- 13
- Episodes
- Weekly
- Cadence
- 2026
- First episode
About Padel Up: Beginner's Guide
Never picked up a padel racket? No problem. Everything you need to know to get on court and start playing with confidence.
- Publisher
- Podra Network
- Category
- sports
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 24 Jun 2026
- Latest episode
- 24 Jun 2026
Latest episodes
13 episodes in the feed.
24 Jun 2026
You're Hooked: What to Do After Your First Month
In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer walks you through exactly what to focus on after your first month of playing padel. If you've just discovered this fast-growing racket sport and you're wondering how to take your game to the next level, this episode is your roadmap. Jack covers the common plateau that beginner padel players hit around the four-week mark and explains why that feeling of frustration is actually a positive sign of growing awareness. He shares practical tips on finding a consistent hitting partner, improving your backhand technique, and understanding court positioning — one of the most overlooked fundamentals for new players. This episode also explores the benefits of joining a padel club, beginner leagues, and social round-robin sessions as a way to accelerate your progress and connect with the wider padel community. Jack also makes the case for booking a session with a qualified padel coach early in your journey to avoid reinforcing bad habits before they become hard to break. Whether you're based in the UK, Europe, or anywhere else where padel is booming, the advice in this episode is universally applicable to anyone in their first few months on court. Topics covered: padel for beginners, how to improve at padel, padel backhand tips, padel court positioning, joining a padel club, padel coaching advice, beginner padel strategy, padel community, padel racket sport, learning padel fast. Subscribe to Padel Up: Beginner's Guide wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review if you're enjoying the show.
24 Jun 2026
Finding Courts, Clubs and People to Play With
In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer covers everything beginner padel players need to know about finding courts, joining clubs, and connecting with other players. Whether you're brand new to the sport or you've had one taster session and you're ready to commit, this episode gives you practical, actionable steps to build your padel life from the ground up. Jack walks through how to use Google Maps and dedicated platforms like Playtomic to locate padel courts near you, how to approach clubs as a beginner, and what to look for in terms of beginner-friendly programmes and coaching sessions. The episode also dives into the social side of padel, covering how to use Facebook groups, WhatsApp communities, and in-house club leagues to find hitting partners and grow your network. Padel is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with courts expanding rapidly across the UK, Europe, the United States, Australia, and beyond. As a doubles sport that requires four players, finding a community is just as important as finding a court, and this episode makes that process feel straightforward and achievable for total beginners. Key topics covered in this episode include: finding padel courts using apps and online tools, joining beginner coaching sessions and clinics, using social media to connect with local padel communities, participating in beginner leagues and round robin events, and spreading the sport through your existing social network. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Padel Up: Beginner's Guide for more tips, tutorials, and everything you need to go from complete beginner to confident padel player. Leave us a review and share the show with anyone who's curious about picking up a padel racket.
24 Jun 2026
Common Beginner Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer breaks down the most common mistakes that new padel players make and gives clear, actionable advice on how to fix them fast. Whether you've just stepped onto a padel court for the first time or you're a few weeks into your padel journey and hitting a wall, this episode is packed with beginner-friendly tips to help you level up your game. Jack covers the top beginner padel mistakes including using too much power instead of focusing on control and placement, poor court positioning and the importance of playing close to the net in doubles, lack of communication with your padel partner during rallies, common padel serve mistakes and how to build a more consistent and reliable serve, losing focus on ball tracking which leads to mishits and errors, and the mental game challenges that slow down beginner progress. Padel is one of the fastest-growing racket sports in the world, and getting the fundamentals right from the start makes a huge difference to how quickly you improve and how much fun you have on the court. This episode is perfect for anyone searching for padel tips for beginners, how to improve at padel, padel doubles strategy, padel serve technique, or how to avoid common padel errors. Subscribe to Padel Up: Beginner's Guide wherever you listen to podcasts and share this episode with a friend who is new to padel. New episodes drop regularly with everything you need to build your game from the ground up.
