Quick answer. To play padel, book a court for four people, hire rackets and balls at the venue, and wear court shoes. Serve underarm after one bounce, score like tennis, and use the glass walls after the ball has bounced. You do not need to have played tennis. Checked 4 November 2026.
What is padel? It is a fast, social racket sport, mostly played as doubles on an enclosed court 20m long and 10m wide, with glass walls and a net across the middle. The LTA calls it a mix between tennis and squash. It says there were over 1,553 padel courts across 559 venues in Great Britain at the end of 2025, and more than 860,000 people playing each year. To find somewhere near you, see padel courts in Brighton & Hove.
What you need
A racket, balls and suitable shoes. The LTA says most venues hire out rackets and provide balls, so you can try the sport before you buy.
A padel racket is solid, with holes drilled through the face. It is shorter than a tennis racket and has a thicker head. The LTA suggests beginners start with a round-shaped racket, which gives the most control. Diamond-shaped rackets are built for power. The International Padel Federation (FIP) requires a cord that attaches the racket to your wrist, so use the one on your racket.
Padel balls look like tennis balls but are less pressurised, so they bounce lower. The LTA does not recommend using tennis balls.
There is no dress code. You need shoes with reliable grip and lateral support. Court trainers are fine to start with. The LTA says to avoid running shoes where possible.
Booking a court
Most British padel courts are at tennis clubs, leisure centres and parks, according to the LTA. Its court finder lets you search by postcode, town or city, and then follow the venue's own booking process.
Venues take bookings in different ways. Some are pay and play, and others give members priority. Many use a booking app or website. Playtomic, MATCHi and the LTA's ClubSpark are examples of booking systems that venues use. Playtomic also lets you find players and matches, and MATCHi lists padel venues around the world. Which one a venue uses is up to the venue.
Before you book, check four things:
- Is the court indoor, covered or outdoor?
- Can you hire rackets, and do you pay for balls?
- Does the venue run beginner sessions or coaching?
- How long is the slot, and how much does it cost?
The LTA says the price depends on the venue, location, time of day and length of session.
Your first game
You need four players, two on each side. A padel match has no fixed length. It is normally the best of three sets, so it depends on how close the games are.
Warm up first. The LTA recommends raising your heart rate, then moving your arms, shoulders, thighs and calves. Hit a few balls with the other pair before you start. The FIP's competition rules include a three-minute rally before a match.
Then play. The server bounces the ball, hits it underarm at or below waist height, and aims diagonally. The ball must bounce in the box before the receiver hits it. In the rally the ball can bounce once on your side, and you can let it hit the glass before you return it. The full detail is in our rules of padel guide.
Scoring is the same as tennis. You do not have to score your first few games. The LTA says it is fine to have a hit with friends. Clubs and apps often use their own level ratings to match players of similar ability.
Three habits help at the start, according to the LTA:
- Get the underarm serve in.
- Let the ball come off the back glass rather than hitting it too early.
- Move up and back together with your partner.
The LTA also says to keep shots controlled rather than powerful. Padel is more about accuracy and ball placement than power.
The four shots to know
The lob is a high shot over your opponents' heads. The LTA calls it the most important shot in padel. It pushes opponents back from the net and gives you time. Aim for the ball to bounce just past the service line and before the back glass.
The bandeja is, the LTA says, the most common overhead in padel. The name is Spanish for tray, because you hold the racket face open above your head. You hit down and across the ball with slice, deep into the court, so it stays low off the glass. Keep the pace down so you can recover your position at the net.
The vibora is an attacking shot at around head or shoulder height, with sidespin. It kicks low and sideways off the floor and walls, which makes it hard to return.
The smash is the tennis-style overhead. You hit it flat with power. The LTA says a hard smash in padel can come back off the glass, so control matters.
The LTA adds that in padel, being at the net with your partner is the stronger position. Staying at the back is a disadvantage, and lobs are the way to take the net back.
Etiquette
The FIP's conduct rules are written for competitions, but the basics work at any court:
- Wear suitable sports clothes and footwear.
- Be courteous to your partner and opponents.
- Do not throw your racket or hit the walls, net or fence with it.
- Do not hit the ball hard at people when the point is not in play.
- The server waits until the receiver is ready, and the receiver should be ready when the server is.
- If a ball from another court comes onto yours, stop the point and replay it. The FIP treats an outside object on court as a let.
Check the venue's own rules too.
Next steps
Read the rules of padel, see how the sport compares in padel vs tennis vs pickleball, and then find a court on our Brighton & Hove padel page.