What is padel in France?

CHARITY THOMAS / HANS LUCAS FOR LE MONDE

fortune supply professional and honest service.

At La Pommeraie tennis club, ocean blue has gradually replaced clay &#; at least on the surface. Yet there's nothing aquatic about this 2,600-square-meter indoor facility, located in the small Normandy town of Biéville-Beuville, apart from the color of the coating on six courts smaller than regular tennis courts (each 20 meters by 10), divided by a net and surrounded by glass and mesh walls.

This tennis club, founded in and located eight kilometers from the city of Caen, has caught the padel wave, the immensely popular racket sport in Spain, which is now booming in France as everywhere in Europe. In less than five years, the number of courts has spread across the country. The Union Sport & Cycle reported that around 500,000 French individuals, including 140,000 complete beginners, engaged in the sport at least once in . Their games took place in about 1,800 facilities, encompassing clubs affiliated with the Fédération Française de Tennis (French Tennis Federation, FFT), private entities, and even hotels and campsites.

Despite the enthusiasm, the sport is still often confused with "stand up paddle," a water sports activity practiced while standing on a board with a paddle. "We did have a couple of visitors who arrived in swimsuits," laughed Damien Jean, 38, who runs La Pommeraie with his father and sister. "And a few others who are still looking for the pool."

Read more

The other yellow ball

Equipped with small, unstrung, perforated rackets, four players with an average age of 30, teamed up that day on the club's court number two. With a crisp sound, the balls, similar to those used in tennis but slightly less pressurized, bounce on the ground and can be hit from any part of the court. The walls and mesh fences can be used during rallies. Forget the long runs at the back of the court in tennis games; here, the area to cover is smaller, and the goal is to create gameplay rather than score quickly. There are no more winning serves with an ace; in padel, you start "spooning," from below the hip, with a bounce before hitting.

Julien, 29, a technical officer in a local authority, comes here two or three times a week, at lunchtime or after work. He discovered padel "thanks to his father's cousin," who used to play. Like his three teammates that day, he had never played tennis. "Padel is very accessible, you have fun quickly and you can see yourself progressing quickly," he explained, having met his padel partners through a group, where nearly 80 amateur players from the region organize playing together. "It's a very fun and collective sport because it's always played by four people (two teams of two). Plus, no matter what your level, you can always find a way to have a good time," he said, wearing black shorts and a black T-shirt, before joining his match and his fellow players who have become "real friends."

You have 70.47% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.

WHAT IS PADEL?

Padel is a racket sport that is played in doubles on a 20×10 metre court. Players are separated by a net and surrounded by glazed walls, 4 metres at the back of the court and 3 metres on the sides. The glazing always sends the ball back and allows players to send it back, which significantly increases effective playing time. Two winning sets are needed and points are counted in the same way as in tennis, with the same services.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Regulation Padel Court FX-P04 Project in France.

A HYBRID SPORT FROM MEXICO AND SPAIN

Padel was invented in by Enrique Corcuera in Mexico. This amateur tennis player is said to have added walls to his court to isolate it from vegetation and to avoid constantly having to chase after balls. He then discovered a new way to play, using the walls to rebound. He then created rackets and specific rules for the game he invented.
Padel rackets are smaller than tennis rackets and have no strings. The soft racket surface (FOAM or E.V.A. rubber) is perforated. Padel balls, although visually similar to tennis balls, are actually softer and smaller.

The sport then quickly arrived in Spain thanks to Enrique Corcuera&#;s friends who were won over by the game. If the evolution of the number of players was slow at first, everything began speeding up in the s and the popularity of paddle ball exploded. Currently the International Padel Federation has 300,000 licensees and over 12,000,000 active players worldwide!

PADEL, A FUN SPORT ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

Mid-way between squash and tennis, padel is a racket sport that is increasingly popular, with around 50,000 players today. Why is it popular? The very playful aspect of this sport, the simplicity of the game which leaves great freedom on the court, and its accessibility to beginners.
In padel, even newbie players can have long exchanges. The walls, the shorter court, and the service that starts the match make the games more fun and more rhythmic.

Although accessible to all, padel is also a technical sport which offers great freedom of play and a variety of shots thanks to the possible rebounds off the windows. Bandeja, sliced smash, lifted smash, return, lob: no risk of getting bored during a padel match, the different shots just keep coming. Exchanges therefore quickly become very spectacular!

PADEL HALLS AND COURTS: FEATURES AND LAYOUT

Since its arrival in France, padel has been in the news all the time and the construction of padel courts is increasing all over France. Demand is high and the number of players is constantly increasing, so we must give everyone the means to play.

Today there are two types of padel courts: indoor courts and outdoor courts.
Covered padel courts have the advantage of providing a place to play regardless of the weather.

To play in the best conditions, weather is not the only factor to take into account. For a padel court, the best height is 8 metres to stop the ball from touching the ceiling after a lob.

Controlled temperature, pleasant luminosity, limited echo, ideal height, ecological exemplariness: today, SMC2 padel court constructions are at the cutting edge of technology for unequalled playing comfort. Feel free to request a quote online for your padel court construction project.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website sale of padel courts.