24 Jun 2026
The Four Positions: Where to Stand and Why
In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer breaks down one of the most important fundamentals in the game: court positioning. Whether you're picking up a padel racket for the very first time or you've had a handful of sessions and want to stop feeling lost on court, this episode is essential listening. Jack walks through the four key positions every beginner needs to understand — the left and right net positions, and the left and right back positions — explaining not just where to stand, but why each position exists and how it fits into the broader strategy of a doubles game. You'll learn why controlling the net is so powerful, how to use the back wall to your advantage when defending, and what to do when you and your partner end up in an asymmetric formation with one player up and one player back. Jack also covers the difference in responsibilities between the right-side and left-side player, giving you a clear framework to build your game around. One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is the importance of playing as a pair. Padel is a doubles sport, and your positioning always needs to account for where your partner is standing. Jack offers a simple pre-rally awareness drill that any beginner can start using immediately to sharpen their court sense. Perfect for new padel players looking to improve their footwork, court awareness, and doubles strategy, this episode gives you the tactical foundation to start playing with real intention. Subscribe to Padel Up: Beginner's Guide for new episodes every week covering everything from serving basics to shot selection and match tactics.
24 Jun 2026
Your First Session: What to Expect When You Walk On Court
In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer walks first-time players through everything they need to know before stepping onto a padel court for the very first time. From understanding the unique enclosed court design to what equipment to bring and what to wear, Jack covers all the practical basics so beginners can arrive feeling prepared rather than overwhelmed. Jack explains the layout of a padel court, including the glass walls and metal fencing that make it so different from tennis, and breaks down why the doubles format makes the sport immediately accessible and social. He covers racket hire, appropriate footwear, and what to pack for your session, keeping advice simple and budget-friendly for complete newcomers. The episode also walks through what a typical first session looks like, including a breakdown of the scoring system, the key rules around wall play, and why beginners should expect a learning curve but have fun throughout. Jack emphasises that padel rewards players early, even without years of experience, making it one of the most beginner-friendly racket sports available today. Whether you have already booked your first session or are still deciding whether to give padel a try, this episode gives you everything you need to walk on court with confidence. Keywords: padel for beginners, first padel session, how to play padel, padel court explained, padel rules for beginners, padel racket guide, beginner padel tips, what to wear for padel, padel scoring system, learn padel, padel UK, padel beginner guide podcast.
24 Jun 2026
Walls Are Your Friends: Using the Glass to Your Advantage
Padel Up: Beginner's Guide | Episode: Walls Are Your Friends: Using the Glass to Your Advantage In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer dives into one of the most misunderstood aspects of padel for new players: the glass walls. If you have ever frozen up when the ball bounced off the back wall and had no idea what to do, this episode is made for you. Jack breaks down exactly how the walls work in padel, including the key rule that the ball remains in play after bouncing off the glass following a floor bounce. He explains the difference between defensive and offensive wall play, covering how to use the back wall to buy yourself more time when under pressure, and how advanced players deliberately use the walls to create impossible angles for their opponents. The episode also introduces beginners to iconic padel shots like the vibora, the bandeja, and the concept of the por tres paredes, giving listeners context for why experienced players aim at the walls rather than away from them. Practical drills are included to help beginners build confidence with wall bounces, improve court positioning, and start reading ball trajectories off the glass. Whether you are brand new to padel or have played a handful of times and want to understand the court better, this episode gives you the foundation to stop fearing the walls and start using them strategically. Keywords: padel for beginners, padel walls explained, how to play padel, padel glass wall shots, padel tips, padel court rules, vibora padel, bandeja padel, padel strategy beginners, learn padel podcast.
