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All I’ve heard recently is how padel is the fastest growing sport in recent years. Well, I didn’t even know what padel was two short weeks before trying it and now, I’ve got my own padel tennis racket and I’m constantly googling to figure out how and where I can get involved.
What Is Padel?
Let’s take a look back to the origin of padel ‘cos I personally thought it must’ve been a new sport but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Padel has been traced back to Mexico in the 1960s with credit to a Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera. It’s a racket sport combining elements of tennis and squash, and is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court.
Now I’ve never played squash. It always seemed like a sport for middle aged corporate types looking to blow off steam. I have however tried my hand at a bit of tennis with a few lessons here and there. If I’m honest though, tennis just has too many rules and a lot of formalities for me to really enjoy it.
According to my research, it’s said that Corcuera built the first padel court in 1969 at his home in Acapulco, Mexico. He wanted to create a sport that could be enjoyed by his family and friends, and he designed the court to be smaller than a tennis court but larger than a squash court. The enclosure around the court was added to keep the ball in play and to create a more dynamic and fast-paced game.
Padel quickly gained popularity in Mexico and its success soon spread to other Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. It eventually made its way to Spain, where it experienced significant growth and became a widely played sport.
The simplicity of the game, the social aspect of playing in doubles, and the fact that it is relatively easy to pick up have contributed to the widespread appeal of padel. In my opinion, it’s got all the best elements of tennis which probably contributes to making it an addictive sport.
Basics Of The Game
Now I’m not gonna get too technical here because firstly, I don’t know everything there is to know about padel but also because the best way to find out is to go and try for yourself. I will say though that reading up about how to play padel and it’s rapid growth, piqued my interest.
So first off, one of the main differences between tennis and padel is the racket used. Padel rackets are solid compared to tennis rackets, and made from composite materials. The balls used look like regular tennis balls but they actually have less pressure.
The padel court is a third of the size of a tennis court, enclosed by walls and a wire mesh fence and is divided into two halves by a net. Although tennis and padel have distinct differences, they do share the same scoring system, which I’m proud to just about understand. The game is usually played to the best of three sets, and each set is played to 6 or 7 games.
In padel an underhand serve is used and it must be delivered diagonally to the opponent’s service box, similar to tennis. There are a few more specifics when it comes to serving for padel but we won’t get into that here. After the serve, the game continues into a rally with alternating shots between the teams.
Now, what makes the game more fun and fast paced is that the ball can be played off the walls (but not the wire mesh). So there is alot of teamwork, strategy and emphasis on positioning.
I wore running shoes for this session which was fine for a one hour lesson, but I think tennis shoes would be more appropriate especially depending on the playing surface. The playing surface for indoor and outdoor padel courts can be tarmac, concrete or artificial turf grass.
For my first time playing padel tennis, I think I did pretty good. Our Coach James did such a great job taking us from complete beginners to novice padel players, playing a basic padel game at the end of our lesson when joined by another coach to make a group of 4.
About Game4Padel
Game4Padel is a UK-based padel court operator with multiple venues across England, Scotland, and Wales. They provide high-quality padel courts, equipment rentals, and coaching for all levels of players. They also offer a range of memberships that give members priority booking, discounts, and exclusive offers on events and lessons.
A massive shout out to Game4Padel for organising a lesson for me; it was the most fun I’ve had in an hour for a long time. I went along to their newly installed padel courts at Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City, just outside London, but they have courts all over the UK and beyond.
The End Game
So I’m told that padel is known for its social and inclusive nature which in turn makes it a more accessible game for players of all levels. The enclosed court and the use of walls definitely adds an interesting dimension to the game, requiring players to adapt their strategies and tactics.
I honestly never saw myself being a huge fan of a racquet sport, but here I am. If you do a Google search for ‘padel near me’, it’ll bring up all your local clubs where you can have private or group lessons to learn how to play.
See you at the service line?!
Have you tried padel yet?!
Elle