WHY PADEL?

Find out why you NEED to play this game!

Padel is

addictive

Key points:

  •  FUN!

  •  EASY TO LEARN

  •  LONG RALLIES

  •  SOCIAL

  •  ACCESSIBLE

  •  ALL AGES

Padel is what other racket sports are not; easy to learn, easy to play, and therefore fun for everyone!

It is a game that will entrap you with your first hit of the ball when you realise ” Hey, this is quite easy and I’m pretty good!”

So, although that might be false hope (at least for now) it does give you the feeling that you can actually manage this game as it is not as daunting or hard as other racket sports have always seemed to be. Within your first session, you would have played in a rally that lasted more than 4 shots, smashed a volley, and managed to serve without fouling.

Played on a court that resembles a small tennis court, it is surrounded by walls which means that the ball is in play for longer periods of time.

The glass walls at the back of the court are there to be played off of and into (like squash) meaning that instead of having one chance of returning a shot you now have three;

  1. returning after the conventional one bounce or with a volley back over the net
  2. letting the ball bounce into the glass (if there is enough momentum) after which you play your shot over the net
  3. the more difficult of the three, letting the ball bounce and then playing the ball directly into the glass wall and trying to get it to bounce back into the opponent’s side of the court.

There are various shots, some unique to padel, but one of the keystrokes is the first to learn, the service shot. Unlike in tennis, the serve is played underhand off the bounce after the ball dropping. This is a much easier serve to play and therefor means the game is in play straight away, taking the emphasis away from a clinical overhead serve (and hard return) and puts it into the actual game at hand.

Played almost only as a doubles game ( there are single courts but that is more for practice ) it encourages teamwork and a well thought out tactical game plan to beat opponents.

Skill levels will vary vastly as individuals and/or teams get better, even to the extent where some may enter comps or even go national, but the key element of padel is that EVERYONE can play and, most importantly, have fun doing so!

Played by same-sex or mixed partners the game is easier enough for everyone to partake in, men and women, old and young. It is a game where, mom and son play dad and daughter, or sister and sister play grandma and mom, or, colleagues, friends, couples… Whatever way you can think of mixing it there will be a possibility for it to work.

So, welcome to the fastest growing sport in the world, now why not try it and find out why!

Get addicted to this endorphin releasing phenomenon!

FAQs

How long does a court take to install?

A padel court takes about 10 – 14 days to install, depending on location and foundations.

Where is padel from?

Padel originated in Mexico, in the late 60’s but quickly found its way over to Spain where is has grown to become the country’s 2nd most popular sport. Padel is now played all over the world, by more than 30 million players on more than 12 000 courts. And it’s still just getting going!

Where can I play padel?

Although padel is spread all across the world, South Africa has been slow to jump on the bandwagon. Currently there are no public courts or clubs, however this is due to change very soon. Stay tuned!

How big is a padel court?

A padel court is 10m x 20m and is roughly about 1/3 the size of a tennis court if laid width ways. They sit at their highest point at 4m and have a back wall made of 12mm thick glass.