Everything we know about padel, in the order you need it: what the sport is, the rules, the court, how to choose a racket and the shots that decide matches. Thirty-one guides, all of them written from the rulebook, published data or our own graded database.
Start here
- How to get started playing padel — a four-week plan, and what to buy when
- What is padel? — the sport, the court and the rules
- How to play padel — your first session, step by step
- Padel lessons — when they pay off, and when they do not
Rules and scoring
- Padel rules — every rule, fault and score
- Padel scoring — points, sets and the golden point
- Padel serve rules — the five conditions and every fault
- Singles padel — the 6 m court, and playing with two people
The court
- Padel court dimensions — every official measurement, metric and imperial
- Indoor vs outdoor padel — what actually changes, in a British climate
- Padel court cost — what a court really costs to build in the UK
Padel compared with other sports
- Padel vs tennis — what changes and what carries over
- Padel vs pickleball — every difference that matters
- Padel vs paddle tennis — four sports, one confusing name
Choosing a racket
- What padel racket should I buy? — six questions that narrow the whole market
- How to choose a padel racket — the three specs that decide the feel
- Padel racket shapes — our data on round vs teardrop vs diamond
- Padel racket weight — why balance matters more than grams
- Carbon fibre padel rackets — what 3K, 12K and 18K actually mean
- Padel racket grip size — there is only one, and that is the problem
- How much should a padel racket cost? — where price stops predicting quality
- Padel racket vs tennis racket — every difference that matters
Technique and progress
- How to hold a padel racket — the continental grip
- The bandeja — the shot that unlocks level 4
- The padel smash — four overheads and when to use each
- Padel levels explained — what level am I?
Kit, and playing more
- What to wear to padel — the only rule that matters
- How long do padel balls last? — and does a pressuriser pay for itself
- Padel holidays — what you actually get for the money
- Padel in the UK — the official numbers, from 68 courts
- Padel players and rankings — how the professional tour works
Ready to buy?
The guides above are the reasoning. The shortlists are here: padel rackets for frames, graded and ranked, and the padel equipment guide for shoes, balls, bags and grips with real British prices. Our method is set out in how we grade.