Padel glossary

Padel has its own language, which is useful to know before stepping onto the court. Learning the key terms will allow you to communicate better, anticipate plays, and enjoy the game more. This glossary brings together essential expressions and technical concepts, explained clearly, including several terms in their original Spanish form, as they are commonly used in the world of padel.

Navigate easily by clicking on the initial letter of the term you want to look up:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Ace: a direct serve that is not returned by the opponent. It is a point won directly with the serve.

All: means that the score in a match is tied. For example, "15 all" (15 equal).

Americano: is a very popular padel tournament format that takes place in several rounds, in which all players rotate between pairs so that everyone competes against each other. You can learn more about this format in our Americano Padel guide.

B

Bajada: an attacking shot known as a "knockdown." It consists of the player, positioned at the back of the court, hitting the ball from a high contact point and directing it first upwards and then downwards.

Backhand: is a shot executed from the opposite side to the dominant side. For example, if you are right-handed and make contact with the ball from your left side.

Backspin: when you hit the ball with control and power so that it bounces low and goes backwards.

Bandeja: a defensive move performed above the head, characteristic of padel, with spin and control. It is often accompanied by a backhand.

Block: a defensive shot normally used by players at the net to return a powerful shot to the body.

Break point: what is known as a break in the serve. It is the opportunity to break your opponent's serve.

Many of these terms are used in Spanish throughout the world of padel, especially "bandeja" or "bajada," due to the sport's Hispanic heritage.

C

Carbon fiber: a material used to manufacture padel rackets. It is desirable due to its low weight, easy maintenance, and high durability.

Chancletazo: a strong, aggressive, low shot hit from the right. Its aim is to decide the rally.

Chiquita: a soft shot hit from the back of the court so that it falls at the feet of the opposing team. It means "small" in Spanish.

Crosscourt: refers to a shot made diagonally from one corner of the court to the opposite corner.

Cuchilla: is a variant of the smash with a cut effect and a downward trajectory.

Cut shot: a shot with a cut or slice effect. It causes the ball to spin backwards or sideways, causing it to bounce lower and making it more difficult for the opponent to return.

D

Deuce: part of the padel rules, this is the decision made when the score in a match is tied at 40-40. Depending on the scoring system used, the decision may be to play a Golden Point.

Drive: a shot made from the right side of the body for right-handed players or from the left side for left-handed players.

Drop shot: a subtle, short shot aimed at making the ball fall close to the net.

E

Error: various technical or tactical mistakes that cause the point to be lost.

EVA: this is the material used for the grip of padel rackets. It is a type of highly absorbent foam or rubber with different densities. It stands for ethylene vinyl acetate.

Exit shot: When the ball bounces off the wall and goes out of bounds. Also known as a "court out."

F

Fault: an error or mistake when serving. This occurs when the player does not comply with the rules established for the serve.

Foot fault: an infraction that occurs when a player steps outside the permitted areas during the serve.

Forehand: a shot executed from the dominant side.

Frame: refers to the head of the racket, which is made of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or a combination of both.

Freezer: a strategy in which the player hits as many balls as possible to the same player on the opposing team to destabilize their strategy.

G

Game point: the point that can end the game in favor of the server in a set.

Golden point: when the score is tied at 40-40, this rule is used if playing in this format and allows the winner to be the player who wins the next point.

Grip: refers to the grip or handle of the padel. It is the way a player holds the racket to play and can influence control, power, and comfort during play.

Groundstroke: a shot made after the ball has bounced on the ground. The aim is to maintain control of the ball and prepare a strategy to win the next point.

H

Half volley: a defensive shot after a very low bounce, almost flush with the ground.

Hold serve: this is to keep the serve. As in other racket sports, the player who serves has the initial advantage, so keeping the serve is vital to winning the match.

I

Inside-out shot: a shot made to surprise the opponent by the direction of the ball. It consists of hitting with an unexpected spin or direction for the opponent and to the opposite side of where it appears to be going.

Impact point: the exact point where the ball comes into contact with the racket.

J

Jamming: an aggressive, high-pressure strategy. Players on the same team move very close to each other on the court with the intention of confusing their opponents and forcing them to make mistakes.

Jump smash: an offensive shot performed by jumping with greater power and a downward angle. This move is used to finish off points.

K

Kick serve: a type of serve that is performed upwards. It causes the ball to take a special spin when it bounces, which can make it difficult for the opposing team to return.

L

Let: a serve that is repeated because the ball hits the top of the net and bounces correctly into the service box. A let may also be called in situations where the ball hits close to a line and cannot be called clearly in or out.

Lob: a high, deep shot used to keep the opponent away from the net. It is also called a balloon.

