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Playing off the walls: how to read the back and side glass in padel

By the Lobwell Padel team. Updated 1 November 2026.

Short answer: To 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 ball that bounces deep will rebound to roughly the same distance from the wall as it bounced, so stand about one and a half metres from the glass and let it come to you.

A single outdoor padel court with a red steel frame, glass walls and blue turf on a park lawn.
Photo: Ainali, CC BY-SA 4.0

Why the walls matter

The walls are the reason padel exists as its own sport. Once your opponent's shot has bounced on your floor, it can rebound off your glass and you can still play it. That means a deep ball you could never reach in tennis is often easier to play in padel, because the wall slows it and sends it back towards you.

Under the FIP rules the back wall is 3 metres of glass topped with 1 metre of mesh, and the side walls are glass for the first 2 to 4 metres from the back, then mesh. Glass gives a clean, predictable rebound. Mesh gives a dead, unpredictable one. Learning which surface the ball will hit is half the skill.

The back glass, step by step

The most common mistake is backing into the glass and then getting cramped. Stand roughly one and a half metres in front of the back wall in your ready position, so you have room to let the ball come to you.

  1. 1Read early

    As the opponent hits, decide if the ball will reach the glass. If it is deep and fast, it will.

  2. 2Turn, do not back up

    Turn your shoulders and hips sideways towards the side wall, racket already back.

  3. 3Move with the ball

    Step back towards the glass as the ball goes past, keeping it in front of your body.

  4. 4Let it come off

    Wait for the rebound. It comes back with less pace than it went in.

  5. 5Hit up and over

    Play a lob or a low, firm ball to the middle. Finish facing the net.

A row of floodlit outdoor padel courts at night, with players on the green turf and picnic tables on the lawn.
Photo: Thomas Roberts, CC BY-SA 2.0

Reading the rebound

A useful rule of thumb: a ball rebounds off the back glass to roughly the distance from the wall at which it bounced, adjusted for pace and spin. A ball that bounces a metre from the glass comes back about a metre. A ball that bounces in the middle of the back third comes off further and higher. Slice makes it stay lower and come off slower; topspin makes it jump up and out.

Height matters too. A ball that hits the glass high, near the 3 m mark, drops steeply as it comes off. A ball that hits low comes off flat and fast.

How the ball comes off
Incoming ball Rebound off the back glass Best reply
Flat, medium pace, deep Comes back about as far as it bounced Lob or firm ball to the middle
Sliced (bandeja) Stays low and dies Get low, lift it gently
Topspin Jumps up and out towards the net Let it drop, then play it
Fast smash Comes off high, may go out of court Run out if allowed, or let it go
Hits the mesh Drops dead or skews sideways React; play it early if you can

Side glass and double walls

Balls into the corners hit two walls. If the ball hits the side glass first, then the back, it will usually come out towards the middle of the court. If it hits the back glass first, then the side, it often comes out along the side wall, close to you. The key is to stay patient and keep the ball in front of you. Turn towards the corner, wait for the second wall and play it when it settles.

Off the side glass alone, the ball comes back at a mirrored angle, like a snooker ball off the cushion. Stand back a little more than you think, because it comes towards your body.

A wide angle view along the glass side wall of an empty blue outdoor padel court under a deep blue sky.
Photo: Eduardo Milla, CC BY-SA 4.0

When not to wait for the wall

  • The ball will hit the mesh. Mesh rebounds are unpredictable; play it before it gets there if you can.
  • The ball is short and sitting up. Take it early and move forward.
  • The ball is a low slice that will die on the glass. Take it before the wall.
  • You are already at the net. Do not drop back to play the wall; volley or lob.

Drills to learn the walls

Feed and let go: one player at the net feeds a medium pace ball deep; the other lets it hit the back glass and plays it back as a lob. Twenty balls each side, forehand then backhand. Corners: feed into the corner so it hits two walls; the player lets it settle and plays it to the middle. Drop and play: stand a metre from the glass, throw the ball against it underarm, turn and hit the rebound. This one you can do alone.

Use slightly older balls for drills; they come off the glass a little slower, which gives you more time to learn. A soft core racket also helps, because it adds depth to the gentle lob you play off the wall. See the round padel rackets and the padel shots explained guide.

Protect the frame

Wall play means your racket will sooner or later scrape the glass or the turf on low balls. A strip of frame protector tape over the top of the head takes the scuffs instead of the paint and carbon. Our guide to the padel racket protector explains fitting, and the tape is in the padel accessories range.

Questions people ask

Can you hit the ball off your own wall in padel?

Yes. After the ball bounces on your floor, it can hit your walls and you can still play it. You can also hit it into your own wall so it goes over the net.

Is a ball off the mesh still in play?

Yes, if it bounced on your floor first. It just bounces unpredictably.

How far from the back wall should I stand?

About one and a half metres in your ready position, so you have room to let the ball come off the glass to you.

Sources

Keep reading

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