Padel rules explained
The underhand serve, the walls, the faults and the lets — everything you need to play your first padel match without confusion.
In padel, you serve underhand by bouncing the ball and striking it below the waist diagonally into the service box. The ball must bounce on the floor before it can be played off the walls, and your own glass and mesh walls are in play after that bounce. A point ends when the ball bounces twice, is hit into the net or mesh, or leaves the court. Scoring follows tennis: 15, 30, 40, game.
Key takeaways
- The serve is underhand, bounced first, and hit below waist height into the diagonal box.
- The ball must bounce on the floor before it may rebound off the walls.
- Your own back and side walls are in play once the ball has bounced.
- Two floor bounces, or hitting your own walls before a bounce, loses the point.
- Scoring is the same as tennis; see the separate scoring guide.
The serve
Padel serving is deliberately gentle. You stand behind the service line, bounce the ball once on the floor, and hit it at or below waist height so it travels diagonally and bounces in the opponent's service box. You get two attempts, and a serve that clips the net and still lands in the correct box is a let and is replayed. Because the serve is underhand, there are no thunderous aces — the rally is where padel lives.
Playing the walls
The rule that defines padel: after the ball bounces on the floor of your side, it may come off your own glass or mesh walls and you can still play it back over the net. What you must not do is let the ball strike your walls before it has bounced on the floor — that loses the point. On the attacking side, you may also let the ball rebound off the opponent's walls after your shot clears the net.
Faults and losing a point
You lose the point if the ball bounces twice on your floor, if you hit it into the net or your own mesh, if it strikes your walls before bouncing, or if you volley the serve. Shots that leave the court over the surrounding fence are out. Because rallies run long, patience and positioning matter more than power.
Doubles and positioning
These rules have stayed remarkably stable since Spain and Argentina agreed on a single rulebook in 1997 — see the history of padel for how the sport got there. Padel is almost always played in doubles, and controlling the net is the central tactic. Attacking teams use shots like the bandeja and víbora to hold their net position while keeping the ball low and awkward — our padel doubles strategy guide covers how pairs actually win and hold that net position. For the numbers behind the court, see how big is a padel court? Knowing the rules is only half the battle — most new players also fall into the same handful of technical and tactical habits; see common padel beginner mistakes for how to skip past them faster. The official rulebook also leaves plenty unwritten — how honestly you call your own faults, how hard you smash against a weaker pair, how promptly you clear the court afterward — covered in padel etiquette.
FAQs
How does the padel serve work?
The server bounces the ball once behind the service line and strikes it below waist height, hitting it diagonally into the opponent’s service box. The serve must bounce in that box before the receiver plays it.
Can the ball hit the walls in padel?
Yes. After the ball bounces on the floor of your side, it may rebound off your own glass or mesh walls and still be in play. What you cannot do is let it hit your walls before it has bounced on the floor.
When is a ball out in padel?
A ball is out if it bounces twice on your floor, hits the walls before bouncing on the floor, or is hit into the mesh or out of the court on the opponent’s side without a valid bounce.
Last updated August 12, 2026 · PadelAnywhere Editorial
Sources
This guide is based on the official rules of play published by international and national padel federations. Local clubs may apply minor format variations; check house rules before a match.