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Padel for beginners: how to start playing

Padel is usually played as doubles and is quick to pick up: you don’t need to have played tennis or any other racket sport first. This guide covers the practical side of getting started. For the rules, the walls and scoring, read New to padel? Rules explained.

What you need

  • Clothes: ordinary sports kit and a comfortable pair of trainers.
  • Racket: you don’t need to buy one to start. Most venues hire rackets, and some include them in the court price; the club page shows it where the club publishes it. Padel rackets are solid with holes in the face, no strings. If you buy one later, the LTA recommends a round head shape for beginners (the other shapes are drop and diamond).
  • Balls: padel balls look like tennis balls but have lower pressure. Many clubs sell them at reception or include them; some ask you to bring your own.

How to get a game

  1. Find a court. Use padel courts near me to sort every venue we list by distance, or open your city from the court finder.
  2. Check how the club books. Most clubs sell courts through an app such as Playtomic, MATCHi or Padel Mates; the club page says which, and which app books which club explains the differences.
  3. Book a slot for four. Courts are booked by the hour or the 90 minutes. Some clubs price the whole court and some price per player; the club page shows which. A whole-court price split four ways is much less than it looks: the cost per player calculator does the sum, and the prices pages show what each club publishes.
  4. No group of four? Booking apps run open matches you can join by level. Take the padel level quiz so you pick a match at the right standard.

Beginner sessions and lessons

A lesson or a beginner group session is the quickest way to learn how the glass works. Many clubs run them through the same app as their courts. In London, padel lessons in London lists every club whose own site says it offers coaching; elsewhere, look for “coaching” on the club page.

If you book a coach, check they are LTA accredited: since January 2024 a padel coach must be accredited to coach at an LTA-registered venue. Our guide for coaches explains what that involves.

First skills to work on

The LTA’s own advice for beginners, in short:

  • Warm up first. Raise your body temperature and get your arms, shoulders, thighs and calves working before you play.
  • Know the two positions. Pairs either attack together at the net (volleys and smashes) or defend together at the back (forehands and backhands off the bounce and the glass). A lob over the opponents’ heads is how you win the net back.
  • Let the glass help. Get into a ready position, prepare the racket early, read how fast the ball is coming off the wall, and go for control rather than power.
  • Short swings, placement over power. Padel rewards accuracy and where you put the ball more than how hard you hit it.
  • Keep your feet moving. Small side steps, on your toes, reacting to where the opponents are.
  • Practise off court too. Tapping a ball up on the racket and volleying against a wall both build control.

Sources