Learn padel: rules and your first game

Learn the serve, scoring and wall rules, then prepare for your first padel session.

A padel racket has a solid, perforated face and a wrist cord.

How to play your first padel game

From choosing a session to calling the score. Start here if you have never held a padel racket.

Rules and scoring

Padel rules

Serve diagonally after a bounce, let the return of serve bounce, and return rally balls before their second ground bounce. Walls and fences do not behave identically.

Padel scoring

Points progress from love to 15, 30 and 40. What happens at deuce depends on the format: advantage, Star Point or Golden Point.

Padel serve rules

Bounce in your serving box, hit at or below waist level, keep a foot on the ground and land diagonally. Glass after the bounce can be legal; fence contact is different.

How to return serve

Let a padel serve bounce in your receiving box, then return it before the second ground bounce. You may play before or after a glass rebound; you cannot volley the serve.

How padel walls and fences work

For an incoming ball, floor first is the starting test. During a rally, the ball can rebound from the enclosure after its first bounce; it must be returned before a second ground bounce.

Build your next session

How much does playing padel cost in the US?

Compare the same duration and the same charging basis. A per-person clinic, a whole-court rental and a monthly membership are three different purchases.

How to find padel partners

If you need three other players, start with a coached introduction or level-based open play. A court reservation buys space; it does not automatically build a game.

Choosing your first padel lesson

Book an introduction if you need rules, equipment and partners. Choose a small-group or private lesson when you already know the game and have a specific skill to work on.

Padel levels and ratings

A club’s beginner, intermediate and advanced labels are session-entry criteria, not universal qualifications. Use the stated rating system and your actual padel skills to find a fair game.

Common beginner padel mistakes

The expensive early mistakes are often decisions: hitting too hard, intercepting every rebound and moving without your partner. Fix one pattern at a time before buying a more demanding racket.

Indoor, outdoor and covered padel courts

Indoor, outdoor and covered describe different playing environments. Choose the actual court in your reservation, then compare weather exposure, overhead space and access rather than the club’s headline total.

Warm up for a padel session

Prepare movement before hitting, then build from controlled rallies to volleys, serves and returns. Leave time for both parts rather than using the first competitive game as your warm-up.

Practise padel without a partner

Solo practice is useful for ball control and preparation, but it cannot reproduce reading an opponent or moving with a partner. Use short, measurable exercises and take the skill back into a real rally.

Padel terms and shot glossary

Bandeja, vibora, chiquita and bajada name different padel shots. Learn the purpose before the label, and keep social-format names separate from the scoring rules of a match.