Walk onto a padel court for the first time and you'll pick up the feel of it within a couple of points. The rules, though, are where people get stuck. The serve is odd, the ball bounces off glass and stays alive, and the scoring sounds like tennis until it suddenly doesn't.
Here is the whole thing laid out plainly, from the court itself to serving, scoring, faults and where to stand. Read it once and you'll walk on knowing exactly what's going on.
The court and the walls
Padel is played two against two on an enclosed court roughly 20 metres long by 10 metres wide. That's smaller than a tennis court, which is why the game feels fast and social rather than a fitness slog.
Around the edges you've got a mix of glass and metal mesh. The back walls and part of the sides are glass, with fencing above and along the rest. A net splits the court down the middle at just under a metre high, dipping slightly in the centre.
The key thing to understand from the start is that the walls are in play. They aren't just there to stop the ball flying off. Learning to use them is most of what separates a beginner from a decent club player.
Serving
The serve is the most distinctive rule in padel, and the one that catches out anyone arriving from tennis.
- It's underarm. No throwing the ball up and smashing down. You serve from below the waist.
- You bounce it first. Drop the ball so it bounces once on the ground behind the service line, then strike it.
- Contact must be below the waist. Your point of contact with the ball has to be at or under waist height. Hit it too high and it's a fault.
- You serve diagonally. The ball must land in the service box diagonally opposite, the same as tennis.
You stand behind the service line, and you can't step on or over it until you've made contact. You get two serves per point, so a fault on the first gives you a second go. If the serve clips the net and still lands in the correct box, it is a let and you take that serve again, the same as tennis. A net clip during a normal rally, rather than the serve, is simply played on.
One more quirk worth knowing: after landing in the box, the served ball is allowed to hit the side glass and remain in play. If it hits the metal fencing after the bounce, though, it's a fault.
Scoring
Scoring follows the same shape as tennis, so if you've ever watched Wimbledon you're already halfway there.
Points
Within a game, points count up as 15, 30, 40, then game. Love means zero. Win four points and take the game, as long as you're two points clear.
Deuce and the golden point
If both pairs reach 40, that's deuce. From deuce, one side needs two points in a row to win the game. Win one and you're on advantage. Lose the next and it's back to deuce.
Many social sessions and leagues use a shortcut called the golden point. At deuce, the next point simply decides the game, no need to win by two. The receiving pair usually chooses which side receives it. It keeps games moving and adds a bit of pressure, which is why casual play around Manchester tends to use it.
Sets and matches
Win six games, and by two clear games, to take a set. Most matches are best of three sets. At 6-6 you'll usually play a tie-break to decide the set.
If you want this broken down with a few more examples, our rules and scoring guide goes over the same ground at a gentler pace.
How the walls and glass play
This is the part that makes padel feel completely different from tennis, and it's worth getting your head around early.
The golden rule: the ball must bounce on the ground first, before it touches any wall. Once it has bounced on the court, it can carry on into the back or side glass and stay alive. You and your partner are allowed to play it after it comes off the glass, a little like squash.
So a ball that flies to the back, bounces on the floor, then rebounds off the glass is completely fine. You simply wait for it to come off, read the bounce, and hit it back over the net.
What isn't allowed:
- A ball that hits the wall before bouncing on the floor. That's out.
- A ball that bounces twice on the ground before you return it.
- A ball that flies out over the fencing without bouncing inside first.
- A ball that strikes the metal mesh on the full, before bouncing.
You can also use your own back glass. If an opponent's shot is coming at you fast, letting it pass, bounce and rebound off your back wall gives you time and a cleaner ball to hit. New players instinctively rush these and volley them into the net. Trusting the glass is a real turning point.
Faults and lets
A point is lost, and a fault called, when any of these happen:
- The ball bounces twice on your side before you hit it back.
- You hit the ball into the net, or out of the court.
- The ball touches you or your clothing.
- You hit the ball before it has crossed the net.
- You hit the ball twice, or both partners touch it.
A let is a replay of the point, and it's rare in padel. The main one is a serving situation where the ball is interfered with, or an outside ball rolls onto court mid-rally. When a let is called, you play the point again with no penalty.
Doubles positioning basics
Padel is always doubles, and where you stand matters as much as how you hit. The essentials:
- Stay side by side. You and your partner move as a pair, roughly level with each other, not one up and one back.
- Get to the net and hold it. The pair controlling the net wins most points. That's the whole game in one sentence.
- Cover the middle together. Balls down the centre cause confusion, so agree early on who takes them, usually whoever is on their stronger side.
Once you've got the rules down, it's tactics that take over. If you're brand new, start with our getting started guide, and when you're ready to play, the venues page lists every court around Greater Manchester.
FAQs
Do you have to serve underarm in padel?
Yes. Every serve is underarm, hit below waist height, after bouncing the ball once on the ground. Overarm serving isn't allowed at any level.
Can the ball bounce off the wall and still be in play?
Yes, as long as it bounces on the floor first. A ball that bounces on the ground and then hits the glass stays alive. A ball that hits the wall before bouncing is out.
What is a golden point?
A golden point is a sudden-death point played at deuce instead of the usual win-by-two. The next point decides the game. Most social and league play in Manchester uses it to keep things flowing.
How do you win a set in padel?
Win six games, and by at least two clear games, to take a set. At 6-6 you play a tie-break. Matches are usually best of three sets.
Is padel scoring the same as tennis?
Almost. Points count 15, 30, 40 and game, and sets work the same way. The main differences are the underarm serve and the golden point option at deuce.