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Padel Rules Explained
Learn which bounces keep a rally alive—and the mistakes that end it. This guide covers the standard doubles game.
How to serve legally
Start on the right and alternate service sides after each point. Bounce the ball in your serving area and strike it at or below waist height, with at least one foot on the ground. Send it diagonally into the opposite service box; a line counts as in.
Under the 2026 FIP service rule, keep one foot behind the service line and stay within the relevant serving area. Do not touch the service line or its central-line extension with your feet. The bounced ball must not cross the service line or the imaginary central extension before you strike it.
You have a second serve after a first-serve fault. Two faults lose the point. A net-touching serve is replayed only when the other let conditions are satisfied; a ball that then hits the cage before its second bounce is still a fault.
The receiver must wait for a bounce
Do not volley the serve. Let it land in the correct service box and return it before the second floor bounce. A return after the ball has bounced and rebounded from the glass can be legal. If the served ball touches the cage before its second bounce, it is a service fault.
After the serve has been returned, players may volley or play after one bounce. The service-box markings do not limit where a rally shot may land.
Glass and cage: four common situations
| Situation | Decision |
|---|---|
| Your shot hits the opponents’ wall before their court surface | Your pair loses the point. |
| A rally shot bounces on their court, then hits glass or cage | The rebound can stay in play; they must return it before the second floor bounce. |
| Your serve lands in the correct box, then hits glass | It can remain a valid serve; the receiver still has to beat the second bounce. |
| Your serve lands in the box, then hits the cage before its second bounce | Service fault. This differs from a cage rebound during a rally. |
A player can use their own wall as part of a return that then lands correctly across the net. Hitting the ball into your own cage does not work the same way: that loses the point.
Other common ways to lose a point
- The ball bounces twice before your pair returns it.
- The ball touches a player’s body or clothing during play.
- A player, racket or clothing touches the net while the point is live.
- Both partners strike the same return, or a player makes an illegal double hit.
- A player drops their racket or breaks the safety cord during the point.
What about running outside the court?
Some competition courts permit out-of-court play through designated openings with the required safety area. It is not automatically allowed at every venue. Confirm the court’s authorised format; a shot leaving the enclosure can have a different outcome when outside play is not permitted.
For points, games and the 2026 Star Point format, continue to Padel Scoring Explained.
Sources and review
Reviewed 26 October 2026. Standard doubles padel; FIP Rules of Padel effective 1 January 2026. Competition formats can vary. Practical exercises are introductory suggestions, not additional rules.