24 Jun 2026
The Serve: Where Every Point Begins
In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer breaks down everything you need to know about the padel serve. Whether you're brand new to the sport or coming from a tennis background, understanding the rules and mechanics of the padel serve is the first step toward building a solid game. Jack covers the key rules that make the padel serve unique, including the underarm contact requirement and the waist-height rule, explaining why these actually make padel more accessible for beginners. He walks through the correct stance, ball drop technique, contact point, and follow-through, giving listeners a clear and actionable guide to developing a consistent serve from day one. The episode also explores serve placement strategy, including targeting the opponent's body versus the T junction of the service box, and explains how mixing up placement can disrupt opponents from the very start of a point. Jack highlights the most common beginner mistakes, such as bouncing the ball too close to the body, making contact too high, and trying to overpower the serve, offering practical tips to fix each one. Listeners will also learn about the two-serve rule in padel and how to stay calm and composed on a second serve without becoming overly cautious. Perfect for anyone searching for padel tips for beginners, how to serve in padel, padel rules explained, or padel technique for new players. Subscribe to Padel Up: Beginner's Guide for weekly episodes covering every aspect of the game, from basic skills to court strategy. New to padel? This is the show for you.
24 Jun 2026
Scoring Made Simple: From Love to Match Point
Padel Up: Beginner's Guide | Episode: Scoring Made Simple: From Love to Match Point Confused by padel scoring? You are not alone. In this beginner-friendly episode, host Jack Mercer breaks down everything you need to know about how padel is scored, from the very first point to match point. Whether you are brand new to the sport or have played a few times but never quite got your head around the scoring system, this episode covers it all in clear, plain language. Jack walks you through the point system, explaining why zero is called love, how the score moves from fifteen to thirty to forty, and what happens when both teams reach deuce. You will also learn about the golden point, a popular format used in recreational padel that replaces advantage scoring with a single decisive point at deuce, keeping matches fast and exciting. From there, the episode moves on to sets, explaining how six games wins a set, when a tiebreak is triggered, and how tiebreak scoring works. Finally, Jack explains how a full padel match is structured as a best of three sets and what happens when a deciding third set is needed. Perfect for anyone just starting out, this episode gives you the foundational knowledge to follow the score during your next game with confidence. Keywords: padel scoring for beginners, how to score in padel, padel rules explained, what is love in padel, padel golden point, padel tiebreak rules, padel set scoring, padel match format, learn padel, padel beginner guide, padel podcast, Jack Mercer Padel Up
24 Jun 2026
Learning the Rules: How Padel Actually Works
In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer breaks down the fundamental rules of padel in a clear, accessible way designed specifically for beginners. Whether you've never stepped onto a padel court or you've watched the game and wondered what's actually going on, this episode gives you everything you need to understand how padel works from the ground up. Jack covers the doubles format that defines the sport, explains the dimensions and unique enclosed structure of the padel court, and walks through the scoring system which mirrors tennis with fifteen, thirty, forty and game points played across sets. You'll learn exactly how the serve works in padel, including the underarm rule and the diagonal service box system, and why this differs so significantly from tennis. One of the most important topics covered is the role of the walls in padel. Jack explains how the ball can legally come off the back and side walls after bouncing, why this changes the entire strategy of the game, and what happens when a ball hits a wall before bouncing on the ground. This wall mechanic is what makes padel truly unique and is essential knowledge for any newcomer. The episode also introduces beginners to some of padel's most iconic shots including the bajada, and previews upcoming episodes on court positioning and advanced technique. Perfect for anyone searching for padel rules for beginners, how to play padel, padel explained, or padel vs tennis differences, this episode is your essential starting point. Subscribe to Padel Up: Beginner's Guide and leave a review to help other beginners find the show.
24 Jun 2026
Hold On: How to Grip Your Racket Correctly
In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer breaks down one of the most fundamental skills every new padel player needs to master: how to grip your racket correctly. Whether you have just picked up a padel racket for the first time or you have been playing casually and noticed something feels off about your game, this episode is essential listening. Jack walks you through the Continental grip, also known as the hammer grip, explaining step by step how to position your hand correctly using the octagonal bevels of a standard padel racket handle as your guide. He explains the V-shape reference point between your thumb and index finger, how to identify the top bevel, and why this grip is the go-to choice for beginners and recreational players alike. The episode also dives deep into grip pressure, one of the most overlooked aspects of racket technique. Jack explains why gripping too tightly is one of the most common beginner mistakes and how excess tension in the hand leads to poor shot accuracy and fatigue. He shares a practical one-to-ten pressure scale to help players find the right balance between control and relaxation. You will also learn about index finger placement, thumb positioning, and a simple wall drill you can do at home to test and improve your grip feel. Perfect for padel beginners, tennis converts, and anyone looking to build strong technical foundations from the ground up. Keywords: padel grip technique, how to hold a padel racket, Continental grip padel, padel for beginners, padel racket handle, beginner padel tips, padel up podcast, grip pressure padel, padel coaching basics.
