How to Serve in Padel: Rules and Technique

In padel, every point starts with an underarm serve after a bounce. That takes power out of the serve compared with tennis, so it is less of a weapon. Its job is to set up the point: a well-placed serve lets you and your partner take the net. This tutorial covers the rules first, then the technique.

The serving rules

The International Padel Federation's Rules of Padel set out the serve in detail. In short:

1. Stand behind the service line, between the imaginary extension of the centre line and the side wall, and stay there until you hit the ball.
2. Keep your feet off the lines. Neither foot may touch the service line, the imaginary centre line or the service box before contact.
3. Bounce the ball first, on the ground inside the area you are serving from.
4. Hit it at or below waist height, with at least one foot on the ground.
5. Serve diagonally into the opponent's service box. The lines count as in.

Each game starts with a serve from the right-hand side of the court, and you switch sides after every point. The same player serves for the whole game.

Faults and lets

The serve is a fault if you miss the ball, if it lands outside the correct box, or if it hits you or your partner. It is also a fault if it bounces in the box and then hits the metal mesh before bouncing again. A serve that bounces in and then hits the glass is good, and the receiver must play it.

If the serve clips the net and lands in the box, it is a let and is replayed, unless it then hits the mesh. You get two serves. A let on the first serve gives you two serves again. A let on the second serve replays only that serve.

Serving technique, step by step

There is no single correct serve. This simple motion is a good place to start, and you can adjust it once it feels natural.

1. Stand side-on. Stand a little behind the service line, with your front shoulder pointing towards the box you are aiming at. For a right-hander serving forehand, that is the left shoulder.
2. Prepare the racket early. Take the racket back before you drop the ball, with a relaxed grip at about waist height.
3. Drop, don't throw. Hold the ball in front of your body and slightly to the side, and let it fall. A consistent drop gives you a consistent bounce.
4. Hit after the bounce. Let the ball rise from the bounce and hit it at or below your waist, stepping into the shot with your front foot.
5. Swing through towards the target, finishing with the racket pointing where you want the ball to go.
6. Move forward. After serving, follow the ball towards the net with your partner. The serve is your pair's chance to take the attacking position.

Where to aim

Placement matters far more than speed. Three targets work well:

• Towards the side glass. Aim for the back corner of the box, next to the side wall, so the ball carries on into the side glass behind it. The receiver then has to play it off the wall. The side glass only covers the last few metres before the back wall, and a serve that hits the mesh further forward is a fault, so keep this serve deep in the box.
• Down the middle, at the "T". A serve aimed at the junction of the centre line and the service line limits the angles the receiver can use.
• At the receiver's body. A serve straight at the receiver can cramp their swing.

Mix these up so the receiver cannot settle into one position.

Common mistakes

• Hitting too hard. Power usually costs accuracy, and a fast serve that lands wide can run into the side mesh for a fault.
• Serving from the wrong place. Standing on the line or on the wrong side of the centre line is a fault.
• Contact above the waist. A high contact point is a fault, and it often comes from a high toss rather than a simple drop.
• Staying at the back. If you serve and stay behind the service line, you give away the net position the serve is meant to win.

Once your serve is reliable, the next step is the return and play at the net. Our how to play padel tutorial walks through a full point, and the padel rules guide covers every serving rule in detail.