Your First Padel Class in Bangkok: What to Expect

Published November 1, 20266 min readBy the Bangkok Padel Community team

Your first padel class, step by step

Quick take. A first padel class usually lasts about an hour. It starts with the grip and the ready position and ends with a short game. Bring sports clothes, court shoes and water, and ask the club about a rental racket. In Bangkok, four players sharing a lesson pay from 500 THB each, and a private hour with the court included costs 1,200 to 1,700 THB at the clubs that publish prices.

Padel is one of the easiest racket sports to start. The court is small, the serve is underarm and the walls keep the ball in play, so most people are rallying by the end of their first class. A coach makes that first hour much easier: you learn the right grip before bad habits set in.

Not sure what padel is yet? Read What is padel? first. This post is about one hour: your first class. For the weeks after it, see your first month of padel.

Group class, clinic or private lesson?

There are three common ways to take a first class. Prices below are the ones Bangkok clubs publish.

Format	Who is on court	Published prices in Bangkok
Private lesson	You and a coach	1 hour: 1,200 THB at Bangkok Padel, 1,400 THB at No Drama Padel (court included at both); Time Out Bangkok reports 2,000 THB at Pad Thai Padel
Shared lesson	2 to 4 players and a coach	At Bangkok Padel, per player: 750 THB for two, 650 THB for three, 500 THB for four
Group clinic	A small group working on one part of the game	750 THB each for 1 hour at No Drama Padel; Bel Club 22 runs a monthly Beginners Clinic (ask for the price)

Private gives you the most attention and the fastest progress, but costs the most.
Shared with friends is the cheapest way to have a coach, and you already have a group to play with afterwards.
A clinic or beginner group is good if you come alone: you meet other new players at your level.

Many clubs don't publish lesson prices: Sterling's coaching is run by M3 Padel Academy, and Baan Padel's lessons are booked in Playtomic like a court. Ask the club. No Drama Padel says its coaches, prices and programmes change in January 2027, so check its prices page before you book.

What to bring and wear

Shoes. Tennis or court shoes with good side-to-side grip. Not running shoes: they slip on the sandy artificial grass. Padel shoes can wait until you know you will keep playing.
Clothes. Light, breathable sportswear you can lunge in. A cap and sunscreen for outdoor courts.
Racket. You don't need to buy one first: ask the club about renting a racket when you book. When you do buy, choose a light, round racket. Our gear shop guide lists where to buy in Bangkok.
Water and a small towel. Bangkok is hot and humid all year. See our heat guide.
Ten spare minutes. Arrive early to check in and collect a racket, and tell the coach it is your first time and about any injuries.

How a beginner class runs

Every coach has their own style, but most first classes follow this order:

Warm-up (5 to 10 minutes). Light jogging, stretching and easy bounces to get used to the racket.
The grip. Most coaches start with the continental grip: hold the racket as if you were shaking hands with it, or holding a hammer. Keep it relaxed; squeezing hard costs control.
The ready position. Face the net, feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, weight on the balls of your feet and the racket in front of you at chest height.
Forehand and backhand. The coach feeds easy balls and you hit them back with a short, calm swing. Control matters more than power.
The walls. The part that is new for everyone. After the ball bounces once on your side, it can come off the glass and still be played. You learn to let it come off the wall, wait, then hit. Our back glass guide explains more.
Volleys. Short punches of the ball out of the air near the net.
The serve. Bounce the ball behind the service line, hit it at or below waist height, and send it diagonally into the opposite box. You get two tries. The details are in padel serve rules.
A short game. Rallies or a mini-match to put it all together.

Expect to miss a lot. Everyone does in the first hour, and nobody on court minds. Before you leave, ask the coach for one thing to practise next time.

Where to book a first class in Bangkok

These clubs say they teach complete beginners:

Bangkok Padel. The club's own coach teaches beginners and low intermediate players. Book by phone or email.
No Drama Padel. An academy for adults and kids, from first-timers up. Book in Playtomic, by phone or on WhatsApp.
Bel Club 22. A monthly Beginners Clinic with the club's coaches, no experience needed. Ask for dates.
Baan Padel. Lessons for beginners to advanced players, booked in Playtomic.
The Padel Co. A find-a-coach service on its website, and it can match newcomers with a group of four.

Our coaching page lists every club's lessons, prices and how to book. Few clubs say which languages their coaches teach in, so ask when you book if you would like a class in Thai or English. To find a club near you, see the list of Bangkok courts.

After your first class

Play again within a week. Book a court with three other beginners while the grip and the serve are fresh. Split four ways, a court is much cheaper than a lesson.
Take a second lesson on the walls. The back glass is the skill most people learn faster with a coach.
Try a beginner Americano. A social event where you change partners every round. Look for events marked "beginner" or with a low level range on the tournaments page, and read Americano vs Mexicano first.
Get a level. Playtomic rates players from 0 to 7, starting from a short questionnaire. Answer it honestly so your first games are close. See Playtomic levels explained.

For more first steps, read our beginner's guide and the Start here page. Looking for players at your level? Join the Bangkok Padel Community on Facebook.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How long is a first padel class?

Most beginner lessons last 60 to 90 minutes. The lesson prices Bangkok clubs publish are for one hour, which is plenty for a first class: grip, ready position, basic shots, the walls, the serve and a short game.

Do I need my own racket for my first padel class?

No. Ask the club about renting a racket when you book. What matters more is shoes: tennis or court shoes with good side grip, not running shoes.

How much does a padel lesson cost in Bangkok?

Where clubs publish prices, a private hour costs 1,200 THB at Bangkok Padel and 1,400 THB at No Drama Padel, court included. Four players sharing a lesson at Bangkok Padel pay 500 THB each, and No Drama Padel's group clinic is 750 THB each. Other clubs ask you to contact them.