Love: a term used in the scoring system when one or both pairs have 0 points, or if the score in a match is 15-0 (15-love).

M

Maneuverability: refers to a key characteristic of the racket that depends on its weight and how it is distributed. When the weight is concentrated at the top, it is known as head-heavy balance and maneuverability decreases, but power is gained. If the weight is closer to the handle, it is called head-light balance and the racket is more maneuverable, although it loses some power.

Match point: is the situation in which a player or pair has the opportunity to win the match if they score the next point.

Mid-court: refers to the middle area of the court. Specifically, the area between the service line and the back wall.

N

Net: the net that divides the court into two halves. It can also be used to describe the situation in which the ball touches the net during the serve and lands in the opponent's correct area.

Net play: is the game near the net, where players seek to take control of the point with volleys, lobs, or smashes.

O

Overhead smash: are shots that are usually used when an opponent hits a lob. They are above the head in the style of a lob or a smash.

Out: when the ball has left the valid boundaries of the game.

P

Padel: is a racket sport played on a rectangular court divided in two by a net. It originated from tennis in Mexico, and you can learn more about what padel is in our guide.

Point: is the basic unit of scoring in a match. A point is won each time a valid shot is made, and the opposing team cannot return the ball, according to the rules of the sport.

Poach: a surprise move by the player at the net to intercept a ball.

Paddle tennis: a racket sport similar to padel, but not the same. Padel is a Mexican sport and paddle tennis is American. Explore the key differences between padel and paddle tennis in our guide.

Q

Qualifier: refers to the preliminary rounds or matches played in a tournament before the main draw begins. They are held to allow lower-ranked pairs or those who do not have direct access to the main draw to compete for a place in the main tournament.

Quick feet: a player's ability to move quickly around the court, making coordinated changes of direction and short movements for greater efficiency.

R

Rally: is a continuous sequence of shots that players exchange with each other from the moment the ball is put into play.

Raquet: the padel racket. In this sport, it is not officially called a racket (although it is sometimes used informally), but rather a paddle.

Run: the action of moving or running quickly with the intention of reaching a ball that the opponent has hit far or deep. Unlike quick feet, this action refers more to a wide and sustained movement to reach the ball.

S

Serve: this is the shot or stroke that starts each point in the game. It is the first shot of each play and has very specific rules unique to padel.

Slice: a shot in which the ball is "cut" to give it spin and make it bounce low. It is often used in volleys at the back of the court to put pressure on the opposing team.

Smash: a strong, offensive shot hit above the head with the aim of winning the next point.

T

Tiebreak: the scoring system used to decide the set when the score reaches 6-6 in games.

Topspin: the action of imparting spin to the ball so that it bounces forward.

Tweener: is the action of hitting the ball with a shot between the legs. It is considered a defensive shot.

U

Underspin: refers to an effect applied to the ball when it is hit with the racket, causing it to rotate backwards on its own axis in the opposite direction to the initial movement of the ball.

Umpire: the person designated to supervise the match and ensure that the rules of the game are followed. In other words, it is the referee of the match.

V

Volley: is a shot used instead of a normal volley at the net or in the transition zone. It is a volley in which the angle of the racket is adjusted to hit the ball over the opposing team members in order to score a point.

Vibora: a shot above the head that is more powerful than a bandeja. Its purpose is to gain position at the net. The vibora technique in padel is executed by aiming the ball to bounce off the wall at a difficult angle. It is done diagonally so that the ball ends up at the opponent's feet, making it difficult for them to defend. The term "víbora" comes from the Spanish word for "snake."

W

Wall play: a term that refers to the ability to use the glass walls or metal mesh of the padel court to hit the ball for defensive or offensive situations.

Winner: a shot played in such a way that the opponent has no chance of returning it. This means that the player or pair who executes it wins the point.

World Padel Tour: for many years, this was the most prominent and prestigious professional padel circuit in the world. At the end of 2023, a historic agreement was reached whereby Premier Padel, backed by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) and the International Padel Federation (FIP), acquired the World Padel Tour, owned by the Damm company, so that, starting in the 2024 season, Premier Padel would consolidate its position as the only and leading professional padel circuit in the world.

X

X-factor: used to refer to an intangible, unique, and often difficult-to-describe characteristic that designates a player or team and sets them apart as very good in crucial moments of a match.

Y

Yellow card: a formal penalty or warning that a referee may give to a player or pair for unsportsmanlike behavior or for violating the rules of padel.

Z

Zero: used to refer to zero points in the scoring system. It is the equivalent of Love in tennis.

Zone: a specific area of the padel court that is usually related to strategies, positions, or certain types of shots.