Padel is the rare sport you can genuinely play on day one. This is what happens in your first session, in the order it happens: what to take, where to stand, the four shots you need and the five mistakes everybody makes.
The short version. Four players, two a side. Serve underarm after one bounce, diagonally. Let the ball bounce on your floor before you use the walls. Get to the net as a pair and stay level with your partner. Lob when you are in trouble. That is a real game of padel.
Before you go
What to take
- Court shoes. The one thing that matters. A herringbone or clay-court sole grips on the artificial turf that every padel court uses. Running shoes have no lateral support and roll ankles; this is the single most common first-session injury.
- A racket, or nothing. Almost every British club rents rackets for a few pounds. Do that for your first two or three sessions before buying anything.
- Balls, sometimes. Some clubs include them, some do not. Ask when you book.
- Normal sports clothing. There is no dress code at club level.
What to book
An hour or 90 minutes, four players. Padel is doubles — turning up with one other person means you play half a game on a court built for four. If you do not have four, most clubs and apps run “open matches” that put you with three strangers at a stated level.
When you arrive: the court
The court is 20 m by 10 m, enclosed by glass at the back and mesh above and along the sides. Both are in play. The net is 88 cm at the centre. The service line runs across each half 6.95 m from the net, and the centre line splits it into two service boxes.
Three lines matter and you will use two of them: the service line, which the server stands behind, and the boxes, which the serve must land in diagonally. The rest of the markings you can ignore on day one. Full measurements are in padel court dimensions.
Step 1 — Choose sides
Each pair decides who plays the right-hand side and who plays the left. The convention: the stronger backhand plays the left, because most balls down the middle arrive on that player’s forehand and the ones that come to the left wall need a backhand.
If neither of you knows, play the side that feels natural and swap after a few games. At beginner level it makes far less difference than people say.
Step 2 — Serve
Stand behind the service line. Bounce the ball on the floor once, let it come up, and hit it at or below waist height, diagonally into the opposite box. That is it.
Three things to remember:
- You get two serves, as in tennis.
- The ball may touch the side glass after bouncing in the box and stay in play. If it touches the metal mesh, it is a fault.
- Nobody serves hard on day one. A serve that goes in is worth ten that do not. Aim for the middle of the box.
Everything the serve can and cannot do is in padel serve rules.
Step 3 — Where to stand
Padel has two positions and one rule about them.
| Position | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| At the net | About 1 m behind the net, both players level | Whenever you can get there. This is where points are won. |
| At the back | About 1 m in front of the back glass | When you are defending. Not flat against the wall — you need room to let the ball rebound. |
The rule: move as a pair. Both of you go forward, or both of you stay back. One player at the net and one at the back leaves a diagonal gap that even beginners find by accident. This is the single biggest difference between a pair that has played twice and a pair that has played twenty times.
The serving pair moves to the net immediately after serving. The receiving pair stays back until they can force a weak reply.
Step 4 — The four shots you need
The groundstroke
Short backswing, flat contact, follow through towards where you want the ball to go. The racket is 45 cm long, not 68 — a tennis swing will send the ball into the back glass on the full. Think of pushing, not hitting.
The wall return
The shot that makes padel padel. Let the ball bounce on the floor, let it come off the glass, and then hit it as it drops. The instinct is to rush at it; the correct move is to step back with it and wait. Beginners lose more points by crowding the wall than by anything else.
The volley
At the net, block the ball rather than swinging at it. Racket face in front of your body, firm wrist, no backswing at all. Aim at the feet of the player opposite you.
The lob
Your escape route and, at beginner level, your best attacking shot. A high ball over the net players lands deep, forces them back and lets your pair take the net. If you learn one shot deliberately in your first month, learn this one.
The overhead that answers a lob — the bandeja — is the skill that separates levels, and it can wait. It is covered in the bandeja.
Step 5 — Keep score
Tennis scoring: 15, 30, 40, game. Six games with a two-game margin takes a set. At 40–40 most padel plays a golden point — one rally decides the game — rather than advantage. Agree which you are playing before you start; it is the most common cause of confusion between two pairs who have not played together.
The server calls the score out loud before every point. Nobody is being formal; it is how four people with no umpire stay in agreement. The full system is in padel scoring.
The five mistakes everybody makes
- Standing too close to the back glass. The ball needs space to rebound. Give it a metre and let it come to you.
- Swinging like a tennis player. Big backswings send the ball long. Shorten everything.
- Hitting hard from the back. Power from the baseline just feeds the net players a volley. Lob instead.
- Splitting up. One player forward, one back, is a losing formation at every level.
- Hitting down the middle at the net. Aim at the feet of the opponent diagonally opposite; middle balls come straight back.
What to expect from the first hour
You will have a rally within ten minutes. You will lose points to the back glass for about half an hour and then start reading it. You will be more tired than you expect and less than after tennis — the court is small, but the direction changes are constant.
By the end of the session you will have a real game. That is the reason the sport has grown as fast as it has.
What comes next
After three or four sessions two things become worth doing. First, read the rules properly rather than picking them up by osmosis — the complete set is in padel rules, and the wall and fault sections are where most club arguments come from. Second, stop renting: a rented racket is usually a beaten one, and the difference a decent frame makes to a beginner is real. Our shortlist with British prices is best padel rackets for beginners.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play padel if you have never played tennis?
Yes, and it is arguably easier. The serve is underarm, the racket is short, and the walls keep the ball in play. Tennis players start faster but have to unlearn their swing length.
How many players do you need for padel?
Four. Padel is a doubles sport and standard courts are built for it. Two people can practise, but it is not a game.
How long does a padel session last?
Club bookings are usually 60 or 90 minutes. A full best-of-three match with golden point runs about 60 to 90 minutes.
Do you need lessons to start playing padel?
No, and most people do not have one until they have played several times. A single lesson after a month is worth more than one before you start, because you will know what you are struggling with.
What should you wear to play padel?
Normal sports clothing, and court shoes with a herringbone or clay sole. The shoes are the only part that matters.
Sources. Rules of Padel, International Padel Federation (FIP), consulted 30/08/2026 · LTA Padel, beginner guidance and club formats, consulted 30/08/2026. Court dimensions as specified by the FIP.