Padel Rules: The Walls, the Serve, and the Score

The glass is what many first-time padel players notice. The bounce is what they need to follow. Watching whether the ball has touched the ground, and where, makes the enclosure less mysterious and prevents tennis habits from supplying the wrong answer.

Use this as an introduction for a coached first session. It is not a complete rulebook or a guide to advanced out-of-court play. The International Padel Federation’s current document includes several scoring options, so agree on your format before the first serve.

Identify the parts of the court first

Walk around the court with the instructor before playing. Ask them to distinguish the service line, center service line, glass or wall, and metallic fence. Then ask for a slow demonstration of a ball bouncing from the ground to the enclosure. Naming the surfaces removes ambiguity from later explanations.

Do this before a competitive rally, when everyone can hear and there is no disagreement to settle. A beginner should be able to point to the relevant surface instead of saying “the side” and hoping the partner means the same thing.

Put the serve into a simple sequence

Padel serves begin with a bounce and contact at or below waist height, directed diagonally into the receiving service box. The receiver lets the serve bounce. A serve that lands correctly but then touches the metallic fence before its second bounce is a fault; a first fault allows another serve. These details are explained in official FIP material. FIP Beyond rulebook.

For the full current foot-position and bounce requirements, use Rule 6 of the 2026 FIP rules. Ask the instructor to demonstrate those requirements rather than relying on an older serving video.

Follow the ground before the wall

During an ordinary rally, an opponent’s shot must land in your court before contacting your enclosure. After a legal bounce, the rebound can still be played before the ball’s second ground bounce. A shot hit directly into the opponent’s wall or fence without first landing in the court is out. FIP official ball-in-play guidance.

Try three slow demonstrations: a legal ground-to-glass rebound, a ball that goes straight to the opponent’s enclosure, and a ball that bounces twice on the ground. Say the sequence aloud before discussing the result. This is a teaching exercise, not an invitation to chase difficult rebounds before you have learned to move around the enclosure.

Choose the scoring option explicitly

Padel uses familiar 15, 30 and 40 calls, but what happens at deuce depends on the chosen format. The current FIP document includes advantage scoring, Star Point and Golden Point options. Do not assume every club uses the same one. FIP Rule 1.

For a first lesson, ask the coach to write the format on a card and walk through a deuce example. You need to know when the game finishes, not just recognize the names. Also confirm whether the session is a full match or a shortened practice format.

Keep the first game deliberately simple

Before each serve, identify the server and receiver, call the score, and wait until everyone is ready. If a wall sequence causes confusion, ask for the relevant rule between points. Avoid turning a casual disagreement into an improvised rewrite of the sport.

Have your instructor explain court-specific safety arrangements and the racquet wrist strap before you start. Leave advanced retrievals and exit plays out of a beginner session. The aim is to build understanding while playing within the format and space you have been shown.

After the lesson, write down the one sequence that confused you and take it to the next session. A precise question such as “ground, glass, then ground again” is easier to answer than “Can I use the wall?” Padel’s enclosure becomes readable when you track the order of events, one bounce at a time.

For your notes, sketch the court and use arrows to show the disputed path. Bring the sketch to the coach rather than relying on a hurried description in a group chat.

Sources and reporting

• FIP: Rules of Padel, applicable 2026
• FIP Beyond Rulebook

This research-based guide was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed against the linked sources. CourtCore has not represented a hotel visit, interview or independent service test. Confirm current arrangements and applicable rules directly before making plans.