How to play the padel game

What is padel?

Padel is a racket sport played mostly in doubles on a 20 × 10 m court enclosed by glass and mesh walls. You serve underarm, the ball may bounce once on your side and then hit the walls before you return it, and scoring works like tennis. It is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and this game brings it to the browser with real wall play: balls come off the back glass, the side glass and the mesh, and reading those bounces is half the game.

Controls

Every shot is release-to-hit: the swing starts when you let go of the button, and the time you held it sets the power, from 35 for a tap up to 100 after 0.9 seconds. The charge bar shows it. A groundstroke takes about 0.15 s to reach the ball and an overhead about 0.3 s, so release slightly before the ball arrives. Hold a direction while you swing to aim.

With a mouse, the left button drives and the right button lobs; while a button is held the cursor aims. Touch controls appear automatically on phones and tablets and are multi-touch, so you can run and swing at the same time.

The shots

Drive and backhand

Your bread-and-butter groundstroke. The game picks forehand or backhand from the side the ball is on.

Lob

Send the ball high over the opponents at the net to push them back. A deep lob that lands near the back glass is hard to attack.

Bandeja

A controlled overhead with slice, used to keep the net when you are lobbed. Tap the overhead button.

Víbora

A more aggressive, sidespin overhead. Tap the overhead button while holding sideways.

Smash

Hold the overhead button to smash. At full charge it becomes a power smash that can bounce out of the court (x3) or come back over the net (x4).

Chiquita

A soft, low ball at the feet of the players at the net, so they have to volley up.

Game modes

• Quick match: you and an AI partner against two AI opponents. Best of three sets, tie-break at 6–6, optional golden point, three difficulty levels.
• Singles: you against one AI on a 20 × 6 m singles court with the same walls, net and scoring.
• Practice: solo against a ball machine. Drill serves, balls off the back glass, bandejas, drives, backhands, volleys, lobs, víboras, smashes and chiquitas, each with its own goal and counter.
• Tutorial: learn movement, the serve, wall play and the bandeja, then win a point.
• Demo: watch the AI play a dressed-up final with an intro flyover and a trophy ceremony.

Tips for winning more points

• Get to the net with your partner. In padel the team at the net usually controls the point.
• When you are lobbed, use a bandeja to keep your position instead of smashing every ball.
• Let fast balls go past you and play them off the back glass. You get more time and a better angle.
• Release early. The swing needs a moment to reach the ball, especially for overheads.
• Mix lobs and chiquitas to move the opponents up and back.

Frequently asked questions