The rules of padel, explained.
All 17 FIP rules rewritten in plain English with the original numbering, so you can settle any argument on court in seconds.
- Serve bounces in the box, then hits the fenceFault
- Ball hits you before bouncing, it was going outPoint lost
- Your shot comes off your own glass and over the netGood
- You drop your racket mid-pointPoint lost
- Drinking between pointsNot allowed
- 40-40, which system?Organiser decides
Rules by part of the court
Court dimensionsPart of the court
Service box
The serve must bounce inside the diagonal box. Lines are in. The receiver lets it bounce and hits it before the second bounce.
The rulebook
All 17 rulesScoring
Points, games, sets, and the three ways a game can end at 40-40.
The service
Where to stand, how to hit the ball and where it has to land.
Point lost
Every way to lose a point, letter by letter.
Correct return
Every shot that is good, including off the walls and from outside the court.
Scoring, Rule 1
THE STAR POINT
Two advantages are played. If the game comes back to deuce a third time, one point decides it. The receivers pick the side. Premier Padel and the FIP tour play it from 2026.
New in 2026
Every changeStar Point joins the rulebook
At 40-40 organisers now choose Advantage, Star Point or Golden Point. Premier Padel plays Star Point.
One foot behind the service line
Both feet were required before 2026. You still may not touch the line.
Dropped racket loses the point
A dropped racket or a broken wrist strap ends the point immediately.
Second hinder loses the point
The first accidental interference is a let. A second by the same pair is a lost point.
Five minutes to recover
After a fall or a ball strike the umpire may allow up to five minutes.
On-court situations
Common mistakes- Serve bounces in the box, then hits the fenceRule 7Fault
- Serve bounces in the box, then hits the glassRule 7Good
- Serve clips the net and lands in the boxRule 9Let
- Serve hits the receiver before bouncingRule 8Server's point
- Ball hits you before bouncing, it was going outRule 13 kPoint lost
- Your shot hits your own fenceRule 13 lPoint lost
- Your shot comes off your own glass and over the netRule 14 bGood
- Your shot hits their glass before their floorRule 13 gPoint lost
- Their shot bounces on your floor, then hits your fenceRule 14 cIn play
- Ball bounces on their floor and gets stuck in the fenceRule 15 aPoint won
- Ball stays on top of the wall after a bounceRule 15 bPoint won
- Ball lands exactly in the cornerRule 14 iGood bounce
- Ball leaves your side through the door after a bounceRule 13 dPoint lost
- You drop your racket mid-pointRule 13 rPoint lost
- You touch the net with your racketRule 13 aPoint lost
- You hit the ball before it crosses the netRule 13 fPoint lost
- Both partners hit the ballRule 13 oPoint lost
- Partners' rackets clash, one hits the ballRule 13 oGood
- Double contact in one swingRule 14 hGood
- A ball rolls in from the next courtRule 10 bLet
- Second accidental hinder by the same pairRule 11Point lost
- Drinking between pointsRule 2Not allowed
- 40-40, which system?Rule 1Organiser decides
The game in eight lines
What players get wrongAll rules
How this guide is madeScoring
Points, games, sets, and the three ways a game can end at 40-40.
Times
Warm-up, the clock between points, changeovers, and when you may eat and drink.
Position of the players
Where the four players stand when the point starts.
Choice of sides and service
The toss and what the winner may choose.
Changing ends
When to switch sides, and what to do if you forget.
The service
Where to stand, how to hit the ball and where it has to land.
Service fault
Everything that makes a serve a fault.
Return of serve
What the receiver must do, and who receives first.
Let and net serve
When a serve is replayed.
Lets during play
When a point in progress is replayed.
Interference
Disturbing an opponent, on purpose or by accident.
Ball in play
Who hits when, and what counts as part of the court.
Point lost
Every way to lose a point, letter by letter.
Correct return
Every shot that is good, including off the walls and from outside the court.
Point won
Two unusual ways the hitter wins outright.
Out-of-court play
Running out through the door is legal only on courts built for it.
Change of balls
How and when balls are changed in a match.
The court
Official dimensions of a padel court, the net, the walls and the safety area.
Ball and racket
What makes a ball or a racket legal.
Conduct and coaching
Coaching, dress, delays and the sanction scale.