How to play padel: rules, scoring, serve, walls.
Everything a first-time padel player needs — the court, the serve, the scoring, and the walls that make padel different from tennis. Written for players showing up to their first session and organisers briefing new members.
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Five things to know.
Padel is a doubles racket sport played in a glass box about a third the size of a tennis court. The serve is underhand, the scoring is identical to tennis, and the walls are in play. That's roughly 80% of what a first-time player needs to know before they step on court — the rest is picked up in the first ten minutes.
- Padel is always doubles — 2 vs 2 on an enclosed court about one-third the size of a tennis court. Singles exists but almost no club runs it.
- The serve is underhand — bounce the ball once, hit it below waist height, into the opposite service box. Two attempts, like tennis.
- Scoring is identical to tennis — 15, 30, 40, deuce, games, sets. If you've played tennis you already know the score sheet.
- Walls are in play — the ball can bounce off the back and side walls after it bounces on the floor. That's the game.
- Both teams use the glass — your own glass defensively (play rebounds off your back wall), the opponents' glass offensively (lob them off their own back wall).
Once you've got the basics, the easiest way into the game is a social night — our guide to padel social formats explains Americano, Mexicano and King of the Court, which are the three most common club-night formats and the most beginner-friendly way to log your first few sessions. If you don't yet have a club, see which padel clubs run on Grex Social.
The rules, in order of what trips people up.
01 — The court and the players
20m x 10m, enclosed, two vs two.
A padel court is 20m by 10m, surrounded by glass walls at the ends and side-glass plus mesh fencing at the sides. The net sits at about 0.9m high. Every match is doubles — two players a side — and the game is designed around that: the court is sized for four players and the walls make singles rallies punishing. Equipment is a solid padel bat (no strings) and a padel ball, which looks like a tennis ball but is lower pressure so it doesn't bounce as high off the glass.
- Court is 20m x 10m, enclosed by glass and mesh
- Doubles only — 2 vs 2 is the normal game
- Padel bat (solid, no strings) and a lower-pressure padel ball
02 — The serve
underhand, below waist, bounce first.
Stand behind the baseline, bounce the ball once, and hit it underhand below waist height into the opposite service box, diagonally. Two attempts — first serve and second serve, exactly like tennis. The quirk: a serve that bounces in the service box and then hits the opposing side wall is a fault; a serve that bounces in the service box and then hits the opposing back wall is in play and must be returned. A net-cord serve that still lands in the correct box is a let, replayed.
- Underhand, below waist height, bounce the ball first
- Diagonal into the opposite service box; two attempts
- Bounce-then-side-wall is a fault; bounce-then-back-wall is in play
03 — Scoring
identical to tennis — 15, 30, 40, deuce.
Points go 15, 30, 40, game. From deuce (40-all) a team needs two points in a row to win the game — advantage, then game, or back to deuce. Six games wins a set, with a two-game lead or a tiebreak at 6-6. Matches are usually best of three sets. If you've ever played or watched tennis, you already know the padel scorecard. The game around the scoring is very different, but the scoreboard isn't.
- Points: 15, 30, 40, deuce, advantage, game
- 6 games wins a set; tiebreak at 6-6
- Best of 3 sets is standard for club play
04 — The walls
in play after the bounce — never before.
This is the rule that defines padel. The ball can bounce off any wall AFTER it has bounced on the floor on that side of the net. It cannot bounce off a wall BEFORE touching the floor on that side — if it does, the point is over and the other team wins it. Both teams use the glass: your own glass defensively (play rebounds off your back wall into the opponents' court), the opponents' glass offensively (lob them and let the ball bounce in their court then run up their back glass for a classic padel winner).
- Ball bounces on the floor FIRST, then any wall is fair game
- Ball hits the wall before the floor on your side = point to opponents
- Lobs that bounce then run up the back glass are legal and common
For organisers
Printable club briefing.
The absolute minimum a brand-new padel player needs to read before their first session. Send this page to new members, or print this block and leave a stack at the court.
- It's doubles. Two players a side, enclosed court, glass at the ends.
- Serve underhand, below the waist. Bounce the ball first; hit it diagonally into the opposite service box; two attempts.
- Score it like tennis. 15, 30, 40, deuce. Six games wins a set; best of three.
- Walls are in play. The ball can bounce off any wall AFTER it has bounced on the floor on that side. Not before.
- Use your own glass to defend; use theirs to attack. Lobs that bounce in their court and roll up the back glass are legitimate winners.
- Padel bat, not a tennis racket. Clubs usually have bats to borrow for your first session.
- Have fun. Padel is designed to be a social, mixed-ability game — don't worry about looking good on your first night.
Organisers running club nights: once new members have the rules, point them at the format you're actually running. Most clubs use Americano, Mexicano or King of the Court — one guide per format.
Under the hood
What Grex Social gives you.
- First-session signup — join an open padel session at a Grex-enabled club without a full membership sign-up. Useful for your first-ever game.
- Member matching — find padel partners at your level and in your area, without posting in a club WhatsApp group.
- Social-format nights — Americano, Mexicano and King of the Court all run on Grex Social. These are the easiest formats for new players because partners rotate and no one is stuck on a losing team.
