There’s a moment every tennis player goes through when they first pick up a padel racket. They get to the service line, toss the ball, wind up – and then someone gently explains that no, you have to serve underarm, at or below the waist, and the ball has to bounce first.
They look mildly offended.
This is understandable. In tennis, the serve is the one shot where you have complete control. No ball coming at you, no pressure, just you and the opportunity to hit something very hard at someone who has to deal with it. Learning that padel just… doesn’t work like that takes some adjustment.
Once you stop mourning the serve you used to have, you can start understanding the one you’ve got – and it’s more interesting than it first appears.
What the padel serve is for
The padel serve is not a weapon. No matter how hard you hit it, the receiver has glass behind them, time to get set, and a rebound to use if they want. You are not going to ace anyone at club level. The court geometry simply doesn’t allow it. (On the other side of the net, understanding how to return a serve well is the complement to this.)
What the serve is for is this: getting you and your partner to the net.
This is the central tactical fact of padel. Your partner usually starts at the net, but you – the server – start at the back. Meanwhile, the receivers usually start deep with time and a slow ball to work with. Your pair is split: one at the net, one deep. Your job with the serve is to close that gap as quickly as possible – to put pressure on the receiver, force a weak return, and use that window to advance and join your partner at the net.
That reframe changes everything about how you should think about it.
The mechanics, briefly
The underarm serve is easier to execute well than a tennis serve, once you stop fighting it.
Stand near the centreline, behind the service line. You’re aiming cross-court into the diagonally opposite service box. Bounce the ball, and contact it at or below waist height with an underarm motion – think of it like a relaxed push rather than a swing. It should feel controlled, not effortful.
Ideally the ball lands in the service box and then reaches the side wall or back glass before the receiver plays it. It won’t always bounce that far – at slower ball speeds it might die in the box – and that’s fine. The mechanics matter less than where you’re putting it and what you’re doing after.
One common mistake: leaning back and slicing the ball hard into the net. Keep your weight moving forward through the contact. Short, compact, controlled. The goal is placement, not pace.
Where to put it
Two main targets, and both have the same purpose – make the return harder.
Out wide to the body: A serve that skids off the side wall into the receiver’s body is uncomfortable to deal with. They can’t set up cleanly, the angle is awkward, and the return is more likely to be defensive. Not flashy, very effective.
Deep to the backhand: Most players have a weaker backhand. A serve that lands deep and forces them back gives them less time and fewer options. The back glass rebound can be used, but it’s a longer response to execute under pressure.
What you’re not looking for is the big kick to the T or the flat drive at the receiver’s feet. That’s tennis thinking. In padel, the side wall is a more reliable ally than pace.
The follow-through matters more than the serve
Here’s where a lot of people leave points on the table: they serve, then stand and watch.
The serve is the first move in a two-move sequence. The second move is advancing to the net, ideally with your partner, before the receiver’s return lands. If the serve is placed well, the receiver is under pressure. A pressured receiver gives you a weak, high return. A weak, high return at the net is a gift.
Serve – step forward. It should feel like one fluid action, not two separate decisions. Getting to and holding the net is the whole point – if that idea is still new to you, the piece on why you should stop trying to win at the baseline makes the case in full. Some players do a quick split step just as the receiver contacts the return, which helps with the first-volley reaction. But the key habit to build is the forward movement after every serve, without waiting to see what happens.
If the return is strong and low, you may have to stop and reset. That’s fine. You’ve lost nothing by moving forward and being forced back. What you lose by staying back is the chance to take control when the return is loose.
Why consistency beats power, every time
A serve fault costs you a point directly. A weak serve to the wrong place costs you positionally. Neither of these is fatal, but together they’re a habit that bleeds points.
The serve you can hit seven times out of seven to the right area of the box – that’s a better serve than the one you can hit at 80% pace once and then push long twice. At recreational level, the second serve in padel (you get one if the first is a fault) is often nervous and short. Remove that problem entirely by not trying to do too much with the first one.
Consistency also builds confidence. When you know your serve is going in, you can focus entirely on your forward movement and positioning. When you’re not sure, you’re thinking about two things at once, and neither gets your full attention.
One thing to focus on next session
Don’t try to fix everything. Pick one: serve to the wide body or deep backhand, advance as a unit with your partner, and see how many times the receiver’s return is higher and shorter than usual. If you’re getting volleys you can work with – not winners necessarily, just options – the serve is doing its job.
That’s the reframe. The question to ask is: “how do I start the point on even terms?” Everything flows from there.
For more on finding a club where you can build these habits in regular play, how to choose a padel club covers what to look for.