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Chances are high that you’ve played a game of tennis at some point in your life. However, have you tried padel yet? It’s a relatively new sport that has rapidly increased in popularity in the past few years. Padel is similar to tennis and squash as it’s a ball sport and requires a racket too, however, the rules are slightly different. If you’re interested in learning how to play padel and are wondering where you can play padel in the UK, you’ll find the answers in this blog.
Find a padel court near me
The first step is to find a padel court near you. Wherever you’re based in the UK, it’s likely that there is a padel court within driving range. For a quick and easy overview, you can have a look at this list of padel courts in the UK. Whether you’re based in London or the Midlands – chances are high you’ll be able to book a padel court to play for an hour or so.
Play padel with friends or family
Now, it’s time to collect a small group of people to play padel with. Or alternatively, there are often lessons at a padel club you can join or other individuals who are looking to play with others. Because padel is played with four people, divided into two teams of two. This makes padel the perfect sport to play with your friends or family! Everybody is able to participate, which makes it a fun activity, especially now that summer is approaching.
Invest in padel equipment
Most padel clubs will have the opportunity to rent padel equipment, so if it’s your first time playing padel, we recommend calling your local padel court to check if they have a racket you can use. However, if you liked playing padel – we’re sure you will! – and are planning to do this on a regular basis, it can be useful to invest in a good padel racket that matches your playing style. It’s also a lot more certain as padel rackets can run out in a padel club!
Learn how to play padel
Before walking onto the padel court for the first time, it’s always a good idea to read into the sport a bit more. As padel is different from tennis or squash, it’s best to forget most about what you know about those sports. You hold a racket, yes, but other than that most of the rules are different. Padel is played in teams of two, and similar to squash, you can use the walls to score points. To learn more about how to play padel, read some helpful articles or watch some YouTube videos – or simply ask one of the experts at your padel court to help you get started!
Don’t forget to warm up!
The last but absolutely not last tip is to do a proper warm up before starting your padel session. A common misconception is that padel isn’t as active as other sports but if you’re a fanatic player – we assure you it is! After an hour of jumping around in the padel court, we are certain that the sweat will be dripping off your face.
To avoid injuries or sore muscles, we recommend doing a proper warm up before getting started. Do a few stretches, run around the block or warm up your arm and shoulder muscles by swinging your arms back and forth. This will get you into the right spirit immediately and helps to avoid any painful injuries from happening. It would be a shame if your first padel session ends in tears, after all!
