Padel etiquette — the unwritten rules every newcomer should know.

The official rules tell you how to play padel. The unwritten rules tell you whether the people on the next court will invite you back. These are the ones that catch newcomers out.

Before the match

• Show up ten minutes before your booking. Padel rotates fast and the court is already paid for; if you stroll in at the start time you've eaten ten of your sixty minutes.
• Don't walk behind a live court. Most clubs have a perimeter path. If a rally's in play on the court you're passing, wait — even if you're walking behind glass.
• Warm up with your partner first. Stand at the service line, hit relaxed forehands and backhands for two minutes, then a few volleys, then a couple of overheads. Don't start the match cold and don't spend ten minutes blasting smashes.

During the match

• Call your own lines honestly. Closer call wins — the team whose side the ball lands on calls it. If you're not sure, the ball was in. The opposite habit (calling everything out) marks you out as a player nobody wants on their court.
• Announce the score clearly before every serve. Server says it. Twice a game when you switch sides at deuce, three times when somebody asks. Padel point-counting drifts surprisingly fast.
• Throw the ball back, don't hit it. If a ball lands on another court, wait until the rally finishes, then roll or throw it back at a sensible speed. Hitting a ball back to the next court while play is live is the cardinal sin.
• Acknowledge good shots. A small palm-on-the-strings tap at the net after a great winner — yours or theirs — is the universal "nice shot." Anyone who plays in Spain will recognise it.
• Don't coach your partner mid-rally. One word between points is fine ("long", "mine", "again"). A monologue about their footwork is for the bar afterwards.

The partner stuff

Padel is a doubles game and the partner you bring is half your enjoyment. Three social rules that don't get said often enough:

1. Cover your partner's misses out loud. Every time. "Got it", "my fault", "next one." Silence after a miss feels terrible to the person who made it.
2. If your partner is much better than you, copy their court position.Look at where they stand on serve, on return, after a deep lob. Don't copy their shots — copy their position. That's where they spent five years learning.
3. If your partner is much weaker than you, never apologise on their behalf and never sigh at a missed shot. They can see you. Everyone can see you.

After the match

• Tap rackets at the net at the end — winners and losers, all four. This is the moment that ends the match. Skipping it reads as bad sportsmanship even in casual play.
• Pick up your balls before the next group walks on. All of them. Including the one that's stuck behind the door.
• Tip the staff if it's that kind of club. A coach who racked you up a match in their off-time, a barperson who held the back booking, the stringer who fixed your loaner racket. €5 is enough.

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