Our ultimate Padel tips guide for beginners will have you besting your opponents in no time. Quickly jump to the tips that interest you most here:
- Basic Padel tips
- Shooting Padel tips
- Footwork Padel tips
- Serving Padel tips
- Positioning Padel tips
- Bonus Padel tips
Basic Padel tips
1: Learn the rules
- Padel has some unique rules compared to other racket sports, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with them before diving in
- Some key rules to know include: the size of the court, how to serve, how to score points, and how to play shots
2: Improve your fitness
- Good physical conditioning is essential in padel, as it allows you to move more quickly and efficiently around the court
- Practice cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises to improve your physical conditioning and overall performance in the game.
3: Warm up properly
- Beginners often underestimate the need to warm up with padel as it can seem less intense than some sports
- But this is completely false. You should take at least 3-5 minutes to stretch and increase your heart rate before starting a match to avoid potential injuries,
4: Use the walls
- Most beginners are so used to tennis that they tend to forget about using the walls
- Bouncing shots off the walls are what makes padel unique and using them to your advantage is necessary to improve your game
Shooting Padel tips
5: Work on your forehand and backhand shots
- Padel is a game that relies heavily on groundstrokes, so it’s important to have strong forehand and backhand shots
- Practice these shots with different types of spin, pace, and placement to become a more well-rounded player
6: Improve your volleys
- Volleys are an important part of padel, as they allow you to attack the ball at the net and finish points quickly
- Practice your volleys with different types of grip, angle, and footwork to become more comfortable at the net
7: Learn how to play lobs
- Lob shots are a key weapon in padel, as they allow you to hit over your opponent’s head and take control of the point
- Practice hitting lobs with different amounts of spin, height, and placement to become more effective at executing this shot
8: Work on your overhead smash
- The overhead smash is a powerful shot that can be used to finish points at the net or to defend against a lob
- Practice your overhead smash with different types of grip, footwork, and follow-through to become more confident and successful with this shot
9: Learn how to play drop shots
- Drop shots are a great way to change the pace of a point and keep your opponent off balance
- Practice hitting drop shots with different amounts of spin, pace, and placement to become more effective at executing this shot
10: Learn how to play slices
- Slices are a useful shot in padel that can be used to change the pace of a point and keep your opponent off balance
- Practice hitting slices with different amounts of spin, pace, and placement to become more effective at executing this shot
11: Learn how to play defensive shots
- Defensive shots, such as lobs and slices, can be used to counter an aggressive opponent also they can’t easily return your shot with the same power or accuracy
- Practice hitting defensive shots with different amounts of spin, pace, and placement to become more effective at executing these shots
Footwork Padel tips
12: Practice your general footwork
- Good footwork is essential in padel, as it allows you to move quickly and efficiently around the court and set up shots
- Practice moving backwards, forwards, and sideways to improve your agility and court coverage
13: Practice your footwork at the net
- Good footwork is even more important at the net, as it allows you to get to balls quickly and make smart decisions about where to hit them
- Closing the gap to the next quickly can really throw off your opponent and give you more options for your next shot
Serving Padel tips
14: Develop your serve
- A strong serve can give you a big advantage in padel, as it allows you to put pressure on your opponent and control the point
- Practice different types of serves, such as flat, slice, and kick serves, to add variety to your game
15: Work on your return of serve
- A strong return of serve can give you a big advantage in padel, as it allows you to put pressure on your opponent and control the point
- Practice your return of serve with different types of grip, angle, and footwork to become more comfortable and successful with this shot
16: Practice the serve & smash combo
- A really common and effective tactic is to serve and then run towards the net afterwards to smash down your opponent’s return
- Don’t do this everytime as you’ll want to keep them guessing
Positioning Padel tips
17: Work on your positioning
- Good positioning is essential in padel, as it allows you to cover more of the court and make better decisions about where to hit the ball
- Practice your positioning drills so that you naturally cover space your partner can’t cover. For example, if your partner goes to the next stay back
18: Work on your positioning at the net
- At the net, you have a tighter angle to work with so you can’t cover all the width of the court
- So make sure to cover the side where the opposition is most likely to return your shot. Do they have a side you’ve noticed that they favour?
Bonus Padel tips
19: Develop your mental game
- The mental game is an important part of padel and can help you stay focused and confident under pressure
- Practice visualization, goal setting, and positive self-talk to improve your mental game
20: Pick the right Padel racket
- If you’re just starting out you should look to borrow a racket from your local club. Ask for a beginner-friendly racket to begin with
- There are three different shapes of padel rackets available: round, teardrop, and diamond. For a beginner, we recommend selecting a round racket with a softer core.
21: Use padel shoes
- As a beginner, it’s perfectly fine to use any kind of trainers or ideally tennis shoes but if you really want to improve your game investing in quality padel shoes is the way to go
- The court often has a layer of sand on it so grippy padel shoes are best
22: Watch padel tips videos
- A quick way to improve is to watch padel tennis content on YouTube – there are tons to indulge in
- We highly recommend padel school’s content
23: Take padel lessons
- We recommend taking padel lessons as early as possible to avoid developing incorrect techniques and habits.
- While padel lessons can be costly in some places, a few sessions can provide you with the basic principles that you can practice on your own.
- Alternatively, you may consider booking padel lessons during your next vacation, particularly in Spain where you can find affordable lessons from qualified coaches.
View the best Padel rackets for 2023
