North America vs The World

I finally tried padel. Some friends who had previously played a few times finally convinced me to play with them, so a court was booked, a spare paddle was provided and onto the court I went.

With no expectations, I was first surprised at the surface of the court. It was a really fine astroturf-type material mixed with extra fine sand. I was then surprised to be handed what looked like a tennis ball, but, apparently, a padel ball is different from a tennis ball.

To warm up, I hit a few groundstrokes and volleys down the line, hit a few shots that were fed off of the wall behind me, and then shortly after hearing a few of the rules we got right into a game. 

Having an extensive background in pickleball and having briefly dabbed in tennis years ago really helped me along in the hour-and-a-half session.

I spent the time watching my friends hit a variety of shots off of the ground, as a volley and off the wall. I watched the way they served and the way they moved towards the net. It was overall, a very fun experience and I will certainly be playing padel again (and possibly again and again).

I thought it would be an interesting topic to discuss the similarities and differences between padel and pickleball, and, how the sports can both complement and conflict against each other...

Image credit: Sara McInnes

After trying the sport, I dove into the history of padel just a little bit. Originating in Mexico, in 1969 just four years after pickleball was invented, the sport became increasingly popular across Spanish-speaking countries.

The dynamic sport now has an international federation, and six million participants worldwide. Apparently, padel is most popular in Spain, with approximately 15,300 courts and 6,470 courts in Italy.

I’ve been involved in pickleball since 2015 and have always known it to be the ‘fastest growing sport’, but in North America. Word on the street (and statistically speaking) padel is supposed to be the fastest-growing sport in the world.

The requirement of walls and fencing (or mesh walls) has me wondering just how accessible the sport really is though.

Let's start with the obvious first topic...

Playing Style

I think pickleball emphasizes quick reactions, agility, and precise placement of shots. Due to the smaller court size, the more nimble and strategic, the stronger the player can be in utilizing dinks, volleys, and smashes effectively.

Padel combines elements of tennis and squash, emphasizing both power and finesse. The enclosed court allows players to use the walls strategically, and teamwork is crucial in doubles play.

Image credit: Sara McInnes

The Serve

What’s similar is that both pickleball and padel call for an underhand serve that is required to land in a designated service box.

It just so happens that the service box in pickleball is one entire half of the opponent’s court (less the non-volley zone) and in padel the service box is clearly defined, with space behind it that would be considered ‘out’.

The main difference: in padel, the serve can bounce off of the wall after it’s landed on the ground, so you must follow the serve and therefore, there’s a higher degree of difficulty on the return of serve.

Unlike pickleball, in padel, you have two chances to serve, much like tennis and there are lets (which means, the ball is served again at no fault, when it hits the net and lands in the service box).

Image credit: Sara McInnes

Finesse with the Ball

To gauge (quickly, mind you) how the ball plays off of the paddle and ground, I tried to drop the ball at my friend’s feet and tried slicing it both on serve and return.

While some drop shots occur within a padel rally, the way a rally is reset is with a lob, whereas, dinking is unique to pickleball and is the way to reset a faster rally at the non-volley line.

My group hit the ball at a faster and harder pace and I kept asking myself “Am I one of those newbies who just bangs the padel ball, kind of like beginners in pickleball?”. 

From what I’ve now read, experienced players will often engage in short and controlled exchanges near the net, using drop shots - and as mentioned lobs - strategically.

The enclosed court and the presence of walls allow for diverse playing styles, including softer shots akin to dinking in pickleball. Experienced players will incorporate their finesse to place the ball close to the net, making it challenging for opponents to respond.

While the terminology might differ, the idea of using finesse shots close to the net is definitely present in padel, just as it is in pickleball. Both sports require players to master a combination of power and finesse to outmaneuver their opponents.

Scoring

Padel uses a very similar scoring system similar to tennis, with points awarded in multiples of 15 and a match went to the winner of 6 games before we rotated partners.

If the teams are tied at 40/40 then we would play “Golden Point" where the receiving team chooses which person is to receive serve and whichever team wins that rally wins the game.

Pickleball, as we know, uses a unique scoring system where points can only be scored by the serving team. Games are typically played to 11 points, and matches are best of three games.

Padel is in the early stages of growth here in Ontario but there seem to be a few eager groups and associations doing the legwork about long-term sport development to make the sport grow.

So far, Padel Canada is not indicating that they are working towards Long Term Athlete Development through NCCP (National Coaching Association of Canada); if they do not want to become a funded NSO that’s their prerogative.  

I think the main difference between the two sports is what sort of experience a person is seeking on the court but I truly feel it’s worth trying padel at least once, if the opportunity arises!

Here are a few resources for you to peruse if you’re interested in learning more about padel:

Padel Ontario

Padel Canada

T.10 Padel is a year-round facility located in Vaughan

The Pad is an outdoor padel facility in Cherry Beach, Toronto

Rallybox Padel promises to be an all-year-round facility in Toronto, but yet to open

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