Padel vs Pickleball: What's the Difference? (A Bangkok Guide)

Two sports, one question

Quick take. Padel is played on an enclosed 20 x 10 m court with glass walls, a solid perforated racket, a low-pressure tennis-style ball and tennis scoring. Pickleball is played on an open court about a third of the size, with a flat paddle, a plastic ball with holes, a no-volley "kitchen" by the net and its own scoring. Both start with an underhand serve and both are mostly played as doubles.

Walk into some Bangkok clubs and you'll see both. Sterling on Sukhumvit 24 and Beat Discovery in Bang Na, for example, have padel and pickleball courts side by side. If you are wondering which to try, here are the real differences.

The court

• Padel: 20 m long and 10 m wide, fully enclosed. The back walls are 3 m of glass plus 1 m of mesh, and the ball can be played off the walls.
• Pickleball: 20 feet wide and 44 feet long (about 6 x 13 m), open with no walls. The net is 34 inches high in the middle. A 7-foot "kitchen" on each side of the net is a no-volley zone.

The equipment

• Padel: a stringless racket with a foam or EVA core and holes in the face, and a ball that looks like a tennis ball but has slightly lower pressure. See our racket guide.
• Pickleball: a flat solid paddle and a light plastic ball with 26 to 40 holes, which moves more slowly through the air.

Serving and scoring

• Padel: the serve is underhand, bounced first and hit at or below the waist. Scoring is the same as tennis. Our serve guide has the details.
• Pickleball: also underhand, struck below the waist and diagonally. Only the serving side scores points, games usually go to 11 and must be won by 2, and the ball must bounce once on each side before anyone can volley.

How they feel

Pickleball's rallies are about soft "dinks" at the kitchen line, patience and quick hands. Padel's are about the walls, lobs and winning the net, with longer rallies because the glass keeps the ball alive. Pickleball came from Bainbridge Island near Seattle in 1965; padel from Acapulco, Mexico, in 1969.

Which first?

If you play tennis, padel will feel more familiar. If you play table tennis or badminton, pickleball's quick hands will suit you. The honest answer is to try both: book a court through our court guide, or find a social game on the tournaments page.

Tell us which you prefer: join the Bangkok Padel Community on Facebook.

Sources

• What is pickleball? (USA Pickleball)
• Rules of Padel (International Padel Federation)