r/padel

I play padel a few times a week and I’m trying to sort out hydration for longer sessions. The issue is not just thirst, it’s the heavy sweating, leg fatigue and cramps that show up near the end of a match. I’d rather avoid the usual sports drinks since most are loaded with sugar, and some electrolyte powders are so salty they’re hard to drink during play, mainly looking for something that helps with hydration and recovery without feeling like I’m drinking candy or seawater.

Hi, I very recently started playing padel and I find it quite fun. I play badminton, and I find it a bit weird to adjust to padel.
Are there any tips that you guys have on adjusting/playing better?

I’m looking for a padel camp. Minimum 5 days.
Regions: Europe - Spain, Portugal, France. Would also consider other warm places.

Wouldn't they be better with the left side (their forehand), and I (right-handed) take forehand/right side?

(If a dumb question, I'm sorry, just learning padel - btw - me learning did not sway their decisions - they decided on right side separately - and before seeing me play)

Hi All,

I thought it would be interesting to see where we're all from.

I'm from Connecticut, USA, 90 mins from both NYC and Boston.

Been playing since January once a week as a great change up from competitive racquetball 3x a week.

I hope to keep improving and I play with a terrific group of players from Argentina and elsewhere.

Glad to be part of this group.

Not necessarily skill-wise, just someone you really enjoy playing with.

Is it communication, positivity, consistency, good court awareness, similar playing style, staying calm under pressure, or something else?

Play a lot of socials where balls are provided and found like I’d dialled In my lob during those matches consistently falling just short of the back glass.

Last night nothing changed but the balls, fresh out the pack exact same shot just clipping the bottom glass consistently, took me a set to get used to it and generally just felt much hotter off the face like they are at the right pressure and the social balls are probably a bit lower on pressure and not as hot off the racket.

How do people get used to this? Do people insist on using their own fresh balls in all forms of play so they’re used to a specific ball / pressure?

Or am I overthinking this? I’m a new player I’m not exactly some hyper consistent high level player but I noticed so many shots just had that bit more on them than I expected.

Do I leave more room for error on those lob shots so they’re deep but change in ball doesn’t cost me points or is this something you develop in time as you improve and get feel?

Hi, just curious about how people feel about these aspects regarding tournaments.

1. What time (hour) do you like starting your first match in a tournament?
2. Do you like the draw format or would you prefer a group stage style format (2 groups -> winners of each group play the final, 2nds in group play the bronze match etc.)?
3. Do you feel overly nervous in a tournament setting? Or have you learned how to overcome the competitive anxiety? If so, how?

Thanks in advance!

It hasn't been asked recently so....

What are your favourite padel balls both for winter and summer?

Criteria:

How does the ball feel in the first place?

Does it retain pressure well during a match?

How does it hold up when using a pressuriser? Does it hold up well for 4-5 matches?

Hi everyone,

I am thinking of looking into getting a padel coach in the UK. However, I’m unsure of how to actually find a decent coach. For those with more experience, what are things you would look out for? In addition, what would be a reasonable price to expect when looking for a coach?

Thanks for any advice in advance!

I am just starting out. Also, does the arm soreness go away the more you play and your body adapts to it?

Thanks.

I did very well the first half of my training, and right after felt extremely drained during break (5mins). After catching my breath and having some water, I prepped for another round to repeat the same shots we had practiced before break. Once the balls started shooting, I realised I can't focus anymore. My brain couldn't follow the ball, and I couldn't react fast enough to hit. I missed almost all of the balls in that round. I kept forcing myself to focus, but my brain felt as if it had frozen, and I felt like I was in a dream.

I take a good protein rich meal a couple hours before my training, and I always stay well hydrated.

I've started playing to help with my brain and to improve reaction time, as I lack these abilities in most areas of life. So this sudden occurrence worried me and really discouraged me.

Hi all, I’ve been playing padel for about 8 months coming from a tennis background. It’s been super fun but I can feel a plateau in my progress. On some days I feel like I’m even worse than I was a few months ago, but I understand it’s because I had to unlearn some bad habits and am trying to play safer/not kill every shot so it FEELS like I’m not “winning” as much.

