Padel tips and techniques
Whether you're picking up a racket for the first time or looking to sharpen your game after a few sessions, getting a handle on a few core padel principles will make a significant difference to how quickly you improve
Learn how to play padel with expert tips for forehands, backhands, volleys, overheads, and serves. Master every shot with our complete padel guide.
Frequently asked questions
Focus on three things first: getting the underarm serve in consistently, learning to let the ball come off the back wall rather than intercepting it early and moving together with your partner. These three habits will make more difference to your game in the early stages than any technical improvement.
Absolutely. Many padel players come from non-tennis backgrounds and find the sport very accessible. The underarm serve is easier to learn than a tennis serve, the court is much smaller and the walls mean rallies last longer, which makes the game easier for beginners to pick up.
Play as regularly as you can and also consider booking a session with a padel coach. A coach can help you build healthy habits, while also identifying and rectifying some of the mistakes you make when you first start playing padel.
The biggest differences are the roles of the walls, the importance of net positioning and the doubles format. In tennis, the baseline is often a safe place to play from, whereas in padel, staying at the back of the court puts you at a disadvantage. The walls also mean that points continue after the ball would be out in tennis, which changes how you think about your positoning and shot selection.