The glass can make padel look chaotic at first. Try watching one bounce at a time: first the ball meets the court, then it may rebound from a wall, and only then does the receiver choose a return. Looking for that order is easier than trying to predict every angle.
Understand the enclosed court
Padel is played in pairs on an enclosed court. A normal return must land in the opponents’ court before hitting their wall or fence. After a legal bounce, a wall rebound can stay playable; the receiver must still return before a second floor bounce. A direct shot into the opponents’ wall is not the same sequence.
Recognize the start of a point
For service, bounce the ball and strike it at or below waist height, sending it diagonally into the receiving service box. A second service attempt follows a first fault. The receiver must let the serve bounce. A serve that then touches the metallic fence before its second bounce is a fault; glass and fence are not interchangeable.
Read points, games and sets separately
The familiar point sequence is love, 15, 30 and 40, followed by game unless deuce rules intervene. Games accumulate into sets. FIP provides alternative scoring methods, so the event regulations determine how a tied game or set ends.
Work through a Star Point game
FIP announced Star Point for Premier Padel, CUPRA FIP Tour, FIP Promises and FIP Beyond from 2026. It keeps advantage play but limits repeated returns to deuce. That circuit announcement does not tell you which option a recreational club has selected.
Illustrative sequence beginning at deuce
- First opportunity
Pair A wins the next point and takes advantage. A further A point ends the game; a B point resets the score.
- Second opportunity
From the next deuce, the winner again takes advantage. Winning the following point ends the game; losing it uses up the second cycle.
- Deciding point
If both cycles return to deuce, the next point is the Star Point. Whoever wins it wins the game.
