Padel borrows a lot of its vocabulary from tennis and Spanish, so a first match can sound like a foreign language. This glossary gathers the terms you're most likely to hear — from deuce and the golden point to the bandeja and vibora — and explains each one simply. New to the sport? Start with the padel rules for beginners, and for the numbers see how padel scoring works. (If counting points isn't your thing, Pala keeps score for you on Apple Watch and iPhone.)
Scoring terms
Padel uses the same point names as tennis, with one popular twist (the golden point). Here are the words you'll hear when someone calls the score. For the full system, see the padel scoring guide.
- Love — zero points. A score of “30–love” means the serving team has 30 and the receivers have none.
- Game — won by the first team to four points (0, 15, 30, 40) with a two-point margin.
- Deuce — the 40–40 score, where you need to win two points in a row to take the game.
- Advantage — the point won right after deuce. Win the next and you take the game; lose it and the score goes back to deuce.
- Golden point — an optional sudden-death point played at 40–40 instead of deuce and advantage. A single point decides the game, and the receiving team picks which side returns. It's widely used, but it isn't universal — some clubs and leagues still play traditional advantage.
- Set — won by the first team to six games with a two-game lead (for example 6–4).
- Tie-break — played at 6–6 to decide the set. Points are counted 1, 2, 3… and the first team to seven points with a two-point lead wins.
- Break — winning a game while the other team is serving (a “break of serve”).
Shots
Many padel shots keep their Spanish names. These are the ones that come up most, with what each is actually for:
- Bandeja (Spanish for “tray”) — a controlled overhead played with the arm roughly parallel to the ground, like a waiter carrying a tray. It's used to place the ball deep and keep your team at the net, rather than to win the point outright.
- Vibora (Spanish for “viper”) — a sharper, sliced, more aggressive cousin of the bandeja. It's hit more side-on with a bent elbow for extra speed and spin, producing a low, awkward bounce.
- Bajada — playing the ball off your own back glass as it drops, then driving it back, usually meeting it at a higher contact point so you can attack instead of just defend.
- Smash / remate — the full-power overhead aimed to finish the point. A well-struck smash can bounce up and out of the court off the glass.
- Lob / globo — a high ball played over the opponents to push them back off the net so your team can move up and take it.
- Volley — hitting the ball before it bounces, usually played at the net.
- Chiquita — a soft, low shot played to the feet of the net players to break up their attack and help you win the net.
Court and positions
A padel court is fully enclosed and measures 20 m long by 10 m wide. The walls are part of the game, which makes the court vocabulary a little different from tennis.
- Net position — playing up near the net. In doubles this is the attacking spot; the team that controls the net usually controls the point.
- Baseline — the back line of the court, and the defensive zone you retreat to when under pressure.
- Glass / back wall — the glass at each end that the ball can legally rebound off. The typical build is 3 m of glass topped by 1 m of metal mesh, for a 4 m total enclosure.
- Fence / mesh — the metallic mesh fencing above and around the glass. You can play the ball off your own walls, but the rules on rebounds differ depending on the situation, so check the rules guide for specifics.
- Service box — the area a serve must land in: 6.95 m deep and 5 m wide, split into two boxes by a central service line.
Positioning tip: in doubles, partners move together as a pair — ideally both up at the net to attack or both back at the baseline to defend. Getting caught one-up-one-back leaves a gap that good opponents will target.
Common play terms
Finally, the everyday words for what's happening during a point and between matches:
- Out — a ball that leaves the court, or hits the opponents' walls or fence before bouncing. The point is lost.
- Let — a serve that clips the net and still lands in the correct box. It's replayed with no penalty.
- Fault — an illegal or missed serve, for example one struck above waist height, served into the wrong box, or one that hits the fence before bouncing in the box.
- Double fault — two faults in a row on the same serve; the point goes to the receiving team.
- Underarm serve — the only legal serve in padel: the ball is bounced once and then struck at or below waist height, measured relative to the server rather than a fixed number.
- Golden point — the sudden-death deciding point at 40–40 (see scoring terms); remember it's optional, not used everywhere.
- Americano & Mexicano — social, multi-round formats where players bank points individually. They differ mainly in how partners are paired; see padel Americano & Mexicano for the details.
Learning the lingo as you play? Pala handles the scoring side for you — points, deuce or golden point, games, sets and tie-breaks — so you can focus on the shots and the tactics. It works on iPhone, and you can score from your wrist on Apple Watch.
Frequently asked questions
What is a bandeja in padel?
A bandeja (Spanish for “tray”) is a controlled overhead shot played with the arm roughly parallel to the ground, like a waiter carrying a tray. Rather than trying to win the point outright, it is used to place the ball deep at a manageable speed so your team can hold its position at the net and keep the opponents on the defensive.
What is a vibora in padel?
A vibora (Spanish for “viper”) is a more aggressive, sliced version of the bandeja. It is hit more side-on with a bent elbow and a rotation of the upper body, giving the ball extra speed and slice so it skids and bounces low off the glass, making it much harder to return. It sits between the safe bandeja and the all-out smash.
What does golden point mean in padel?
The golden point (punto de oro) is a sudden-death deciding point. Instead of playing advantages from deuce (40–40), a single point decides the whole game, and the receiving team chooses which side will receive the serve. It is an optional rule used to speed matches up and is common in many tournaments, though traditional advantage scoring is also still used.
What is a bajada in padel?
A bajada is a shot played off your own back glass: after a lob bounces and rebounds off the back wall, you let it drop and then drive it back toward the opponents, usually meeting it at a higher contact point so you can attack rather than just defend. It turns a defensive situation off the wall into an offensive reply.
What does deuce mean in padel?
Deuce is the score when a game reaches 40–40. From deuce you cannot win the game with a single point: you must win two points in a row — the first gives you the advantage, and the second wins the game. If you only win one and then lose the next, the score goes back to deuce. (Under the optional golden-point rule, a single deciding point is played at 40–40 instead.)
Related guides
Want to go deeper? These guides build on the terms above: