Padel rules: the complete beginner's guide

Padel is played by 4 people on a fenced and glass-walled court, with a solid racket and balls very similar to those used in tennis. It sounds simple, but as soon as you step onto the court, many questions arise: "can you play after a bounce off the glass wall?", "how do you count points?", "does the serve have to be diagonal?".

This guide answers everything, in order.

The court: what you need to know before playing

A padel court measures 20 meters long by 10 meters wide. It is surrounded by:

• Glass walls (tempered glass) at the back and part of the sides
• Wire mesh (metal) on the upper sides
• A net in the middle, identical to tennis
• A service line drawn 3 meters from the net, plus a center line

The side doors (where you enter) play a strategic role: we'll come back to them later.

The serve: how to start a point

How to serve legally

• You stand behind the service line, on the right side for the 1st point
• You bounce the ball on the ground before hitting (mandatory)
• You hit at a maximum height at waist level (and not above)
• The ball must cross the net and bounce in the diagonal service box (cross-court)
• After this bounce, if it touches the wire mesh before the opponent plays it, it's a let (replay)
• If it touches the glass wall after bouncing in the correct box, it's valid

Scoring

Padel uses the tennis system:

• 0 → 15 → 30 → 40 → game
• At 40-40 (deuce), you need to win 2 consecutive points to win the game
• First to 6 games with a 2-game lead wins the set
• At 6-6, a tie-break is played (first to 7 points with a 2-point lead)
• First to 2 sets won wins the match (best of 3)

Small particularity: at deuce, some tournaments play with a deciding point (the receiver chooses their side, only one point for the game). This is faster.

The glass walls and wire mesh: the specificity of padel

This is what makes padel so fun and tactical.

Glass walls: the ball can bounce off them

After a bounce on the ground, the ball can hit the glass wall once or multiple times — it remains in play. You can hit it:

• Before it touches the glass wall (classic volley)
• After it has bounced on the ground and touched the glass wall
• Even after several successive ground-glass-glass bounces

Exiting through the doors: advanced strategy

You can exit the court through the side doors to hit a ball that has bounced out. If you return it into the court (without touching the net and by passing over it), the point continues. Spectacular but reserved for advanced players.

Regulatory shots

Official equipment

The padel racket

It must comply with the dimensions regulated by the FIP (International Padel Federation):

Perforated surface (mandatory holes) and mandatory wrist strap (anti-drop safety). All our DEM PADEL rackets comply with official standards.

The most common beginner mistakes

1. Hitting the ball before it has bounced on the ground after hitting a glass wall. Bad tennis habit — remember: glass wall = no problem if it bounced on the ground first.
2. Serving too hard. The serve should not be powerful; it should be well-placed and low.
3. Staying at the back of the court. In padel, you move to the net as soon as you can. That's where you win points.
4. Smashing at 100%. The padel smash is about placement, not explosive power. Aim for the angles or the glass walls, not pure force.

Want to progress faster?

3 things that make a difference in 6 months:

1. Having a racket suited to your level (this avoids 80% of equipment-related mistakes)
2. Playing regularly (at least twice a week)
3. Taking 2-3 lessons with a coach to establish basic technique

A question about the rules or which racket to choose? Write to us, we respond within 48 hours.