« I think the padel practice can exceed the tennis in France, as it has already done in Spain. The courts are smaller, the cost is lower, and thefaster learning. »

This sentence, pronounced by Sergio Sanchez-Barbudo Sanchiz, a padel teacher in the North of Madrid, sums up the major advantages of padel quite well.

Several factors, internal or external to the practice of padel, make the latter more attractive than other racket sports, or even than other sports more generally. These factors concern the amateur practice of padel: we then consider the factors that influence the individual's choice, when choosing the sport they are going to practice.

internal factors are purely game-related factors (technical, tactical, physical).

external factors concern aspects that are external to sport, but essential for its functioning (social, economic, logistical, health).

Technical simplicity and a playful aspect

Racquet sports are generally very difficult sports to grasp, due to the technical difficulty they impose. Tennis, for example, is one of the sports that requires the most training time to begin to produce real exchanges, and therefore to to have fun. Tennis is even one of the sports with the dropout rate after one year of highest practice.

padel training course

According to a study carried out by the FFT and the IRDS 66 in 2010, more than 50 % abandonment of the practice of tennis occurs at the end of the first year practice. Beginner players get discouraged quickly, because progress in tennis is slow, and the fun is non-existent when it is so difficult to return the ball. Generally in padel, from the very first sessions, players manage to exchange balls and have fun.

Le playfulness of this sport allows you to feel a much faster progress than other racket sports. The racquet is more manageable: it is easier to hit the ball in the desired direction, and to measure out your shots. There rapid progression is very encouraging for the player, giving him the desire to continue playing to achieve ever more pleasant points.

A very stimulating sport on the tactical aspect

In padel, the presence of glass on which the ball can bounce adds a real tactical challenge to this sport. Rebound must be anticipated so that the player is in the best conditions to return the ball. It is sometimes more judicious to advance towards the net, rather than to retreat towards the window when the opponent's blow is powerful.

This way, the bounce on the glass will be more powerful, and the ball will go towards the middle of the court. In addition, the effects are very important in padel: on the one hand, you have to anticipate the effect of the bounce on the ground, but also that against the glass which can be very particular.

Slashes and smashes are the most used shots in padel: the coupe crashes towards the ground when the ball hits the glass, while the smash puts the opposing team in great difficulty. It is even possible to go out of court to return a ball before it bounces on the ground outside the court.

If the opponent has made a very powerful smash, this situation can happen and we see it frequently during the matches of the top players.

In padel, opponents are almost never beaten: you have to put in place a very good stratagem to win a point. All these particularities make padel a cerebral sport, in addition to the physical aspect that comes into play.

A sport of physical expenditure without contact

Like all racket sports, padel is a sport without physical contact between the two teams. This aspect greatly reduces the risk of injury, making padel a safer sport. In addition, playing padel allows for complete work on all the muscles in the body. The presence of windows all around the court modifies the movement: in fact, this aspect favors the quality of the movement rather than the quantity. In other words, it is better to choose your positioning on the court tactically, rather than running to the four corners of the court and focus on the physical aspect.

The physical aspect of this sport is therefore moderate, because it is possible to compensate for a physical deficiency with good tactical knowledge. This is why ex-tennis players who are no longer as physically efficient in their sport often turn to padel to continue playing with intensity. They are also often very good at padel. Carlos Moya ou David Ferrer, two retired Spanish tennis players, are good examples.

 The social character of padel

The reduced physical aspect of padel allows seniors to perform very well in this sport. Unlike other sports in which the physical aspect is crucial, padel does not contain any physical constraints for older players. On the contrary, they are often even more efficient, because their tactical reading of the game is more accurate. Thus, older players can play with teenagers without there being a striking difference in level. It is not uncommon to see a grandfather and his grandson playing a game of padel. Padel then becomes a inter-generational activity.

Padel licensees: Study by age of practice
Padel licensees Study by age of practice Social study of padel of the Spanish Federation of Padel FEP

The graph opposite shows the distribution of licenses of the Spanish Padel Federation, according to the age of the licensee in 2019. We note that more than half of the licensees are in the "veterans" category and have over 39 years. This statistic supports the fact that the physical aspect of the sport is reduced, and that older people can, without a doubt, compete against younger players.

Economic simplicity 

The economic aspect does not constitute a limitation when it comes to the practice of padel. On the one hand for the players, who will not have to spend large sums to practice padel. On the other hand for the clubs, for whom an investment in padel infrastructure will be less expensive than an investment in tennis courts for example.

Concerning the player, the first price to acquire a padel racket is less than ten euros, especially with Decathlon rackets. For a more elaborate racket, you have to count around fifty euros. The price of the vast majority of snowshoes oscillates between 50 and 100 euros. Professional players' rackets can cost up to 500 euros. These prices are lower than those of tennis rackets. Renting a padel court is usually cheaper than renting a tennis court.

In Spain it is possible to rent a padel court for less than ten euros per hour (costs divided by four like the number of players). In Paris, the Casa Padel offers an entry fee of €19 during peak hours and €9 during off-peak hours for 90 minutes of padel. Monthly subscriptions range from €39 to €89 per month. These unit rates are comparable to the rates offered by the football “five”.

Regarding the club, padel is often a more profitable investment than tennis (however, the courts must be occupied). Indeed, according to the manager of the company Kaktuspadel, one of the companies that lead the sector in France, padel represents a very good opportunity in terms of costs for clubs: the investment in the construction of a padel court would only cost 20 euros on average. For comparison, a tennis court costs an average of 000 euros.

Logistical simplicity

Padel offers the possibility of playing indoors (indoor). Since the court is smaller than a tennis court, it is easy to multiply the padel courts in a large hangar for example.

Some of the padel clubs in France are located in this type of infrastructure (for example: Toulouse Padel Club, Padel Attitude, Casa Padel, Mind Padel, 4PADEL Valenciennes / Bordeaux, BIG PADEL Bordeaux, The Padel Club Bois d'Arcy, El Padel Club Lille, etc.). The area of ​​a court is 200m2 (20 meters long and 10 meters wide), while that of tennis can be up to 760m2 (23,77m long and 10,77m wide, to which must be added 8m baseline and 4m on each side).

The advantage of this simplicity of placing the courts indoors is the fact that the padel courts can appear in territories where the weather conditions are unfavorable. The padel court also adapts very well to the outdoors (outdoor), because its components are resistant. Maintenance is also less expensive than that of a tennis court.

From his names, we can guess his Spanish and Italian origins. Lorenzo is a multilingual passionate about sports: journalism by vocation and events by worship are his two legs. He is the international gentleman of Padel Magazine. You will often see him at various international competitions, but also at major French events. @eyeofpadel on Instagram to see his best padel photos!

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