Padel Terms for Beginners: 30 Words You'll Hear on Court

Lost in the lingo?

Quick take. Padel comes from Spain and Latin America, so a lot of the words you hear on court are Spanish. Learn about 30 of them and your first class, your first Americano and every post in the group chat will make a lot more sense.

Turn up to a beginner session in Bangkok and within ten minutes someone will shout "golden point?", call for a bandeja or tell you to let the ball come off the glass. None of it is hard once you know what the words mean. Here they are in plain English, grouped the way you meet them: the court, the score, where you stand, the shots and the social games.

The court

Word	What it means
Glass (cristal)	The glass walls at each end and along the sides. The ball can bounce off them and stay in play.
Mesh or fence (malla)	The metal mesh on the sides and top ends of the court. It is in play too, but the bounce off it is unpredictable.
Service line	The line across each half, about 3 metres in front of the back glass. The server stands behind it.
Service box	One of the two boxes between the service line and the net. Every serve must land in the box diagonally opposite.
Salida	"Exit": running out through the door to chase a ball that has left the court. Only some courts have the space for it.

The walls are what make padel different from tennis. If you want the full rules on what can and cannot hit the glass, read our guide to the wall rules.

The score

Padel uses tennis scoring: 15, 30, 40, game, then games and sets. A few extra words come up at 40-40.

Word	What it means
Deuce	40-40.
Advantage	The classic way to finish deuce: you must win two points in a row.
Golden point (punto de oro)	One deciding point at deuce, with the receiving pair choosing which side to receive on. Most social games in Bangkok ask "golden point or advantage?" before they start.
Star Point	The pro tour's new middle way: advantage twice, then a single deciding point if the score reaches deuce a third time. Our Star Point explainer has the details.
Fault	A serve that breaks the rules. You get a second serve; two faults in a row lose the point.
Let	A point played again, for example when a serve clips the net and still lands in the right box.

On the serve itself: under the official rules of the International Padel Federation (FIP), you bounce the ball behind the service line and hit it at or below waist height, diagonally into the box opposite. More in our serve rules guide.

Where you stand

Word	What it means
Drive side	The right-hand side of the court. Often the steadier player who builds the point.
Revés side	The left-hand side ("backhand" in Spanish). For two right-handers this player usually takes the overheads and the balls down the middle.
At the net	The attacking position. Most points are won here.
At the back	The defending position, near the back glass. The aim is to get back to the net.

Not sure which side suits you? See left or right side.

The shots

Word	What it means
Lob (globo)	A high ball over the players at the net that pushes them back. The most useful shot for a beginner.
Volley	Hitting the ball before it bounces, usually near the net.
Smash (remate)	A hard overhead to finish the point.
Bandeja	"Tray": a controlled overhead with slice that keeps you at the net. See how to hit a bandeja.
Vibora	"Viper": a more attacking overhead with side-spin. See the vibora guide.
Chiquita	"Little one": a soft, low ball at the feet of players at the net. See the chiquita.
Dejada	A soft drop shot that dies just over the net. See the drop shot guide.
Bajada	"Descent": attacking a high ball after it has bounced off the back glass. See the bajada.
Por tres	"For three": a smash that bounces out over the 3-metre side wall. See the por tres.
Por cuatro	"For four": a smash that goes out over the 4-metre back wall.
Contra pared	Hitting the ball into your own wall so it rebounds over the net. A last-ditch escape.
Boast	A shot that hits the side glass before it crosses the net, a word borrowed from squash.

You will not need most of these in your first month. Lob, volley and letting the ball come off the back glass are the three to learn first, and a coach will start you there. Our coaching page lists who teaches at each club.

The social games

Word	What it means
Americano	Partners and opponents rotate every round, everyone keeps an individual points total and the highest total wins. The friendliest way to meet players.
Mexicano	Starts like an Americano, but later pairings follow the live leaderboard, so games get closer as the evening goes on.
King of the Court	Several courts: winners move up a court and losers move down, so players settle at their level.
Nevera	"The fridge": a tactic where a pair keeps hitting to one opponent, leaving the other out in the cold.

Our Americano vs Mexicano guide explains how the evenings run in Bangkok, and the tournaments page shows the next beginner sessions.

Start using them

The fastest way to learn the words is to hear them on court. Book a first class, try a beginner Americano and ask what anything means; padel players love explaining their shots. Looking for people at your level? Join the Bangkok Padel Community on Facebook.

Sources

• Padel glossary: what do bandeja, vibora and chiquita mean? (LTA Padel)
• Padel terminology (Tennis Warehouse Learning Center)
• Padel glossary (Padelful)
• FIP Rules of Padel (International Padel Federation)