Gather equipment: You will need a padel racket, padel balls, and appropriate sports attire, including non-marking shoes.

Find a padel court: Locate a padel court near you. Padel courts are similar in size to a tennis court but have a surrounding glass wall. Many sports complexes or clubs have padel courts available for use.

Warm up: Before starting the padel game, warm up your body by stretching and doing some light exercises. This helps prevent injuries.

Choose partners: Padel is typically played in doubles, with two players on each side. Choose your partner and decide who will serve first.

Serving: The game starts with one padel player serving the ball. The server must stand behind the baseline and hit the ball underhand, aiming diagonally across the net into the opponent’s service box. The serve must be directed below waist level.

Return of serve: The receiving padel player must let the padel ball bounce once before returning it. The padel ball must be returned before it bounces for the second time. The return can be a groundstroke or a volley (hitting the padel ball before it bounces).

Rallying: After the serve and return, the players continue hitting the ball back and forth, trying to keep it in play. The ball must bounce on the ground before it can be hit on the volley.

Scoring: Padel uses a similar scoring system to tennis. The first point is called “15,” the second is “30,” the third is “40,” and the fourth is “game point.” However, if the score reaches “40-40” (known as “deuce”), the next point is played as “advantage.” If the same player wins the next point, they win the game. If they lose the point, the score returns to “deuce.” To win a set, you must win six games with a margin of two games. If the score reaches 6-6, a tiebreaker is played.

Court boundaries: The glass walls surrounding the court are considered in play. You can use them to your advantage by hitting the ball off the walls, but the ball must always bounce in the opponent’s court.

Etiquette: Respect your opponents and follow good sportsmanship. Avoid hindering their play and give them enough space to make their shots.