corner.GuidePadel doubles tactics: positioning, the net, the lob and the middleThe core padel tactic is simple: the pair at the net usually wins the point, so get both players to the net together and use lobs to push opponents back when they hold it. An outdoor padel court with a red surface and black steel frame next to a pine forest.GuideA padel warm up you will actually do: 10 minutes off court, 10 minutes on itA good padel warm up takes about 20 minutes: around 10 minutes of light movement off court (jogging, side shuffles, lunges, arm circles and trunk rotations), then 10 minutes on court building from mini rallies at the net to volleys, lobs and overheads. An aerial view of two blue outdoor padel courts beside a clubhouse with a roof terrace full of people.GuideHow much does a padel court cost to hire in the UK? Prices by region and timeHiring a padel court in the UK costs a median of £28 per court per hour off-peak, £40 at peak times and £36 at weekends, based on the published price lists of 79 venues we checked on 1 November 2026. Blue outdoor padel courts and an outdoor gym in a seaside park, with apartment blocks and a church spire behind.GuideHow to book a padel court in the UK: apps, timing and what to checkTo book a padel court in the UK, find a venue through the LTA's court finder or a booking app such as Playtomic, then book a 60 or 90 minute slot online and split the fee between four. A professional padel player leaps into an overhead smash on a blue indoor court, his reflection mirrored in the glass wall.GuidePadel racket care: how to make a racket last, and what can be repairedMost padel racket damage comes from three things: scraping the top of the frame on the glass or turf, heat from a car boot, and hard knocks between rackets. Players on a floodlit green outdoor padel court at night, seen through the glass back wall.GuideWhen to replace a padel racket: seven signs it has had its dayReplace a padel racket when the frame is cracked through, the face is lifting from the core, or the racket has lost so much liveliness that your lobs land short and it sounds dull. Two club players on a blue outdoor court, one in green returning low by the glass and one in the foreground waiting with his racket.GuideJunior padel rackets: what size and weight a child needs, and when to move upMost children aged about 7 to 12 play best with a junior padel racket of around 280 to 300 g, with a round head, a soft core and a slightly shorter handle. Empty blue padel courts inside a large white tent structure, seen from a raised walkway.GuidePadel in the UK: how many people play, where the courts are and what it costsPadel is one of the fastest growing sports in Britain. A row of outdoor blue padel courts with black frames and tall floodlight masts under a clear blue sky.GuidePadel racket protector tape: why it is worth it and how to fit it neatlyA padel racket protector is a strip of tough, clear or coloured film that you stick over the top of the frame, where most damage happens when the racket scrapes the glass or the turf.