Padel is one of the most welcoming racket sports to try: a doubles game played on a small enclosed court where the glass walls are part of the rally. If you can keep a few simple rules in mind — how to serve, how scoring works, and what you can do with the walls — you’ll be playing real points within minutes. This guide walks you through the essentials. (And once you’re on court, Pala keeps the score for you on Apple Watch and iPhone, so you can just play.)
What is padel?
Padel is a racket sport played almost always as doubles — two against two — on an enclosed court surrounded by glass and metal-mesh walls. Think of it as a blend of two sports you may already know: it borrows tennis-style scoring and the feel of a rally over a net, but, like squash, the surrounding walls are part of the game. You can let the ball rebound off the glass and keep playing it.
Because the court is much smaller than a tennis court and you share it with a partner, you cover less ground and rallies tend to last longer. That combination makes padel famously easy to pick up: most people enjoy proper, back-and-forth rallies on their very first visit. It’s often described as easy to learn but hard to master — the basics click quickly, while reading the walls, positioning well and out-thinking your opponents is the part that keeps it interesting for years.
The court and walls
A padel court measures 20 m long by 10 m wide and is fully enclosed, with a net running across the middle. The walls aren’t just a boundary — they’re in play. The back and side surfaces are usually glass, topped and partly bordered by metal mesh fencing, and the difference between the two matters: you can use the solid glass for rebounds, but not the mesh.
The court is split into halves by the net, and each half is marked with a service line and a centre line that create the service boxes used when serving. You don’t need to memorise every measurement to start playing. If you want the exact figures — net height, glass and mesh heights, and how far the service line sits from the net — see our dedicated guide to padel court dimensions.
How serving works
The padel serve is gentle and easy to learn, because it must be underarm. Here’s how it goes:
- Stand behind the service line with at least one foot on the ground, and bounce the ball once on the floor first.
- Hit it after the bounce, making contact at or below waist height — no overhead tennis-style serves.
- The serve must travel diagonally (cross-court) and land in the opponent’s service box on the far side.
As in tennis, you get two attempts: if you miss both, it’s a double fault and you lose the point. A serve that clips the net and still lands in the correct box is a let and is simply replayed. One quirk worth knowing: after a serve bounces correctly in the box, it’s still good if it then hits the side or back glass — but it’s a fault if it strikes the wire mesh fence. Service alternates between players across the match. For foot faults, the order of serving and the finer points, see our padel serve rules guide.
Scoring in a nutshell
Padel uses the same point names as tennis. Within a game you count 15, 30, 40, then game (zero is called “love”). If both teams reach 40 the score is 40–40, called deuce, and there are two ways to finish from there:
- Golden point — the common modern format, used across professional padel and many clubs. At deuce a single deciding point is played, and the receiving team chooses which side to receive it on. Whoever wins that one point wins the game.
- Advantage — the traditional method, still used in plenty of clubs and casual play. You must win two points in a row from deuce to take the game.
Which one is used can vary by club or tournament, so it’s worth checking before you start. A set goes to the first pair to win six games, with a lead of at least two; at 6–6 a tie-break decides it (first to seven points, win by two). A match is usually best of three sets, though some social games use a single set or a short tie-break instead. For worked examples and the tie-break in detail, see how padel scoring works.
Key rules that make padel different
If you’ve played tennis, the walls are the biggest adjustment — and the most fun part. A few rules cover almost everything:
- The ball may bounce once on your floor before you hit it. After that bounce, you can let it rebound off your own glass walls (back or side) and still play it back over the net — as long as it hasn’t bounced on the floor a second time.
- The point ends the moment the ball bounces twice on the floor on your side. That second floor bounce — not the wall — is what loses the point.
- Your return must clear the net and bounce on the opponent’s floor first. If your shot flies straight into their wall or mesh “on the full” (before bouncing on their floor), the point is yours.
- You may only use the solid glass for rebounds on your side. You cannot use your own wire mesh fence to play the ball back over the net.
The simple way to remember it: on your side, glass rebounds are fine after one floor bounce — but two floor bounces ends the point. On their side, your ball must touch their floor before anything else.
Etiquette and getting started
A little etiquette keeps social padel friendly and fair:
- The serving side calls the score out loud before each serve, saying the server’s score first.
- Check that your opponents are ready before you serve.
- By convention, the side of the court where the ball lands makes the line call (at officiated events an umpire decides instead).
Getting started is easy. You’ll need a padel racket — a solid, perforated bat with no strings, quite different from a tennis racquet — plus padel balls (similar to a tennis ball, just a touch less pressurised) and court shoes suited to the surface. Most clubs let you rent or borrow a racket and provide balls, so you can try the sport before buying anything; comfortable sportswear is all else you need.
If you’re going along on your own or with a mixed-ability group, ask about social formats. Americano and Mexicano are rotating play formats that are perfect for beginners — you’re paired with different people across the session, so you don’t need a fixed partner. Learn how they work in our guide to padel Americano & Mexicano.
Just want to play and not count? Pala handles every rule on this page — points, deuce or golden point, games, sets, tie-breaks, and which side serves — so you tap to score and undo with a tap if you miscount. It’s free, works on iPhone, and lets you score from your wrist on Apple Watch.
Frequently asked questions
Is padel hard to learn?
No — padel is widely considered one of the easiest racket sports to pick up. The court is small, you play in doubles so you cover less ground, the underarm serve is simple, and the walls keep the ball in play, so beginners enjoy real rallies almost immediately. The common saying is that padel is easy to learn but hard to master: getting competitive at wall play, positioning and tactics takes time, but having fun on day one does not.
Do I need a partner to play padel?
You do not need to bring your own partner. Padel is played as doubles (two against two), so a game needs four players, but most clubs run social sessions, open matches, and rotating formats like Americano and Mexicano where you turn up alone and are paired with others. You can also ask the club to match you with players of a similar level.
What equipment do I need to start padel?
Very little. You need a padel racket (a solid, perforated bat with no strings — different from a tennis racquet), padel balls, and suitable court shoes. Most clubs let you rent or borrow a racket and provide balls, so you can try the sport before buying anything. Comfortable sportswear and court shoes are all you need to get on court.
Can the ball bounce off the walls in padel?
Yes — the walls are part of the game, which is what makes padel feel like a mix of tennis and squash. After the ball bounces once on the floor on your side, you can let it rebound off your own glass walls and still play it back, as long as it hasn’t bounced on the floor twice. The key limits: your return must clear the net and bounce on the opponent’s floor first, and you can’t use your own wire mesh fence to play the ball — only the solid glass walls.
How is padel scored?
Scoring works like tennis: 15, 30, 40, then game, with 40–40 called deuce. Many games today use a “golden point” at deuce — a single deciding point, with the receiving team choosing which side to receive — while some clubs still play traditional advantage (win by two points). A set is the first pair to 6 games, winning by two; at 6–6 a tie-break decides it (first to 7 points, win by two). Matches are usually best of three sets.
Related guides
This page is your starting point. When you’re ready to go deeper, these guides cover each topic in more detail: