Padel for beginners: Tips for getting started

Padel is booming. In Germany, the sport has grown tremendously in popularity over the past few years. One of the main reasons is that padel is relatively easy to learn, making it especially beginner-friendly. Another advantage is its social aspect, as padel is mainly played in doubles. According to Steffi Steible from the German Padel Association (DPV), the sport perfectly combines three key elements: “easy to get started, great fun, and a strong social component.”

To help you get off to the best possible start and feel comfortable on the padel court from day one, we've put together a few helpful tips for beginners.

Every game starts with a serve. The serve in padel is much more accessible than the tennis serve. There is no overhead motion and no shoulder rotation that needs to be trained first. The padel serve is played underhand, with the ball having to be hit below waist level and land diagonally in the opponent’s service box.

This sounds simple, but it involves three classic mistakes beginners often make:

• The ball is hit too high, meaning above waist level. This is a rule violation that is often not noticed immediately in amateur games, but it is worth paying attention to from the very beginning.
• The serve is played too fast. “Many players see the serve as a weapon that should win points directly. In reality, however, the serve in padel is mainly a tool to start the rally and then move into a good position at the net,” explains Johannes Lindmeyer, four-time German doubles champion. His rule of thumb: precision and control beat speed.
• The service line is ignored. Since January 2026, the rule is that the ball must be hit after bouncing behind the white service line. Anyone who serves from inside the court commits a fault.

Padel offers a wide range of shots: forehand, backhand, volley, smash, bandeja, lob, and víbora. However, as a beginner, you should initially focus on the forehand, backhand, and basic volley. The rest will come naturally over time as you gain more experience on the court.

More important than the choice of shot is the mindset behind it: padel is a game of control, not power. This may sound obvious, but it is not. Almost every beginner uses more force than necessary at first and misses exactly what makes padel special: patience and control.

Lindmeyer explains: “The most common mistake is that beginners try to play too fast and too hard. But padel is a game of mistakes. Especially at the beginning, the goal should be to keep the ball in play as often as possible, keep the rally going, and give your opponent the opportunity to make errors.” His advice: Keep your grip relaxed, not tense. Play the ball over the net with control.

This matches what Steible from the DPV identifies as two of the most common tactical mistakes among beginners: “Hitting too hard instead of playing with control and strategy” and “Staying at the baseline for too long instead of actively moving forward to the net.” The reason: In padel, most points are won from the net position because that is where you can control angles and build pressure. Players who stay at the back of the court permanently are playing defensively, no matter how hard they hit the ball.

One element of padel that beginners often underestimate is the glass wall. According to Lindmeyer, the glass wall is “one of the most important elements of the entire sport.” His advice: “Those who learn early on how to actively use the walls develop a much better tactical understanding of the game much faster. That is why I would recommend every beginner to consciously include the glass wall from their very first training session.”

Steible adds: “Anyone who understands how the ball rebounds off the glass walls feels much more confident on the court and can defend more shots. The typical padel feeling only develops when you actively use the walls.”

In practice, this means: Let the ball hit the wall intentionally, even if you could reach it before it does. The wall gives you more time. It slows down the ball, gives you a second chance to get into the right position, and creates playing situations that would not be possible without the wall. Especially in doubles, this can be the difference between a point you barely manage to defend and one that you build up with control. So see the wall as a tool.

The rule behind it is simple: A ball that touches the wall after bouncing on the ground remains in play and can be returned. A ball that hits the glass or fence directly (without touching the ground first) is out. You can find all padel rules in detail in our rules article.

Knowing the typical mistakes means you can avoid making them yourself. Here are seven common beginner mistakes:

• Hitting too hard. Padel rewards control. Players who rely on full power make mistakes rather than winning points. At the beginner stage, the goal should be to keep the ball safely in play, not to force winners.
• Ignoring the glass wall. The wall is not random — it is part of the strategy. Let the ball hit the glass intentionally when the situation allows it. This gives you more time and creates space for your partner.
• Moving forward alone. In doubles, both players should move forward or backward together. Thomas Lönegren, padel coach and head of the Tennis and Padel School Dinslaken, sees this as one of the most common positioning mistakes: “One player stays at the back while the other is already at the net. This creates large open spaces and gaps that opponents can easily exploit.”
• Using the serve as a weapon. Serving fast may feel rewarding after just a few attempts, but it often leads to unnecessary double faults. Focus on a controlled first serve, then move towards the net.
• Forgetting communication. In doubles, players need to briefly communicate who takes which ball. It sounds obvious, but during the flow of a match it is often forgotten.
• Playing only one side. A weak backhand or forehand can quickly be targeted by your opponents. Try to train both sides equally to become a more complete player.
• Not using the safety strap. The strap attached to the racket must be worn around the wrist during play. This is not optional but a requirement of the rules. Lindmeyer names this as one of the most frequently overlooked rule violations at amateur level.

Especially at the beginning, people often play padel spontaneously with friends or changing groups of players. But once you discover the fun of the sport, it doesn’t take long before you start meeting up regularly with the same group. Individual matches quickly turn into a regular session, and a real team spirit develops.

A matching look is not a must, but it can strengthen the sense of unity and simply adds to the fun on the court. If you want to create your own outfit as a group, you can design your own custom padel jerseys with spized – including your logo, your colors, and your own unique design.

Small details can also make a difference during a match: A headband keeps sweat out of your eyes during long rallies and can be customized to match your jersey.