WHERE TO START WITH PADEL?
Origin op padel
The sport is originally from Mexico and has been around for 50 years. Because there was no room for a tennis court, someone came up with the idea of building a smaller field. Padel was eventually also introduced in Marbella in Spain, where it became a great success. To this day, Marbella is one of the biggest padel meccas for players. Padel is the most popular sport in Spain after football. A lot of other sporters, including Carles Puyol, Charles Leclerc and Neymar play padel in their spare time.
What is padel?
Padel is a racket sport and can best be described as a combination of both tennis and squash. You play padel with 4 people, where you play two against two. The game is played on a rectangular field. This field measures 20 by 10 meters and is surrounded by fences and glass walls. In the middle is a net. The walls play a major role when playing padel. You play it with a padel ball and a padel racket. The scoring is the same as in tennis (0-15-30-40 game). If you win two sets you are the winner. In addition, it is important to consider what type of padel player you are. Are you an attacking player or more of a controlling player.
Popularity of padel?
Padel gained a lot of momentum over the last couple of years, but why? And what makes it so much fun to play?
First of all, padel is very easy to learn. You can play it at different levels, so you can start padel at any age. It is especially important that you are tactical and can react quickly to the opponent. In addition, it is good for your brain, because you continuously train your hand-eye coordination and you are also busy with tactics and reading your opponent. Furthermore, it is also very good for your social contacts, because padel is a real team sport. After playing you can have a nice chat with the other players and you can meet new people! Our partner Plaza Padel has various group apps at its locations that are used to connect players of equal levels. Take a look at their website and get to know new players near you! At Plaza Padel you can also play all year round because they have many indoor courts all over the Netherlands.
What do you need to start?
The most important part of your padel equipment is of course a padel racket. A padel racket is your weapon on the padel court. There are a lot of different padel rackets available, which come in different materials, technologies and shapes aimed at different types of padel players. It is always important to choose the most suitable racket for your padel needs. A control racket for a defensive player, a power racket for an offensive player and a balanced racket for a neutral all-round padel player. Use our padel racket purchase advice tool to find out what rackets suit you!
Padelshop’s favorite Starter Kit
Backpacks and padel bags are items that become applicable to a padel player at some point, while you may not need them directly it will be the easiest way to transport your padel equipment to competitions and training sessions. Padel brands produce different types of backpacks and padel bags, with different sizes and compartments for all needs. There are large padel bags and suitcases for those looking for more capacity to carry spare rackets and more gear. But padel backpacks are also very popular, for players who need just enough space to take their padel racket and their most important personal belongings with them. Both are an excellent option to protect and transport your padel equipment.
Finally, there are the accessories. Applying grips for extra weight or a protector to protect your beloved racket is essential for every padeller. If you want to learn more about padel first, feel free to order the book "Common Sense" by top padel player Nito Brea.
Not sure what you need yet? No problem! At Padelshop we have made a number of starter kits for you, which fully meet your needs to start on the court. Choose your favorite brand and racket. And if you order before 22:00? You can be on the court with your new gear tomorrow! Check out our Starter Kit selection down below.