Padel is not tennis on a smaller court. It is its own sport with different strategy, technique and social dynamics. If you come from tennis, most things will come quickly to you, but a few things will surprise you.
1. Always in fours
Padel is not played one-on-one; it is always doubles. This fundamentally changes the logistics. You need to arrange for three people, not just one. Plus, it means the community is more communal, and club events are the standard format.
2. Servis spodem
No powerful overhead service. In padel, you serve below waist height after one bounce on the ground. This eliminates the advantage of tall players and the dominance of the "serve-and-volley" style that decides tennis matches.
3. Walls
From a tennis perspective, the most unusual aspect is that when your opponent sends you a deep ball, you can let it bounce off the rear glass wall and play from the rebound. This option fundamentally changes defensive play: padel is about patience and waiting for an error, not about winning shots.
4. A rocket without a net
A padel racket is a solid board with holes. No strings, no tension. The feel on impact is completely different, like the difference between a racket and a small bat. Tennis technique gives you a movement advantage, but you will spend weeks adjusting your stroke.
5. Price and availability
In Prague, an hour on a padel court costs 480-600 Kč; split between four players, that's ~140 Kč per person. A tennis court costs about the same, but split between two, it comes to ~250 Kč per person. Padel is a third cheaper. Current availability of padel courts tady na kamnapadel.cz.
What You Take Away from Tennis
- Pohyb po kurtu - split step, small steps, reading the ball. All apply.
- Volej - crucial in a padel court. The tennis player has an advantage from the very first hour.
- Lob - in padel, the most important shot. In tennis, a drop shot; here, the primary weapon.
What you must unlearn instead
- Heavy-duty work - The court is smaller and you don't have time for them.
- Winning shots from deep positions the wall returns it to the opponent.
- Lifted topspin - they deal with him without any fluff, betting on a straight hit.
Recommendation: try playing padel once with a coach. You will understand why in Spain it has been pushing tennis into the minority for 15 years.
Hledáš volný padelový kurt? Podívej se na aktuální dostupnost na kamnapadel.cz.