Padel for beginners in Surrey: what “some experience” means

Padel in a nutshell

Padel is a doubles racket sport played on an enclosed court with glass walls and a net across the middle. The rackets are solid, with no strings, and the balls look a lot like tennis balls. It’s quick to pick up, very social, and the walls keep rallies going for longer than you’d expect.

The basic rules

• Serving: serves are underarm. Bounce the ball, hit it at or below waist height, and send it diagonally into your opponents’ service box.
• The walls: the ball has to bounce in your opponents’ half before it touches their walls. Once it has bounced on your side, you can play it after it comes off your own glass.
• Scoring: the same as tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. At our events nobody keeps score anyway.

What “some experience” means for our events

You don’t need to be good. It helps if you can:

• serve and return most of the time
• keep a gentle rally going
• know roughly where to stand and when the walls come into play

If you’ve played tennis, squash or badminton, you’ll find your feet quickly, but a session or two on a padel court first makes the afternoon more fun. We ask your level when you book and use it to help balance the courts, and nobody keeps score.

Getting some practice in around Surrey

Padel has grown fast in Surrey, so there’s probably a club near you. A few ways in:

• Book a court with friends. Many clubs take bookings through their own website or a booking app such as Playtomic. An hour with three friends is the easiest start.
• Look for beginner sessions or coaching. Lots of clubs run intro sessions, coached groups or social mix-ins where you’re paired with other players.
• Play where the event is. First Serve is at Hurlands Pickleball + Padel Club in Farnham, so a game there beforehand means you’ll know the courts on the day.

Check the club’s own site for current sessions and prices, as they change often.

Kit for your first game

• Trainers with good grip for indoor courts
• Comfortable sportswear
• Many clubs hire rackets, and at our events rackets and balls are provided