Your first game of padel: what to expect

Your first game of padel will be more fun than you expect and less coordinated than you hope. That is normal. Padel is designed so beginners can rally from day one — the court is small, the racket is short, and the walls keep the ball alive when tennis would have ended the point. Here is exactly what to expect.

Before you arrive

You need court shoes (tennis or padel shoes — running shoes grip badly on artificial grass), water, and nothing else. Most clubs rent rackets and sell balls, so do not buy anything yet. Arrive ten minutes early to see a court up close: 20 metres by 10, enclosed by glass and mesh walls you can play the ball off.

How a point works

Serves are underarm: drop the ball, let it bounce once, and hit it below waist height diagonally into the opposite service box. After that, everything is live. The ball can bounce once on your side — and you can play it after it hits your own walls, which is where the fun starts. Scoring is exactly like tennis: 15, 30, 40, game; six games wins a set (by two); most social matches are best of three sets.

The three things that will surprise you

• The walls are your friend. A ball that flies past you is not lost — let it hit the back glass and play it on the rebound. Most beginners hit too early; give the ball time.
• Position beats power. Padel rewards patience and placement. Stand side-on, watch the ball, and resist the urge to smash everything.
• You will talk constantly. Padel is almost always doubles, so call every ball — "mine", "yours", "out". It feels awkward for one game and natural by the second.

The mistakes every beginner makes

Hitting too hard, rushing the ball off the glass, and standing too close to your partner. If you fix nothing else, slow everything down and give the ball space. After two or three sessions the rebounds start to feel like the best part of the game — because they are.

Ready? Find a court near you and book an off-peak hour — quieter courts make first games much easier.