Padel looks straightforward from the outside – four people on a small enclosed court, hitting a ball back and forth. And at the basic level it is. Most people can play a proper rally within 20 minutes of stepping on court for the first time.

But there are a few things worth knowing before you start: how the court works, why the walls change everything, how the serve goes, and how you keep score. Read this guide and you will have enough to get on court and play.

The court

A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide – about three-quarters of the area of a tennis doubles court. The net runs across the middle, sitting 88 centimetres high at the centre and 92 centimetres at the posts.

What makes padel different from every other racket sport is the enclosure. The back walls are usually glass, topped with wire mesh. The sides are glass at each end, with wire mesh along the middle section. Openings in each side of the court let players in and out – and, on courts where out-of-court play is allowed, let players chase balls that leave the court, though that is an advanced move we will come back to.

The court has service boxes on each side, just like tennis. The service boxes are used only during the serve. Once the rally is live, the whole court is in play.

The wire mesh and the glass walls are part of the game. Understanding when the ball can come off a wall and when it cannot is the first thing you need to get right.

How a match is organised

Padel is always doubles – four players, two on each side. There is no singles format at club level. You need four people to play.

A match follows a familiar structure if you have ever watched tennis: you play points, points add up to games, games add up to sets, and sets decide the match. Best of three sets is the standard format.

Within a match, each point starts with a serve. The server has two attempts, the same as tennis. After the serve lands, a rally begins. The rally ends when the ball bounces twice on one side, fails to clear the net, or goes out of play.

The serve

The serve in padel is underarm. This is not optional – there is no overhead serve. Here is exactly what happens:

The server stands behind the service line, in the right or left half of the court depending on the score (same as tennis). The ball must bounce on the ground before you hit it. You strike the ball at or below waist height. Your feet must not touch the service line, and at least one foot must be on the ground when you make contact – you cannot jump or step forward onto the line as you serve.

The ball travels diagonally to the opponent’s service box on the far side of the net – same diagonal as tennis. If it lands outside the service box, or in the wrong box, or misses completely, that is a fault.

Two serves are allowed. A first serve fault means you take a second serve from the same position. Two faults in a row loses the point.

Now here is the detail most beginners get wrong. After the ball bounces in the service box, two things can happen:

  • If it bounces and then hits the wire mesh: fault.
  • If it bounces and then hits the back glass wall: the point is live and the rally begins.

Glass after the bounce is fine. Mesh after the bounce on a serve is a fault. That distinction matters and it trips up players well into their first year.

The serve is not designed to win the point outright. It is slower and more controlled than a tennis serve. Think of it as the starting gun – the interesting part is everything that comes after.

For more detail on serve mechanics and fault rules, see our complete guide to padel serve rules.

How a rally works

Once the serve lands, the receiver must let it bounce before returning it. After that, you can play the ball after one bounce or volley it before it bounces – but if it bounces twice on your side, you lose the point. Volleying mid-rally is completely legal in padel – unlike some other racket sports, there is no restriction on when you can volley once the serve has been returned.

The ball must travel over the net and land in the opponent’s half to stay in play. If it hits the glass or the wire mesh on the fly – before bouncing on the opponent’s side – it is out.

A point ends when:

  • The ball bounces twice on one side before the pair returns it
  • A shot fails to clear the net
  • A player is struck by the ball
  • A shot touches the wire mesh on the hitter’s own side

On courts where out-of-court play is authorised, players can also exit through the side openings to retrieve a ball that has bounced and then gone over the side or out through a door. It is technically impressive and tactically useful, but it is an advanced play. You will see it; you do not need to attempt it.

Using the walls

This is the part of padel that confuses beginners most – and the part that, once you understand it, makes the game click.

The glass back wall and the glass side walls are in play. After a ball bounces on your side of the court, you can let it come off the glass and play it from there. You can also deliberately play a shot so that it goes over the net, lands in the opponent’s court, bounces, and then hits their back glass – making it harder for them to return.

