PADEL 101
PADEL, TRANSLATED.
Bandejas, víboras, glass and golden points. The words you'll hear on court, without the complicated explanation.
THE DICTIONARY
WHAT DID THEY JUST SAY?
Search a term or scroll through the language of padel.
NO MATCH FOUND. TRY ANOTHER TERM.
BANDEJA
BAN-DEH-HA
A controlled overhead used to keep your position at the net rather than trying to finish the point immediately.
Definitely not a tray of drinks.
CHIQUITA
CHEE-KEE-TA
A soft, low shot played towards the feet of opponents positioned at the net.
Big problem.
VÍBORA
VEE-BO-RA
An aggressive sliced overhead intended to stay low and awkward after hitting the glass.
But with attitude.
GOLDEN POINT
SUDDEN DEATH
A deciding point played at deuce rather than continuing through advantage scoring.
No second chance.
THE GLASS
YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND
The walls form part of the game. After the ball bounces, it can rebound from the glass before you return it.
Use it.
SWEET SPOT
THE GOOD PART
The area of the racket face that provides the cleanest and most effective contact.
Everything feels better.
OVERGRIP
HANDLE BUSINESS
The replaceable layer wrapped over your racket handle to improve grip, comfort and sweat absorption.
Change it.
AMERICANO
SOCIAL. MOSTLY.
A popular social format where partners rotate and players collect points individually.
Until the leaderboard appears.
LOB
UP + OVER
A high shot played over opponents at the net to push them backwards and help you regain court position.
is the way forward.
VOLLEY
NO BOUNCE REQUIRED
A shot played before the ball bounces, most commonly when you're positioned closer to the net.
Take away time.
SMASH
YOU KNOW THIS ONE
An attacking overhead used to put pressure on the opponents or attempt to finish the point.
Placement still matters.
THE NET
WHERE YOU WANT TO BE
The attacking position close to the net where you can pressure opponents with volleys and overheads.
Own the point.