The boom of Padel from the beginning. Discover more about the sport and start now to playing padel.
Padel since the begining…
Padel has become the most popular racquet sport in a few hispanic countries such as Mexico and Argentina but mainly in Spain. What is the secret of this racquet sport? As the Padel bat is shorter than in other racquet sports, it is easier to handle. Padel could be played by everyone no matter your expertise in racquet sports, or age. And it’s a great sociable sport as four players must play it.
First Padel court
Enrique Corcuera built the first Padel court, in Acapulco city, Mexico, in 1969.The first court built was around 25 meters long and had walls around the court to avoid the vegetation invade the court. These walls were 3 meters high at the back and 2 meters high at the sides, he placed a net in the middle of the court and placed doors for entry and exit at the sides. This was the birth of this new sport known today as Padel.
Subsequently, due to the extreme heat in Mexico, it was decided to lower the height of the side wall and later to replace them with a wire mesh, similar to the one used today. At first the scoring and the ball were the same as those of tennis, the only difference was that the game would continue if the ball, after bouncing on the floor then off the walls, could be played back over the net. The racquets used were the same as those used in the United States for “Platform Tennis”, shorter and without strings.
The growing popularity of the sport in such a short period of time was quickly acknowledged by many relevant individuals.In 1974 Alfonso de Hohenlohe, a businessman and founder of the Marbella Club in Spain received an invitation from Enrique Corcuera, (inventor of Padel), to visit his house in Mexico to show him the sport he had just invented. At that time Padel used to be called “Paddle Tennis” and was played with wooden bat. Alfonso de Hohenlole just loved the new sport, and when he returned to Spain, he decided to build the first two padel courts in Spain at the “Marbella Club” in Malaga province.
From then on began the promotion of the sport among his rich friends who became padel fans.In 1975 a friend of Alfonso de Hohenlohe’s and a regular visitor in Marbella, Julio Menditeguy (Argentine Polo Player) decided to promote the sport in his native country Argentina, where in a couple of years it became one of the most played sports in the country. In 1990 more than 2 million players and 10,000 courts were built nationwide.
During the last few years padel has spread globally to many countries worldwide. The growing popularity of this sport has even reached North America and some regions in Southern Europe. You can now play padel in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Poland, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Australia, EE.UU, Tunisia, Egypt, Panama, Venezuela, Senegal, India, China, Singapore, and the list seems to be unstoppable.
Padel nowadays…
Padel sport is a mix between Tennis and Squash.Rules are similar to the ones in tennis, but the padel court is smaller than a tennis court and the walls allow you to play with one more bound. This is why we said that padel is similar to squash. A Padel court is 20 meters long and 10 meters wide with back walls made of glass to a height of 3 meters, whereas the glass side walls are 4 meters high. The walls can be made of glass or another solid, even material like concrete. The rest of the court is closed using a metallic mesh and netting of up to 4 meters tall.
Padel it is not played with a “racquet”, we call it “Padel Bat”, does not has strings, instead has hold. Another big difference is that padel is always played in doubles, single does not exist in padel.
The serve is different too, the ball must bounce once on the floor then hit from below at, waist height.
Good news for all those who want to start padel…The sport is accessible to all ages, levels and pockets.To have fun when playing it is important to play with 4 players of the same level. From beginners to professionals, all can play padel as the court is not big and it is not necessary to be very fit to start playing.
The equipment to start playing padel is not expensive, as you need to wear sport clothes, proper shoes to prevent injuries and a padel bat, for beginners prices are affordable.Most of the padel club facilities offer the option to rent a padel bat and balls.Padel has many benefits: It is sociable, fun and easy to learn!
Professional padel game…
Nowadays there is an international circuit: World Padel Tour where some of the best players of the sport can be seen competing in countries across the globe including Spain, Sweden, Argentina, Portugal and Mexico. However, in 2021 the APT PADEL TOUR has increased their popularity and many pro players have started to compete in this circuit which is takes place in Spain, Monaco, Lisbon, Belgium, Sweden, Argentina and some others countries in Latin America.
Last month we had a big announcement of a new circuit, which we will see how it going: The Players Padel Tour, boosted by Lisandro Borges CEO of Buenos Aires Padel Master.
Ready to start?…
If you are looking forward to getting into the sport of padel in UK, you should take a look at the padel courts in the UK near you.
We have also launched our Academy in England: Hello Padel Academy England, who is run by Richard Hall Smith and Dan Troy. They are always happy to host new players at their facilities all over the country to get them started with the best and fastest growing sport in the world!If you are looking to become a Padel Coach, then Hello Padel Academy is the best option.
We hold courses for Padel Coaches with best quality and a large content under Mauri Andrini methodology. His deep knowledge about the sport and his experience as profesional padel layers and also as a coach will make a unique experience for those who choose Hello Padel Academy to become a Padel Coach.
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At HPA Online we also welcome all padel players and coaches to improve their padel skills by subscribing to our coaching platform and access to all padel sessions by Pro Players and coaches . Players can access from any device anywhere. Learning from the Pros is always the best option. Just #differentlevel