The mental shift beginners need: when a ball comes off the back glass toward you, that is not a disaster. That is how padel is supposed to work. The wall is slowing the ball down and giving you more time to get into position. Many balls that look like they are flying past you will die off the back glass and come back into the court.

What you cannot do is hit the opponents’ glass or mesh on the fly. If a shot flies into either without bouncing first, it is out and the point ends. After a bounce, the ball can come off the glass or the mesh and stay in play.

Two rules to hold in your head:

  • Ball bounces, then glass or mesh: still in play. Use it.
  • Ball hits glass or mesh without bouncing first: out.

This applies during rallies. The serve has an additional restriction (see above), but during a rally, the glass is your friend.

Most beginners make the mistake of panicking when the ball heads for the back glass and trying to intercept it too early. Watch the ball hit the glass, read where it will come off, and play it from there. It takes a few sessions to feel natural, but it is the skill that separates a two-month player from a two-week player.

Scoring

Padel uses tennis scoring throughout – from individual points up to the full match.

Points go: 15, 30, 40, game. If both pairs reach 40-40, that is deuce.

At deuce, most UK club padel uses the golden point rule: one deciding point is played, and the receiving pair chooses which player receives the serve. One pair wins the point, one pair wins the game. No back and forth to advantage. This keeps things moving and is the near-universal default at clubs across the UK.

Games add up to sets. A set goes to the first pair to win six games, with a lead of at least two games. If a set reaches 6-6, a seven-point tiebreak is played. First to seven points, with a two-point lead, wins the tiebreak and the set.

Matches are best of three sets. Win two sets, win the match.

For the full picture on scoring variants – including the Star Point and Americano formats – see how padel scoring works.

Starting positions

Where you stand matters in padel, even as a beginner. The basic principle:

The server starts behind the service line and must stay in the serving area until the serve is struck, then decides whether to come forward. The server’s partner usually starts at the net – a tactic, not a rule.

The receiving team, once the serve has bounced and the rally is live, should move toward the net. Controlling the net is the dominant position in padel. The team at the net dictates the rally; the team at the baseline is defending.

As a beginner, do not worry too much about positioning. Get on court, play the ball, and move forward when you can. You will figure out the geometry through playing – trying to memorise positioning rules before your first session is unnecessary.

Common beginner mistakes

A few things that catch almost everyone in the first few sessions:

Trying to intercept the back glass. When the ball is heading for the glass, beginners often panic and try to play it before it reaches the wall. Let it go. Watch it bounce off the glass, read the angle, then play it. The wall is helping you.

Hitting the walls on the full. The glass and the mesh follow the same rule: any shot that hits the opponents’ glass or mesh without bouncing on the court first is out. A shot that touches the mesh on your own side loses you the point too.

Serve foot faults. Stay behind the service line without touching it, and keep at least one foot on the ground when you strike the ball. Do not step onto or through the line as you serve. Also: you cannot cross the centre line with either foot during the serve.

Smashing every lob. When an opponent lifts a lob over your head, the instinct is to jump and smash it as hard as possible. At beginner level, that usually ends badly – the overhead in padel (the smash and its cousins, the bandeja and vibora) requires technique that takes months to develop. A defensive option – letting the ball come off the back glass and rebuilding the point – is the right call until you have the shot sorted.

Ignoring the walls. Beginners often play padel like mini-tennis, hitting every ball back over the net as quickly as possible. The walls are there to use. Start thinking about playing the ball into the corners, using the glass to slow rallies down, and letting the opponent struggle with the bounce angle.

What to do next

If this is all making sense and you want to get on court, the next step is booking a session. Our guide to starting playing padel covers finding a court, booking, what to bring, and what your first session looks like on the day.

For a deeper read on the rules – lets, faults, edge cases, and what happens when a ball hits the wire mid-rally – the complete padel rules guide has everything.

And for scoring detail beyond the basics – deuce variants, tiebreak mechanics – see the padel scoring guide.

One last thing: padel is forgiving. You do not need to arrive having memorised all of this. The fundamentals – underarm serve, let it bounce, and make sure your shot bounces before it touches their glass or mesh – are enough to play. Everything else comes from being on court.