I’ve also read that playing lots is helpful but not without intention. Mindlessly playing lots of games might lead nowhere. The advice I’ve read is to work on ONE thing each time I play, but I have trouble deciding what is priority. As a result my mind is super scattered in a match trying to focus on a billion things. I end up doing everything half heartedly and very mediocre. In my coaching sessions, a lot tends to be covered but it’s also not a match situation so it doesn’t always immediately translate when I’m under pressure.

Between these four areas that I think I’m poor at, what should be the most pressing to commit to in matches?

- forehand volleys w compact backswing (tendency to have v big backswing & prep)

- overheads (tendency to wrist flick right before shot (like tennis))

- lobbing more

- defending cross court shots off the glass with turn/spinning around

Appreciate any advice and/or sharing on how you play matches with intention and use the volume of play to your advantage!

Hi all, I'm in Spain next month, spending time in Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona with my girlfriend.
I've booked 2 private 90 minute lessons in each city (mornings).
(Río Arena Pádel Madrid, CM Valencia Tennis Center, Nick Club Pàdel Barcelona - all walking distance from my hotels 😂).

I'm intermediate/advanced (4–4.5 on Playtomic) — technique's strong, but I'm still tactically weak: shot selection under pressure, aggressive play and court positioning as a pair are my main gaps.

A few questions for anyone who's done something similar or can advise based on knowledge:

• With 3 different coaches, is it better to give each one a specific brief on what to work on, or just let them diagnose fresh each time?
• Would I get more out of fewer lessons and more open/social matches instead? Worth noting -back home, coaching quality is nowhere near this level, so this trip is my main shot at real Spain level instruction for a while.

Would've loved to do a full academy week, but gotta balance the trip with my partner too 😄

Hi! My friend and are spending a few days in Båstad next week and would like to take a few padel lessons while we're there. I emailed Båstad Padel Stationstorget asking to arrange something, but their reply was quite dismissive, so I thought I'd ask here: Can anyone put me in touch with padel coaches in Båstad available for lessons on august 24 and 25 during the day?

Many thanks!

For people who’ve taken lessons, how often were you going? I’m taking lessons once a week, with a few clinics here and there, but I’m not improving as quickly as I’d like. I’m starting to wonder if it’s me or my coach 😂

Not that I think she’s bad, but I see coaches on TikTok whose teaching techniques seem a lot more interesting and who focus more on things like footwork, positioning, rather than just throwing balls at you.

How often did you take lessons, and what did your training look like when you were actually starting to see a noticeable improvement?

Lifelong tennis player here. Only properly discovered padel this summer in Norwich, UK (my home city) after a friend dragged me along. I’d been living in Slovakia and completely missed how big it had become in the UK. It’s starting to explode here too, with new clubs opening every month.

First session was a group coaching class at Court De Padel (not affiliated) followed by a couple of Americanos afterwards. The game itself is way more fun and social than tennis, but what really got me was the whole package: modern interiors, good coffee, being able to work remotely between games, meet people easily, and have gym/wellness facilities all in the same place. As someone who’s worked remotely from cafés and co-working spaces for 15+ years, that combination feels close to perfect.

I got properly into the sport, but the lifestyle and community part has stayed the main draw. So I started ranking the indoor clubs I visit purely on that side of things and put the ratings up on a small site I built. First locally in the UK, then on road trip I just took through the Netherlands, Switzerland and Slovakia. Next month I’m hitting the better indoor clubs in Hungary and Poland, then a big UK swing after that.

The criteria I’ve been using so far (each scored 1–5, equal weight):

• Atmosphere
• Welcome
• Coffee
• Food
• Wifi
• Workspace
• Showers
• Wellness
• Parking

Courts and coaching sit outside this list on purpose. I’m more interested in the rest of the club experience.

What’s your criteria when you’re judging a club beyond the courts and coaching? And what’s the best club you know on that front? In Europe, Netherlands has some great clubs, but it's looking like Padium in the UK is going to top the rankings, can't wait to visit the one in Cardiff (I try to avoid London). Globally, it looks like Miami.