First time padel: rules, racquets and courts

Quite a lot of the people on our court had never held a padel racquet before their first time. Good news: padel is quick to pick up, and after a few rallies you'll return your first ball off the glass that you had already given up on.

Here's everything you need for day one. The rest you'll learn on court.

Where padel comes from

Padel comes from Mexico. In 1969 Enrique Corcuera built a small court with walls in Acapulco because there wasn't enough space for a tennis court. Via Marbella the game reached Spain and from there the rest of Europe. Today the rules are written by the world federation FIP; in Germany, the German Padel Federation (DPV) is one of the bodies running leagues and tournaments.

The court

A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, so a lot smaller than a tennis court, and fully enclosed: walls at the back, usually glass, glass and mesh on the sides. The net hangs at 88 centimetres in the middle and 92 at the sides. It's almost always played as doubles, two against two. Which also means: find three friends and your first match is on.

The rules for day one

• Scoring works like tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. At 40:40, depending on the event, you play advantage or one deciding point, the golden point.
• Serve underhand: stand behind the service line, bounce the ball once and hit it at waist height or below. It has to go diagonally into the opposite service box.
• You get two attempts. If the serve bounces in the box and then goes straight into the mesh fence, it's a fault. The glass behind is fine.
• During a rally your ball has to hit the ground on the other side first. If it flies straight into the opponents' wall or fence, you lose the point.
• On your side, the ball may bounce, hit the wall and come back, then you play it. Volleys straight out of the air are fine too.
• You can even play the ball over the net off your own wall. Feels wrong at first, then turns into the most fun shot of the day.

The full rulebook is in the FIP Rules of Padel. For your first evening, the list above does the job.

The racquet

Padel racquets have no strings. They're solid with holes, and according to the rules no longer than 45.5 centimetres and no thicker than 38 millimetres. There's a cord on the handle that goes around your wrist. That's mandatory and keeps flying racquets away from your partner.

To start: borrow one. Most clubs rent racquets, at our events they're waiting at the court. If you buy one later, go for a round shape, it forgives hits away from the centre. The diamond shape is for people who already know why they want it.

What to wear

Sports clothes you can move in and shoes with grip. Many courts are artificial grass with sand, where smooth running shoes like to slide. Ask your club if they have rules. At Padel Parranda there's one more: wear what you'd wear to padel, just a bit better. The photos end up on Instagram.

Where to play in Germany

Padel is growing fast here. The Padelfinder database lists more than 2,300 padel courts in Germany as of October 2026, searchable by city and postcode. You usually book via an app like Playtomic or directly with the club. Lots of clubs run taster sessions or open games where you can join without a fixed team.

Our tip: grab three people, book an hour and just play. You learn the rules fastest by getting them wrong a few times.

Or start with us

If you'd rather make your first attempt with music: at Padel Parranda the courts are open for everyone from 3 pm, racquets are ready, and from 6 pm nobody keeps score anyway. Upcoming dates land on Instagram first.