Padel is the kind of sport that hooks people fast. The problem is the first step: most people aren’t sure how to go from “I’ve heard of padel” to standing on a court for the first time. This guide closes that gap. Here’s exactly what to do.
Step 1: Find a padel court near you
Britain now has over 1,800 padel courts, according to the LTA, and the easiest way to find one is Playtomic – the most widely used booking app at UK padel venues. Open the app or website, search your location, and you’ll see every court near you along with available slots.
Other options if you want to browse first:
- LTA Padel court finder at lta.org.uk/padel – good for finding LTA-affiliated clubs
- Google Maps – search “padel near me” and you’ll surface most clubs with opening hours and reviews
If you’re in a city, you’ll almost certainly find courts within a 20-minute drive. In smaller towns it might mean a short journey, but the sport is expanding fast – new courts are opening every month. For a town-by-town breakdown, our UK court directory covers 155 towns and cities.
Step 2: Book your first session
You have two options for your first time:
Intro or taster sessions are the best starting point. Most clubs run these specifically for beginners – a coach walks you through the basics, you’re paired with other first-timers, and the format is designed so no one feels out of their depth. These typically cost £8–£15 per person and last about an hour. Search for “intro to padel” or “padel taster” on your local club’s site, or look for it on Playtomic.
Court hire is the alternative if you’ve already got three friends who want to play. Padel is a doubles game, so you need four people. LTA research puts the average off-peak court booking at £27 an hour – about £7 each split four ways – with peak slots and London venues costing more. You book a slot, turn up, and figure it out yourselves. This works fine – the rules are simple enough to grasp in the first few minutes.
If you’re going alone or don’t know anyone who plays yet, go with an intro session. Clubs pair you with others, which is half the point.
Step 3: What to bring
Racket: Don’t buy one yet. Most padel venues in the UK offer racket hire, usually for £2–£5 per session. Use a hire racket for your first few sessions before spending anything.
Shoes: Regular trainers are fine for your first session. You don’t need specialist padel shoes or court shoes to start. Once you’re playing regularly, shoes with a herringbone sole (used for clay tennis courts) are the standard choice – but that’s a later conversation.
Clothing: Whatever you’d wear to play tennis or a gym class. Nothing padel-specific is needed. See our guide to what to wear for padel if you want more detail later on.
Balls: The venue provides these. You don’t need to bring anything.
Step 4: Who to play with
The most common worry from people starting out is that they don’t know anyone who plays. This is less of a problem than it sounds.
Intro sessions are designed to mix strangers together – you’ll be paired with three other beginners and play as a group. Social sessions work the same way: you show up, get sorted into groups by ability, and play with different people throughout. This is one of the things padel does unusually well – it’s structured around meeting people.
If you do want to find regular playing partners before you even set foot on court, read our guide on how to find people to play padel with.
What to expect in your first session
You don’t need to study the rules before you go. Here’s the minimum to know:
- The serve is underarm and diagonal (like squash), bounced once before hitting, at or below waist height. The coach will show you this.
- The walls are in play – the ball can bounce off the back and side glass walls and you can still play it. This is the defining feature of padel, and it’s what makes rallies longer and more forgiving than tennis.
- Scoring is the same as tennis – 15, 30, 40, game. If you already know tennis scoring, nothing changes.
You won’t master any of this in session one, and you don’t need to. The ball moves slower than tennis, the court is enclosed so balls stay accessible, and the format is forgiving. Most beginners are sustaining proper rallies within the first ten minutes.
For a full walkthrough of what your first session looks like in practice, read your first padel session.
How much does padel cost in the UK?
Here’s a straightforward breakdown:
| What | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Intro/taster session (with coach) | £8–£15 per person |
| Court hire per person (split 4 ways) | ~£7 per hour off-peak on average (LTA); more at peak |
| Racket hire | £2–£5 per session |
| Balls (if buying your own) | £5–£10 for a tube of 3 |
Court hire prices vary by location – central London is at the higher end, venues outside cities tend to be cheaper. Many clubs offer off-peak discounts and membership packages once you’re playing regularly.
After your first session: how to keep going
The biggest risk after a good first session is losing momentum because you don’t know what to do next.
The easiest path forward: download Playtomic and book a social session at the same club. Social sessions are open bookings where you pay per person, show up, and get sorted into games. No need to organise four people yourself, no need to find a regular group before you’re ready.
As you play more, you’ll naturally find people at your level. Most clubs have WhatsApp groups, Playtomic has a community feature, and the padel community in the UK is notably welcoming to newcomers.
Once you’re playing a few times a month, that’s the point to think about buying your own racket. Our guide to choosing your first padel racket covers what to look for and what to spend. For what the next few months of padel typically look like, read your first month of padel.
Common worries, answered briefly
“I’m not fit enough.” Padel is low-impact and the court is small. You don’t need to be athletic to enjoy it. People of all fitness levels play – the format is designed around doubles, which naturally shares the work.
“I’ve never played tennis or any racket sport.” This is fine. Many padel players come from zero racket background. The technique is different enough from tennis that previous racket experience doesn’t give you a huge advantage. You’ll pick it up on the court faster than from any amount of reading.
“I’ll hold everyone else back.” Intro sessions exist precisely so you don’t need to worry about this. Everyone in the session is a beginner. And in social sessions, groups are organised by level so you’re always playing with people at a similar stage.
The only thing left to do is book a session.