CONNECTING OUR EYES, BRAIN, AND BODY CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
Padel — A Sport That Is More Visually Challenging Than Tennis
Part 1: A relatively new sport that challenges the mind, the body, and the eyes!
Padel (pronounced Pah-dell) is a relatively new sport, originating in Mexico in the 1970s. It has grown in popularity recently, particularly in Europe and Asia, where it is now played by millions of people in close to 80 countries worldwide.
It is a racquet sport similar to tennis but played on a much smaller court with solid walls on all four sides. It is often described as a cross between tennis and squash.
The game can be played with two players on each side of the court, with the aim to hit the ball over the net and into the other player’s court. The game can also be played singles, doubles, or even triples!
Visually, Padel is extremely challenging. Not only does the small ball move quickly in a restricted space, but the added dimension of being able to hit the ball off the 4 walls, surrounding the court, makes it in some cases more visually challenging than tennis. Some have made the comparison that if tennis is checkers then Padel is chess, in terms of difficulty.
Padel is a very strategic and tactical game, requiring players to think carefully about their shots. Participants must employ a variety of visual skills in order to succeed and must react with split-second timing and incredible accuracy in order to be successful.
In this, part 1 of a two-part series about the visual needs in the game of Padel, we will describe the game, the rules, and how the game is played. Part 2 will explore the visual requirements for success in the sport as well as how we can correct and train our vision for maximal performance.
WAYS TO PLAY PADEL
Padel can be played in many different ways, depending on the number of players and the court size.
Singles: played with two players, one on each side of the court.
Doubles: played with four players, two on each side of the court. Probably close to 99% of the matches are played this way.
Mixed doubles: played with two players of each gender, with one player of each gender on each side of the court.
Padel can also be played in teams of three, with each player taking turns hitting the ball.
COURT SIZE AND NET HEIGHT
Padel is played on a much smaller court than tennis, with solid walls on all four sides. The court is typically 10–12 meters long and 6–8 meters wide.
The net is lower than in tennis and is typically 1.7–1.8 meters high at the center.
EQUIPMENT
Padel is played with a racquet and a ball. The ball is similar to a tennis ball but is slightly smaller and softer. The ball should be 6.35 to 6.77 cm in diameter. The ball is inflated to 11 psi, resulting in less bounce than a tennis ball and about 8% smaller than a tennis ball.
Although similar in appearance to tennis balls, it is important to use a Padel ball in order to avoid damage to the racquet as well as allow for proper bounce and movement of the ball.
The Padel racquet is smaller than a tennis racquet and has a more rounded shape. There are no strings on the Padel racket, instead, the racquet is made of carbon fiber or fiberglass with an inner core of foam to absorb shocks and vibrations. The racquet face has many holes of varying arrangement depending on the player level.
SCORING
Padel uses the same scoring system as tennis. A game is scored by the tennis system of 15/0, then 30/0, 40/0, deuce, advantage, etc.
SERVICE
All points in Padel begin with a serve. Unlike tennis, the service is made with an underhand motion into the service box diagonally opposite the server.
The server stands behind his service line and bounces the ball once before hitting it below waist level, over the net. The ball must land in the opposing service box, but then remains in play if it bounces off the side walls.
As in tennis, the server must stay behind the service line when serving and an improper serve results in a fault. If the first serve is a fault, then a second serve is played. Double faults result in a point to the opponent.
PLAY
After a service when a ball is in play, it must cross the net and bounce once on the opponent’s side before hitting the glass or wire wall. If the ball hits the wall before bouncing on the ground then the point is lost.
Opposing players may hit a volley (hitting the ball before it hits the ground) except when receiving a serve. Players are allowed to hit the ball after it hits the wall. The ball can only hit the ground once and can only be hit once by each side, without losing the point.
Interestingly, it is permitted to hit the ball off of the wall on your side to cause it to cross the net.
WINNING
Similar to tennis, a player or a team wins a match by being the first to win two out of 3 sets. In order to win a set, a team must win 6 games.
RULES
Padel has a number of rules similar to tennis rules, but there are also some key differences.
One key difference is that the ball can be played off of the walls, which means that shots can be hit much harder and more aggressively.
Additionally, the different ball and racquet as well as the court size changes the dynamic of the play and forces much quicker visual identification as well as reaction to oncoming targets.
TOURNAMENTS
There are 35 different international Padel federations and Padel is played in a number of different tournaments around the world.
The biggest and most prestigious padel tournament is the World Padel Tour, which is played across a number of different countries. The World Padel Tour features both men’s and women’s tournaments, with prize money totaling over $1 million. In fact, the World Padel Championships were played in Dubai in November 2022 where Argentina beat Spain in the finals.
Padel is also played in a number of smaller tournaments, such as the European Padel Tour and the Latin American Padel Tour.
Padel is a great workout and a fun way to socialize and stay active. It is also a very strategic and tactical game, requiring players to think carefully about their shots.
If you’re looking for a new racquet sport to try, one which requires incredible visual as well as physical abilities, then padel is definitely worth checking out!
In part 2 of this series, we’ll take a deep dive into the different visual skills needed for Padel. We’ll review what skills are needed, and how they can be tested and potentially optimized for this very visually challenging sport.
Would you like to learn more about how your eyes can help you play better in your sport? Sign up for my 5-day FREE Email course by clicking here (safe link to my website).
