Your first padel game
A 3-minute guide from PadelPush — everything you need to walk on court feeling like you belong there.
Open the PDFWhat to wear & bring
- —Wear something with pockets.You'll hold a second ball while serving — no pockets means juggling. Shorts, skirt or leggings with pockets all work.
- —Tennis or padel shoes if you have them.Running shoes slip on the court's sandy turf. Any grippy court shoe beats them.
- —Normal gym clothes are fine — nothing special needed.
- —Bring water and, for outdoor courts, a cap and sunscreen.
- —Balls: you should always have a set of balls to play with. Some organised games provide them — if so, make sure to collect them from the club desk when you arrive.
- —No racket? Clubs rent them for a couple of euros — ask when you arrive, or ask us in the group.
The rules in 90 seconds
- —Serving: bounce the ball, then hit it underhand, at or below waist height. Serve diagonally, like tennis. You get two attempts. If your serve bounces in the box and then hits the metal grate, it's a fault— off the glass it's fine.
- —Who serves first? Play for it. Matches often start with a friendly rally — four easy balls to each player — then the point is played out for real, and the winners start serving.
- —Scoring is tennis scoring: 15 – 30 – 40 – game. Six games win a set.
- —At 40-40, ask which rule you're playing — there are three: classic deuce/advantage, golden point (one deciding point, most common in social games), or star point (two deuces, then a golden point). Thirty seconds of asking saves a mid-game argument.
- —You can volley — hit the ball out of the air before it bounces. The one exception: the return of serve must bounce first.
- —The walls are part of the game.If the ball comes off the glass on your side after bouncing on the floor, it's still live — play it. So don't give up on a ball flying towards the back glass: turn, let it rebound, hit it.
- —One floor bounce only.Glass doesn't count as a bounce.
- —Hitting the ball straight onto your opponents' glass (no floor bounce) is a fault. The metal fence on the full is out.
Where to stand
- —Pick your side. You and your partner each take one half — left or right — and keep it for the whole game.
- —But serves alternate sides.The server serves the first point of a game from the right court, the next from the left, and so on — so sooner or later you'll be serving from your partner's side.
- —Two normal ways to handle that (agree with your partner which):
- Serve, then run back to your own side— your partner holds their side. This is what coaches in Portugal teach, so it's the safe default here.
- Swap for that point — you stay where you served, and your partner covers your side.
- —While your partner serves,be up at the net on your side — you're the attacking one.
- —Rally on? Both of you move together: up to the net when attacking, back near the glass when defending. Avoid getting stranded in the middle.
- —Call "mine!" or "yours!" for balls down the middle. It feels silly for about two points, then it feels professional.
The five unwritten rules
- 1The server starts every point with two balls. Between points, collect loose balls and get them to whoever serves next — hold one ready to pass over for the new point. Small thing, everyone notices it.
- 2Warm-up is cooperative.Rally the ball back nicely; nobody's won a warm-up yet.
- 3Disputed call? Replay the point. Nobody argues over glass at a social game.
- 4Encourage your partner."Next one's yours" beats a sigh, every time.
- 5Say hi at the start, high-five at the end.Padel is a social sport — that's the whole point.
How PadelPush games work
- —You pay your share in advance — that's what confirms your spot. The organiser books the court once four paid players are in.
- —Can't make it? Free your spot the moment you know.With a couple of days' notice we can offer it around and someone else gets a game.
- —Dropping out inside the last 24 hours? Find your replacement yourself. That close there is rarely time to fill a spot from the group, the court is booked and paid for, and three players is not a game — so a late drop usually ends the evening for everyone, not just you. Ask in the group chat, send whoever answers the sign-up link, and give your spot up once someone has taken it.
- —A silent no-show is the worst version of this.If you truly can't find anyone, still say so — the three people waiting at the court would rather know.
- —Arrive 10 minutes early. Court time runs on the clock, warmed-up or not.
- —Balls:some of our games provide them — the game chat will say. If they're provided, collect them from the club desk when you arrive; otherwise bring your own set.
Don't wait to be invited — organise your own game
Every game you play on PadelPush was set up by a player like you — not a club, not a company. Running your own takes about two minutes. Pick whichever fits:
- —Fixed time— one match, one set time — "we play Thursday at 8". Pick the court and the people; everyone gets a WhatsApp invite, and paying their share is what locks each spot.
- —Let players vote on the time — one match, no time yet. Offer 2–4 time options — invitees reply with what works, you book the slot that wins, and everyone gets the confirmation.
- —Fill several matches at once — more than one match to fill? Message a group of players — or share one link into a chat — with a few time options. Replies land on a board and you build the matches four players at a time; players choose which times suit them.
- —Fill open spots — someone drops out of a confirmed match? Post the spot card into a WhatsApp group — people tap the link and grab the spot, and your game stays a foursome.
You stay in control of who gets on court:
- —Invite more people than seats, then pick the invite style: everyone at once (first yes wins each spot), invite a pool and pick the roster yourself, or one invite per spot in order.
- —Your friends don't need PadelPush. Add anyone by name and number — they get the invite and can reply without an account.
- —PadelPush does the chasing: invites, replies, reminders, payments and dropout refills are handled for you.
Thinking about running one? Read the organiser guide
PadelPush · weekly padel, organised · padelpush.co