Thinking about giving padel a go? Good choice.
Padel is easy to pick up, but your first game can feel a little chaotic. There are walls, a different kind of serve, and suddenly you’re expected to know where to stand!
So, before you step on court, here are five things worth knowing.
1. You don’t need to be good at tennis
You really don’t.
If you’ve played tennis before, some things will feel familiar, but padel is its own sport. The court is smaller, the racket is different, and the walls completely change how you play.
Even if you’ve never picked up a racket before, you can have a good game of padel. That’s part of what makes it so much fun.
2. The walls are your friend
This is probably the biggest thing to get your head around.
When the ball goes past you, don’t panic and try to hit it straight away. Let it bounce off the back glass and come back towards you.
At first, this feels completely wrong. Give it a few games and you’ll start to see why the walls are one of the best parts of padel.
3. You don’t have to hit everything hard
One of the biggest beginner mistakes is trying to smash every ball.
Padel is much more about placement, patience and consistency than simply hitting the ball as hard as possible.
A well-placed shot that your opponents can’t reach is worth just as much as a huge smash.
4. Move with your partner
Padel is a doubles game, so try not to treat it like singles tennis.
If your partner moves forward, you should move forward too. If they move back, move back with them.
The aim is to stay roughly level with your partner and move around the court together. It might feel strange at first, but you’ll quickly notice how much easier the game becomes.
5. Get to the net
The net is where you want to be.
When you’re defending at the back of the court, your goal is often to create an opportunity to move forward. Once you’ve got your opponents under pressure, get yourself and your partner towards the net.
From there, you can put more pressure on your opponents and start taking control of the point.
Don’t worry about being good
Most importantly, don’t take your first few games too seriously.
You’re going to miss easy shots. You’re going to run the wrong way. You might even accidentally hit the ball into your own partner.
That’s all part of learning.
The best way to get better at padel is simply to play it. Grab a few mates, get on court and enjoy it. You’ll be surprised how quickly it starts to click.
See you on cwrt.
The cwrt.club team