| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| When: | Beginners (Monday 12:30), Intermediate (Thursday 11:00), Advanced (Monday 11:00) |
| Venue: | Polideportivo Oliva |
Padel is a sport that combines action with fun and social interaction. It’s a great sport for players of all ages and skill levels, as it is both quick and easy to pick up. Most players get the basics within the first half an hour of playing, which means that everyone can get to enjoy the game.
We have sessions focused on beginners, intermediate and advanced players - what's your level?
So what's padel?
Padel is a mix between tennis and squash. Usually played in doubles in an enclosed area surrounded by walls of glass and metallic mash, padel courts are one-third of the size of a normal tennis court.
The game is quick and easy to learn, making it a fun and addictive sport to play. Using a short, stringless padel racquet with an elastic surface and holes, the service is made underarm using a low compression ball.
Padel is not as dominated by strength, technique and serve as it is in tennis. That makes it an ideal game for men, women and youngsters to compete together. Match craft is important with points won by strategy rather than by sheer strength and power.
The ball can bounce off any wall but can only hit the turf once before being returned. Points are scored when the ball bounces twice in the competitors’ part of the court or when the ball is not returned.
Shots are played either before or after the ball bounces off the surrounding glass walls, adding a unique dimension to the sport over conventional tennis.
The rules for padel are similar to tennis in many ways, but there are also differences. Padel Scoring largely follows that of normal tennis and players change their side of the court every time an odd game number is played.
What level are you?
u3a Oliva offers a range of different padel sessions across the week - for beginners, intermediate and advanced players. The Monday sessions are led by Elizabeth Peters, and the Thursday session by Graham Martin.
Beginners
If you're a beginner, then our Monday session at 12:30 is there to help you get into the sport and improve. Even if you've never picked up a padel bat before, why not give it a try?
Intermediate
For intermediate players, looking for a bigger challenge, then we have our Thursday session from 11:00. This will help you improve your skills.
Our intermediate group is currently full, but we can add you to the waiting list and let you know as soon as a space becomes available.
Advanced
And for players with experience, then the advanced session on Monday at 11:00 is right for you. This offers fast paced games against stronger players.
If you're not sure what level you're at, get a spot at one of the sessions and ask the group leader to help you. If you've never played before, get started with the beginners group.
Get in touch with the group leader to check there's space and to book your place.