Paddle tennis is an increasingly popular and growing game, but how do you play? What are the most important rules of paddle tennis? Here we solve everything for you.
How to play paddle tennis?
Paddle tennis is a racquet sport played in pairs on an enclosed rectangular court with glass walls and a net in the center of the court. The objective of paddle tennis is to hit the ball with the paddle so that it passes over the net and falls into the opposing team’s court without them being able to return it.
One of the keys to how paddle tennis is played is that the serve starts with the forehand player hitting the ball diagonally across the court. After the service, players can move freely around their half of the court and alternate hitting the ball. The ball may bounce once on the ground before being returned, but must be hit before it bounces 2 times on the ground.
To win you must reach the predetermined number of games, usually 6, with a difference of two games. In case of a tie, a tie-break is played to decide the winner of the set.
What rules of paddle tennis should I know?
Number of players:
Although it is common to see individual courts in many facilities, paddle tennis is a team sport where we play with a partner to face another couple. Individual courts are most often used to cover dead spaces in clubs, serve as a school court for children or initiation for adults, cover the tastes of people who want to hang out with a friend.
Rules of the game:
- One of the most important padel rules is that the serve must be below the waist and diagonally to the opponent’s court. The serve is fundamental in paddle tennis, since it is the only opportunity in which the player can take the ball with his hand.
- The rules of paddle tennis state that players may not touch the net, neither with the paddle nor with the body during play. If a player touches the net during play, the point is forfeited.
- This is another of the basic rules of padel that you should know. If the ball touches any part of the wall or mesh and then goes into the opponent’s court, it is considered good, i.e., it scores a point.
- Another point you should know about how to play paddle tennis is that the ball can only bounce once on the ground before being returned.
- According to the rules of paddle tennis, if the ball leaves the court, the point is lost. The ball is considered out if it touches anything outside the court, including the net, walls or ceiling.
- The rules of paddle indicate that players may not cross the center line that divides the court, neither with their feet nor with the paddle, unless the ball has passed to the other side. And in the latter case they can only pass the shovel.
- The rules of paddle tennis are clear, if the ball touches one of the players, the point is lost.
- Another variation of these basic rules of paddle tennis, if the ball touches any part of the player’s body before hitting it with the racket, the point is lost.
- Experts recommend novice players to learn how to play padel, avoid unnecessary distractions and maintain a sporting and respectful behavior during the game.
- Hand in hand with the previous point, another of the rules of padel is to respect the referee and his decisions, as he is a fundamental authority figure on the court.
- The paddle rules on the serve indicate that the serve must be diagonal and cannot touch the fence. To be valid it must also bounce first in the rectangle that is on the diagonal, it cannot bounce first at the back of the court.
- When you are learning how to play paddle tennis it is important to know that the ball should not be hit twice by the same player.
- Another key rule of paddle tennis is that the player must allow the ball to bounce before hitting it. You can’t hit it with the shovel in the air.
Tips if you are learning how to play paddle tennis
The first thing we recommend to do is to buy paddle lessons before you start playing with friends, this way you will be taught the basic technique to play and you will never forget it. You will know the basic rules of padel, which will prevent you from breaking them because you will already have the theory well learned. Now, to work on practice, what we need to do is to go to the court, there is no better way to not forget the basic rules of padel than to put them into practice. With an experienced partner you can learn the rules of padel while you are playing.
