Padel Glossary: Every Term You Need to Know

A complete reference for padel terminology — shots, rules, court positions, equipment, and player terms. Useful for beginners learning the language of the sport and for anyone who hears a term on court and wants to know what it means.

A

Ace: A serve that the receiver cannot return — the point is won outright on the serve.
Advantage: The point played after deuce. Win it and you win the game. Lose it and you return to deuce.
Alley: The narrow strip along each side of the court between the service box and the side wall.
Approach shot: A shot played to move forward to the net. Usually played deep and to one side to push opponents back while the player advances.

B

Bajada: A shot played after letting the ball come off the back wall — dropping down from a high bounce into a controlled shot aimed at the net. One of the signature advanced shots in padel.
Bandeja: A ceiling-height overhead shot played with slice, landing deep in the court. Used to maintain net position while answering a lob. One of the two main overhead shots in padel (the other being the vibora).
Baseline: The line at the back of the court. Less commonly referenced in padel than in tennis because wall play means the baseline is not the boundary it is in tennis.
Body shot: A shot aimed directly at the opponent's body, making it difficult to play comfortably.

C

Carbon fibre: A structural material used in premium padel rackets. Stiffer and lighter than fibreglass. Grade is indicated by K number — 3K and 12K are the most common in padel. Higher K = denser weave = stiffer frame.
Chiquita: A low, fast cross-court pass played at net height — usually used to wrong-foot opponents at the net.
Closing the net: Moving forward to take a dominant net position after hitting a good approach shot. The net is the strongest attacking position in padel.
Court: A padel court is 20m × 10m. Glass walls at the back (3m high), combination glass and mesh on the sides. Net divides the court at 88cm at the sides, 92cm in the middle.

D

Dead ball: A ball that hits the wire mesh on a serve and drops dead into the service box — this is a let, and the serve is replayed.
Deuce: When both players/pairs reach 40-40 in a game. One side then needs to win two consecutive points to win the game.
Double fault: Two consecutive service faults, resulting in loss of the point.
Drop shot: A short, low shot played with backspin that dies close to the net. Effective against opponents at the back of the court.

E

Edge tape / bumper guard: Protective tape applied to the frame edge of the racket to absorb impact damage from wall and floor contact. Strongly recommended for any regular player.
Eva foam: The internal core material of most padel rackets. EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) foam is softer and more forgiving. Harder foam cores give more power and less comfort. Carbon shells are bonded around the foam core.

F

Fault: An invalid serve. If the serve lands outside the service box, touches the net, or doesn't follow the service rules, it's a fault. Two faults = double fault = loss of point.
Fibreglass: An alternative to carbon fibre as a frame material. More flexible and less expensive than carbon. Most budget rackets use a fibreglass or fibreglass-hybrid construction.
Foot fault: A service fault caused by the server's foot touching or crossing the service line before hitting the ball.
Forehand: A shot played with the dominant hand side of the body, with the palm facing the direction of the shot.

G

Game: The unit of scoring within a set. First to four points (with deuce rules) wins a game.
Glass wall: The tempered glass sections of the court wall. The back two walls and lower side sections are glass. Balls coming off the glass at speed and angle are one of the main tactical elements of padel.
Golden point: A sudden-death point used at deuce instead of playing out full advantage. More common in professional and tournament play. Check your club's format — recreational padel often still uses the full deuce system.
Grip: Both the handle section of the racket and the overgrip tape wrapped around it. Padel uses a continental grip (same as a hammer hold) for most shots. Overgrip should be replaced regularly.

H

Halfway line: The line dividing the two service boxes within each half of the court.
Head-heavy balance: A racket where more mass is concentrated toward the head (top) of the frame. Adds power to overhead shots but increases arm fatigue. Less common in modern padel racket designs.
Head-light balance: A racket where more mass is near the handle. More maneuverable and easier on the arm. Good for net play and fast exchanges.

L

Let: A serve that clips the net but lands correctly in the service box. The serve is replayed. Also called when play is interrupted by external interference.
Lob: A high, deep shot played over the heads of opponents at the net. The most important defensive shot in padel — a well-placed lob forces opponents back from the net and resets the rally.
Love: Zero points. Used in scoring: "love-fifteen" means 0-15.

N

Net: Divides the court at 88cm height on the sides, 92cm in the middle. Standard net dimensions are set by the International Padel Federation.
Net cord: The top of the net. A ball that hits the net cord and falls in is in play. On a serve, it's a let.

O

Out ball: A ball that lands outside the court boundaries. In padel, a ball that hits the side or back wall directly without bouncing first (other than the serve) is out.
Overhead: A shot played above head height. In padel, the main overhead shots are the smash, bandeja, and vibora.
Overgrip: Grip tape applied over the base grip on a racket. Improves feel and absorbs sweat. Needs replacing every few months of regular play.

P

Padel elbow: Lateral epicondylitis caused by padel-specific mechanics — usually gripping too tight or using a racket that's too heavy. See our injury prevention guide.
Pared: Spanish for "wall" — the term used in padel instruction and commentary to refer to wall play.
Perforation: The holes in the face of a padel racket. Required by FIP rules (the face must be perforated). The pattern and size affect aerodynamics and sometimes the sound of the ball contact.
Poach: When the net player crosses to intercept a ball aimed at their partner.

R

Rally: A sequence of shots played between the two sides, starting from the serve and ending when a player wins the point.
Return: The shot played in response to the serve.
Round shape: A racket head shape (circular rather than teardrop/diamond). Generally more forgiving with a larger central sweet spot, but less power than teardrop shapes. Often recommended for beginners.

S

Serve: The underarm shot that starts each point. Must bounce in the server's box first, then be struck below waist height, landing in the diagonal service box.
Service box: One of the four rectangular sections of the court. Each side has two service boxes. The serve must land in the diagonal box on the other side of the net.
Set: The unit of scoring above a game. First to six games, win by two (tiebreak at 6-6).
Slice: A shot played with underspin (backspin). Keeps the ball low after bouncing. The bandeja uses slice.
Smash: A flat, powerful overhead shot aimed to end the point. Most effective when opponents have been pushed back by a lob. The smash in padel is more powerful than the bandeja but cedes net position if not executed perfectly.
Sweet spot: The section of the racket face that produces the best combination of power and control on impact. Larger in round shapes, smaller and more concentrated in teardrop/diamond shapes.

T

Teardrop shape: A racket head shape narrower at the top than round shapes. More power than round, less forgiving. The standard shape for most intermediate and advanced players. Our recommended starting shape for beginners who want to develop long-term.
Tiebreak: A points-based game played when a set reaches 6-6. First to seven points, win by two. Points are counted 0, 1, 2... not 15/30/40. See our scoring guide for the full detail.
Topspin: Forward spin on the ball. Creates a higher, faster bounce. Less common in padel than in tennis because the wall play changes how spin affects the trajectory.

V

Vibora: An overhead shot played with lateral spin rather than flat or slice. Creates a fast, low bounce that often angles away from opponents. One of the two main overhead shots in advanced padel (with the bandeja). Named for its resemblance to a snake strike.
Volley: A shot played before the ball bounces. Used frequently at the net in padel to cut off angles and end rallies quickly.

W

Wall: The glass and mesh enclosure around the court. Balls can come off the walls and be played — this is the central mechanic that makes padel tactically different from tennis.
Wall play: Any shot that involves using the wall as part of the trajectory, either off your own back wall or off the opponent's walls.

More reading: padel rules for beginners | what is padel? | how to choose your first padel racket