- Doubles-first by default — padel is always 2v2, and Grex Social's matching and session formats assume that from the start. No fiddling to turn off singles pairings.
- Court booking at participating padel clubs — book, pay in-app, show up. (Not every padel club runs on Grex; see our clubs page.)
- In-app Stripe payments — no cash on the night, no splitting a court fee four ways by bank transfer.
- Standings and session history — Americano and Mexicano results update automatically. See where you placed last Tuesday without asking the organiser.
- Nine sports in one platform — if your club runs tennis AND padel (and many LTA venues now do), one app covers both.
- Free for players; £39-£69/month for clubs — the Club plan covers all your social nights, leagues and court bookings. Players never pay for the app itself.
- Automatic reminders for upcoming sessions — day-of and hour-before push notifications so no one no-shows after signing up.
- Printable club briefing (this page) — send new members this URL instead of writing your own rules handout, or printing it off at the club.
- Format-specific guides — once new players have the rules, point them at our Americano, Mexicano and King of the Court guides for how the social nights actually run.
FAQ
Common questions.
How do you play padel?
Padel is a doubles racket sport played on an enclosed court about 20m by 10m with glass walls at the ends and mesh fencing on the sides. Each team has two players. You serve underhand (bouncing the ball once and hitting it below waist height) into the opposite service box, diagonally. Rallies are played out as in tennis, but the ball can bounce off the walls after it bounces on the floor — that's the thing that makes padel different. Scoring is identical to tennis: 15, 30, 40, deuce, games, sets. A match is usually best of three sets.
What are the basic padel rules?
Doubles only; underhand serve below waist height, diagonal into the opposite service box; two serve attempts; identical scoring to tennis (15/30/40/deuce, 6 games to a set, best of three); the ball can bounce off the walls after bouncing on the floor but not before; a serve that hits the opposing side wall after bouncing in the service box is a fault, but a serve that bounces in the box and then hits the opposing back wall is in play; the ball is out if it hits the opposing team's wall before bouncing on their floor, or if it hits the mesh or any part of the structure above the glass.
How does padel scoring work?
Exactly like tennis. Points go 15, 30, 40, game — win by two from deuce (advantage, then game, or back to deuce). Six games wins a set, with a two-game lead or a tiebreak at 6-6. Matches are usually best of three sets. The only thing that's different from tennis is the serve (underhand) and the walls — the scorecard is the same.
What are the padel serve rules?
Stand behind the baseline. Bounce the ball once on the floor. Hit it below waist height (roughly below your hips) with an underhand stroke, into the opposite service box, diagonally. You get two attempts, like tennis — a first serve and a second serve. The serve must land in the service box; after bouncing in the box, a serve that hits the opposing side wall is a fault, but one that hits the opposing back wall is in play. A ball that hits the net cord and still lands in the correct service box is a let (replayed), same as tennis.
Can you play padel singles?
Technically yes, but almost nobody does. The court is sized and shaped for doubles, and the walls plus the smaller surface area mean singles rallies are relentless. UK padel clubs almost exclusively run doubles. If you're arriving with an odd number of players, the easier solution is a social format like Americano where everyone rotates in and out of partnerships — Grex Social runs these at participating clubs.
What's the difference between padel and tennis scoring?
There isn't one. Padel scoring is identical to tennis: 15, 30, 40, deuce, advantage, game, 6 games to a set with a tiebreak at 6-6, best of three sets. The game is very different from tennis, but the scorecard is the same, which is why tennis players pick up padel so quickly on the scoring front even when the shots take a while to click.
What happens if the ball hits the glass?
It depends on which side bounced first. On your own side, a ball that bounces on the floor and then hits your back glass or side glass is in play — you can play it off the rebound. A ball that hits your glass BEFORE bouncing on your floor is out: the opponents win the point. On the opponents' side, the same rule applies for them — but lobs that bounce in their court and then hit their back glass are a classic padel point, and perfectly legal.
Do you need a special racket for padel?
Yes. A padel bat is solid (no strings), punched with holes, and about 45cm long. Stringed tennis rackets are not allowed. Padel balls look like tennis balls but are a touch smaller and lower pressure, so they don't bounce as high — important for the way padel plays off the walls. Most clubs rent bats and balls at the door for your first few sessions, so you don't need to buy anything before trying it.
How is the padel serve different from tennis?
Underhand instead of overhead; the ball must bounce on the floor before you hit it; and contact must be below waist height. The underhand rule is the single most common thing to trip up tennis players crossing over — the muscle memory of a tennis serve is wrong for padel, and a serve above waist height is a fault.
What is Americano in padel?
Americano is the UK's most popular social padel format: partners rotate every round so everyone plays with everyone, and points are scored individually across the whole night. Perfect for mixed-ability club sessions. See our Americano guide for the full rules, or our overview of padel social formats for Mexicano and King of the Court — all three run on Grex Social.
Where can I find the official padel rules?
The LTA Padel site publishes a UK-focused rules reference, and the International Padel Federation (FIP) publishes the full official rulebook. Grex Social is a club-management platform, not the rules authority — for anything beyond a beginner briefing, go to the LTA or FIP.
Ready to play your first padel session?
Free for players. Find a Grex-enabled padel club, join a social night, and let the format do the hand-holding — Americano and Mexicano are built for first-timers.