Six padel tips for beginners
Looking for practical padel tips to help you improve your game? These six padel tips for beginners cover warming up, learning basic shots, playing off the glass, improving your footwork and practising away from the court.
Use these tips to build your control, positioning and confidence as you develop your padel skills.
Top padel tips for beginners
If you are new to the game or want to improve, focus on these six areas:
- Warm up before playing and practise padel-specific movements
- Prioritise controlled shots and placement over power
- Use lobs to move opponents back and regain the net
- Move and communicate with your partner in doubles
- Use the glass to give yourself time to prepare a return
- Practise consistently, focusing on one skill at a time"
1. What you need to do before your start playing padel
A proper warm-up is one of the most important padel tips for beginners, helping you prevent injuries and perform better on court.
When thinking about getting your body ready to play, you’ll want to start with some movement to raise your body temperature and heart rate. After that, get your head in the game with some padel-specific movements to begin to activate the right muscle groups that you’ll need to play, such as:
- Arms
- Shoulders
- Thighs
- Calves
2. Learn the basic padel shots
In padel, you’ll usually always be in one of two positions – up at the net with your partner or both towards the back of the court defending.
Being up at the net is a more attacking position where you can use volleys and smashes to put pressure on your opponents and try to win the point. Padel has a specific type of high volley that you can try called the Bandeja - which is where you hit a smash with some underspin to reduce the bounce of the ball.
Check out our Padel Made Easy videos for more tips on playing the Bandeja and more padel shots.
Padel videos for beginners
Watch our beginner padel videos to learn the basic shots and techniques you'll use on court, including the forehand, volley, bandeja and playing the ball off the glass.
Check out the Padel Made Easy tutorials below to see each technique demonstrated step by step.
When you’re defending, you’ll play more forehands and backhands from the back of the court – both with and without using the back glass.
Top tip: hitting a lob over your opponent’s heads can be an effective shot in trying to counter your opponents at the net so you can attack instead.
When it comes to padel technique, you want to make sure you’re hitting the ball with a short backswing on both sides. This means you can react quicker to your opponent’s shots as well as giving you more control and accuracy in your shots.
Padel is more about accuracy and ball placement than it is about power.
Check out our essential padel technique guide with everything you need to know on how to play forehands, backhands, serves, volleys, lobs and more.
Padel technique and shot guide
Find a local court and practice your skills
3. Learn how to play off the glass in padel
One of the hardest parts of the game to master when you’re just starting out is playing the ball off the glass. The padel court is surrounded by a glass wall that you can use to your advantage.
When playing a point, once the ball has bounced you can let the ball hit the glass before you return it to your opponent. It can be helpful if you want to give yourself more time on the shot or if it bounces close to the glass where it’s harder to return.
The top tips for playing a shot after it has hit the glass:
- Give yourself space – make sure your ready position is in the correct place on the court to allow you to change direction if needed
- Preparation – make sure your racket is prepared early before moving to the ball
- Read the incoming ball – see how fast the ball is travelling from your opponents – if it is slower you will need to move much closer to the glass
- Control over power – these shots are naturally more difficult to hit, so give yourself more chance of getting it in by taking off some pace and controlling it back over the net
You can also return the ball by hitting it against the back glass. If you find yourself in a defensive situation where it’s difficult to return the ball, try hitting it against the back glass and landing it on your opponent’s side of the net before bouncing.
4. Practice various padel shots
To get better at padel, practise one skill at a time rather than trying to improve every part of your game in one session.
Start with a half-court rally and focus on keeping the ball in play with controlled forehands and backhands. Then practise deep lobs, volleys from the net and returns using the back glass. Set a target for the number of consecutive shots you want to complete without making an error.
You should also practise moving forward after a deep shot, recovering your position after each return and moving across the court with your partner.
Use our padel techniques guide for detailed advice on forehands, backhands, volleys, serves, lobs and overhead shots. You can also book a session with an LTA Accredited Coach for personalised advice
5. Work on your footwork and movement
Padel is all about sharp and explosive movements around the court, reacting to your opponents.
You’re constantly moving during a point, so it’s important to take lots of short side steps. Always stay on your toes so you can easily push off to either side to reach the ball.
The best padel teams are the ones who move around the court together to better cover the space and leave fewer options for their opponents to hit a winner.
6. Practice padel at home
Even if you can’t get on a court, there’s plenty of ways that you can practice at home.
To improve your control, something as simple as tapping a ball up in the air can be hugely beneficial. If you find it too easy, then try alternating the side of the racket you tap it with each time and see how many you can get to.
If you have an outside wall you can use, you can also practice volleying against it to help you become more consistent with your shots.
Quick padel tips to remember
- Keep your shots controlled rather than powerful
- Communicate with your partner in doubles
- Stay close to the net when attacking
- Use lobs to regain position
- Stay on your toes and move constantly
Ready to improve your positioning and decision-making in matches? Read our padel tactics for beginner guide for advice on controlling the net, playing through the middle, using the glass and communicating with your partner.
FAQs padel tips for beginners
Focus on control over power, learn basic positioning, and practice consistently to improve your game.
Play regularly, work on your footwork, and learn how to use the glass effectively.
Yes, padel is easy to learn and beginners can quickly start playing rallies and enjoying the game.