Padel
Padel is an enjoyable, tactical racket sport that is growing in popularity across the UK. It’s hard to come off court without a smile on your face and a keen desire to play again! Tennis and squash players quickly pick up the game and find many of their skills are transferable, allowing them to reach a good level of play in a relatively short period of time, while beginners can learn the basics of the game and improve rapidly. From children who are experiencing racket sports for the first time through to the more mature player, padel provides a great outlet for exercise, competition and fun. At the top level, it’s an incredibly tactical, and physical game. You only need to check out the top padel rallies from the World Padel Tour on YouTube to appreciate the game at its best.
Rules of Play
In padel scoring is the same as tennis – but there are many differences between the sports. A padel court has walls, so shots can be played off them, like in squash.
Also, unlike tennis, when a ball is served it must bounce once on the floor then hit from below, or at, waist height. When serving, players have two attempts to hit into an opponent’s box.
Players can also volley the ball during a rally however the ball is determined as “out” should it hit a wall directly. In padel, players can bounce the ball off a wall on their own side of the court – similar to squash.
Like tennis, a set is won when a team wins six games and there is at least two games difference – failing that the set is decided by a tie-break. Matches are best of three sets.
Padel courts are designed for four players and are roughly 25% smaller than the size of a tennis court. The speed of the game, combined with the smaller size of a padel court, makes singles play difficult, and most padel matches feature two pairs of players.
Some padel courts are designed especially for singles, but around 90% of all padel courts in the world are doubles specific. At a professional level only doubles is played on the World Padel Tour, the leading competition for elite players.
Padel in Hertfordshire
Facilities in Hertfordshire are currently fairly limited but there is a strong determination and drive in the county to boost the number of courts and participation in the area. A number of exciting projects aimed at introducing padel to many more players, are currently in the pipeline. Broxbourne Tennis Club now has 2 padel courts which are available for use.
To date there are 14 courts located across Hertfordshire. They are listed below:
1 Outdoor court – Bishops Stortford
Down Hall Hotel
Matching Rd
Hatfield Heath
Bishops Stortford
CM22 7AS
Bookable on a pay and play basis – contact gopadelessex@gmail.com
2 Outdoor courts – Broxbourne
Broxbourne Sports Club,
Mill Lane Close,
Broxbourne,
EN10 7BA
Email: padel@broxbournesportsclub.co.uk
3 Outdoor courts – Bushey
Bushey Grove Leisure Centre
Aldenham Rd,
Bushey
WD23 2TD
Tel: 01923 470140
For booking details, please go to: https://www.matchi.se/facilities/padelunitedbushey
3 Indoor courts – Bushey
David Lloyd, Bushey
Hartspring Lane
Bushey
WD23 2DL
Tel: 01923 213760
Membership required
https://www.davidlloyd.co.uk/clubs/bushey/
2 Outdoor courts – Potters Bar
Old Owen’s Sports Ground
Coopers Lane
Potters Bar
EN6 4NF
For booking details, please go to: https://padelprojectuk.com/potters-bar
1 court – Champneys Tring (private – guests only)
Chesham Road
Tring,
HP23 6XH
Email: TringFitness@champneys.com.
https://www.champneys.com/spa-resorts/tring/activities/padel-tennis/
2 Indoor courts – Welwyn Garden City
Gosling Sports Park
Stanborough Road
Welwyn Garden City
AL8 6XE
For booking details, please go to: https://www.matchi.se/facilities/game4padelgosling
Herts LTA Padel Sub-Committee
The members of this sub-committee are padel enthusiasts who meet frequently to develop padel within the county. For more details please contact Stuart Foster at hertstennis@gmail.com
LTA Padel Competitions
https://www.lta.org.uk/play/ways-to-play/padel/competitions/
LTA Padel Rankings
https://competitions.lta.org.uk/ranking/ranking.aspx?rid=305
Seniors https://competitions.lta.org.uk/ranking/ranking.aspx?rid=306
LTA Padel Instructor Qualification – Now Live
SAPCA Code of Practice for the construction of Padel courts
LTA monthly padel newsletters
Visit the LTA Padel webpage
*Photo courtesy of the LTA