How to Serve in Padel: Technique and Common Mistakes

The padel serve is the only shot in the game where you have full control of the conditions. You decide where you stand, how you bounce the ball, where you hit it, and how hard. It should be the most reliable shot you have. For most beginners, it isn't — because they're trying to hit it like a tennis serve.

Here's how to actually serve, what each kind of serve does, and the four mistakes that cost recreational players the most points.

The legal serve, in three rules

A serve is legal if:

1. You bounce the ball on your side of the court behind the baseline before hitting it. No drop-and-strike out of the air.
2. Contact is at or below your waist. "Waist" is interpreted as the navel/belt-line — if your paddle is above that line at contact, the serve is a fault.
3. The ball lands in the diagonal service box on the other side of the net, between the service line and the net, and on the correct side of the center line.

You get two serves per point. Lets (serves that nick the net but otherwise land in) are replayed without penalty.

The grip and stance

Use a continental grip — the same grip you'd use for a forehand volley. Don't use a forehand grip; it forces you to hit too high and adds wrist break.

Stand a step or two behind the baseline, slightly to the right of center if you're serving to the deuce court (and slightly left for the ad court). Feet shoulder-width apart, weight on the back foot, paddle held in front of you at hip height.

The bounce: drop the ball softly about 30cm in front of your front foot. You want it to come back up to a comfortable contact point at hip height. Don't drop from shoulder height — too much variability.

The contact

Three serve types matter at the recreational level. Pick one to learn first, master it, then add the others.

The slice serve

The default serve. Most pros use it 70%+ of the time. Cut across the back of the ball at contact, with the paddle face slightly open. The ball spins sideways, lands in the service box, and skids low into the back glass — making it hard for the receiver to get under.

Aim for the inside corner of the service box (the corner near the T) and let the slice carry it toward the side wall after the bounce. A good slice serve forces the receiver to either play a difficult low return or back up off the baseline, which costs them position.

The flat serve

Strike straight through the ball with no spin, paddle face flat to the contact. The ball travels fast, lands deep in the service box, and bounces predictably to a comfortable height for the receiver. The flat serve is the default for beginners because it's the easiest to keep in play.

It's also the easiest to attack. At any decent level, a flat serve gets returned aggressively. Use it as a high-percentage second serve and to mix in occasionally.

The kick serve

Less common in padel than tennis but useful. Brush up the back of the ball at contact, paddle face slightly closed. The ball spins forward, lands deeper in the service box, and bounces high — into or above the receiver's strike zone, which makes it hard to attack downward.

The kick serve is most effective when you serve to the receiver's backhand side and the high bounce comes up into the receiver's body.

Where to aim

There are four target zones in the receiver's service box. Memorize them:

1. T (down the middle) — the safest serve. Restricts the receiver's angle on the return and makes it harder to hit the partner at the net.
2. Body — aim for the receiver's left hip if they're right-handed (right hip if lefty). Forces them into an awkward jammed contact.
3. Wide — out to the side wall. Pulls the receiver off the court but opens up your backhand side for the next shot.
4. Into the back glass — a slice that lands inside the service box and drives into the back wall. The receiver has to either step in early or wait for the wall ricochet, both of which cost them position.

Vary your targets even within a single game. Don't serve T four times in a row. Returners are pattern-readers.

The four mistakes that cost you points

1. Hitting the serve too hard

The padel serve doesn't end points. The only thing a hard serve gets you is a higher fault rate and a faster return that gives you less time to get to the net. A 60–70% reliable medium-pace serve into the body wins more points than an 85mph cannon that lands in 35% of the time.

2. Standing too far back

If you serve from 2 meters behind the baseline, you have 2 meters more to run before you're at the net. The standard for a doubles team is "server takes 3 quick steps forward after serving" — that gets you into the no-man's-land at minimum and at the service line on a good day. Start closer to the line.

3. Bouncing the ball too high

A high bounce gives you a contact point above your waist, which is a fault. A high bounce also adds variability — you can't time it consistently. Drop from hip height, let it come up to hip height, hit it.

4. Not following the serve forward

The serve is a setup. The point is won at the net. Stand still after serving and you've conceded the strategic high ground. Move forward immediately on contact, regardless of where the serve goes. If the return passes you, fine — you tried. Static servers lose at every level.

A drill for the next session

Five serves to each target zone. Don't try to win the point. Just hit the spot. Five T, five body, five wide, five at the back glass. That's 20 serves on each side (deuce and ad), so 40 serves total. Twenty minutes.

If you do this once a week for a month, your serve will quietly become your best shot. Most players never practice the one shot they have full control of.