24 Jun 2026
Gear Up: Choosing Your First Padel Racket
In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer breaks down everything a new player needs to know before buying their first padel racket. Whether you're stepping onto the court for the very first time or shopping ahead of your first session, this episode is your essential guide to making a smart, informed purchase without wasting money. Jack covers the three main racket shapes, round, diamond, and teardrop, and explains why beginners should always start with a round racket for its larger sweet spot and forgiving playability. He dives into racket weight ranges and how choosing the right weight can affect your comfort and performance during a match. The episode also explores core materials including EVA foam and foam rubber, helping listeners understand how each affects ball feel, control, and power. Additional topics include racket face texture and its impact on spin, how to think about budget without overspending as a beginner, and why grip size is one of the most overlooked but important factors when selecting a racket. Jack also shares practical advice on demo programmes at padel clubs and how testing a racket before buying can save you from a costly mistake. This episode is perfect for padel beginners, casual players looking to buy their first racket, and anyone searching for terms like best padel racket for beginners, how to choose a padel racket, padel racket guide, beginner padel equipment, and padel racket shapes explained. Subscribe to Padel Up: Beginner's Guide for weekly episodes covering everything from technique and footwork to rules, tactics, and court etiquette.
24 Jun 2026
The Court Explained: Walls, Glass and All
In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, host Jack Mercer breaks down everything you need to know about the padel court, making it the perfect listen for anyone just starting out in the sport. Whether you've just booked your first session or you're trying to understand the game before stepping on court, this episode gives you a clear, detailed and jargon-free explanation of the padel court layout. Jack covers the official court dimensions, explaining that a standard padel court measures twenty metres by ten metres, and walks through the net height, the role of the glass back walls, the metallic side fencing, and how all of these surfaces actively come into play during a game. Unlike tennis, the walls in padel are not out of bounds, they are a core part of the strategy, and this episode explains exactly why. You'll also learn about the service boxes, the centre line, the service line, and how the underarm serve works in padel, including where the ball must land and what counts as a fault. Jack also touches on court surfaces, from artificial grass with sand infill to hard court variations, and explains why the right footwear matters. This episode is ideal for padel beginners, curious sports enthusiasts, and anyone looking to build their foundational knowledge of the fastest growing racket sport in the world. Perfect for searching: padel court explained, padel for beginners, padel rules, what are padel walls, how to play padel, padel court dimensions, padel glass walls, padel beginner guide, padel net height, padel court layout.
24 Jun 2026
What on Earth is Padel?
Welcome to the very first episode of Padel Up: Beginner's Guide, the podcast dedicated to helping complete beginners discover, understand, and fall in love with one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. Hosted by Jack Mercer, this episode answers the most fundamental question of all: What on Earth is Padel? In this episode, Jack breaks down everything a newcomer needs to know before stepping onto a padel court for the first time. We explore the origins of padel, tracing the sport back to its invention in Mexico in 1969 by Enrique Corcuera, and following its journey through Latin America into Spain and eventually across the globe. We also explain how padel differs from tennis and squash, what the equipment looks like, and why the enclosed glass-walled court changes everything about how the game is played. Whether you've seen a padel court at your local leisure centre and wondered what it is, or a friend has been trying to convince you to give it a go, this episode is the perfect starting point. Jack covers the scoring system, the doubles format, the unique paddle design, and the welcoming social culture that makes padel one of the most accessible racket sports available today. Perfect for anyone searching for padel for beginners, how to play padel, padel rules explained, padel vs tennis, or what is padel, this episode gives you a solid foundation before your first session on court. Subscribe now and join us as we take you from beginner to confident padel player, one episode at a time. New episodes dropping regularly.
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