Padel for beginners — rules, gear and why everyone is suddenly playing

Padel is the sport everyone is talking about, and yet few people can explain the rules. In short: it is played by four people on a court measuring ten by twenty metres, surrounded by glass walls. The ball is allowed to bounce off the walls. That makes rallies longer and getting started easier than in tennis.

The rules in five sentences

• Scoring works as in tennis: 15, 30, 40, game.
• Serves are underarm, below the hip, diagonally into the opponents' court.
• The ball must bounce on the ground once before it may touch a wall.
• The walls are part of the game — after the bounce you may play the ball back off the glass.
• It is almost always played as doubles.

What you need at the start

Less than you think. A rental racket is enough for the first few hours; most clubs lend them out. More important are shoes with good lateral support and clothing that moves with you. A shirt made of pure cotton is more comfortable on court than any synthetic fibre, as long as it is loosely cut and doesn't cling.

What you don't need: an expensive racket. You simply won't notice the difference between a beginner's and a pro model in the first few months.

Why the game is growing so fast

Padel is forgiving. In tennis it takes months before a proper rally happens. In padel it works in the first hour, because the walls catch mistakes and the smaller court demands less running. On top of that, you always play in fours. It is more of a meet-up than a training session.

That is where the social part comes in. After the game, people stay seated. In Spain, where padel became big, that is as much a part of it as the aperitif after a day at the beach.

Goes well with

Our Eat Sleep Padel Repeat T-shirt is made for exactly these hours — court first, terrace after. 100% combed cotton at 220 g/m², oversized cut, with the design large on the back.