Padel comes with a lot of Spanish vocabulary. This glossary explains over 50 shots, scoring terms and court words in plain English, so you know what your coach, partner or the commentators mean.
How to use this glossary
Terms are listed A to Z. Spanish words are kept in their usual spelling, with the English equivalent where there is one. Rules terms follow the current FIP Rules of Padel, and you will find the full rules in our rules and scoring guide.
Padel terms A to Z
- Advantage
- The point after deuce in traditional scoring. Win the next point and you win the game, lose it and the score returns to deuce.
- Americano
- A social format where players rotate partners each round and score their own points individually. Popular at club socials.
- Back wall (pared de fondo)
- The wall at each end of the court, usually glass, 3 metres high with 1 metre of mesh above it.
- Bajada (bajada de pared)
- An attacking shot played off a ball that has come off the back or side glass high. Instead of defending, you hit it down hard as it drops.
- Bandeja
- A controlled overhead with slice, played to keep your position at the net. It means "tray" in Spanish, after the flat racket face used. It aims for placement, not power.
- Bloqueo
- A block. A short, compact volley that absorbs a fast ball rather than swinging at it.
- Bote pronto
- A half-volley, where you hit the ball just after it bounces.
- Chiquita
- A soft, low shot aimed at the feet of opponents at the net, making them volley upwards. Usually played from the back of the court to help you win back the net.
- Contraglobo
- A lob played in reply to a lob, or a lob hit while both opponents are up at the net from a difficult position.
- Contrapared
- A shot hit into your own back or side wall so it rebounds over the net. Legal, and usually a last-resort defensive shot.
- Cristal
- The glass walls of the court.
- Cruzado
- Cross-court. A shot hit diagonally across the court.
- Dejada
- A drop shot. A soft shot that dies just over the net, often played when opponents are deep in their court.
- Deuce
- A score of 40-40. What happens next depends on whether you are playing advantage, golden point or star point.
- Diamond racket
- A racket shape with the balance towards the head, giving more power but a smaller sweet spot. Suited to experienced attacking players.
- Doble pared
- A ball that hits two walls, such as the side glass then the back glass, before you play it. These take practice to read.
- Drive (lado de drive)
- The forehand in Spanish padel language, and also the right-hand side of the court. The "drive player" is the one who plays on the right.
- Fault
- A serve that breaks the rules, for example landing outside the service box or hitting the mesh after bouncing. Two in a row lose the point.
- Foot fault
- A service fault caused by touching the service line or the centre line with your foot as you serve.
- Gancho
- A hook-style overhead, hit with a sideways swing, often from the backhand side when the ball is too far over to play a normal smash.
- Globo
- A lob. The most important shot in padel for getting your opponents away from the net.
- Golden point (punto de oro)
- A scoring method where 40-40 is decided by a single point, with no advantage. The receiving pair choose who receives. Common in social play and club events.
- Let
- A replayed serve or point. A serve that clips the net and lands in the box is a let, as is a point interrupted by a stray ball from another court.
- Malla
- The metal mesh fencing around the court. Once your shot has bounced on the opponents' side, it can hit the mesh and stay in play, but a serve that bounces and hits the mesh is a fault.
- Mexicano
- A social format like the Americano, except that after each round the players are paired by their standings, so matches get closer as the event goes on.
- Net (red)
- Divides the court. 88 cm high at the centre and 92 cm at the posts. Touching it while the ball is in play loses you the point.
- Out-of-court play (salida de pista)
- Leaving the court through the side openings to play a ball. Only allowed on courts with enough safe space outside, which many UK courts do not have.
- Pala
- The Spanish word for a padel racket. Padel rackets have no strings and a maximum length of 45.5 cm under FIP rules.
- Paralelo
- Down the line. A shot hit straight along the side of the court rather than across it.
- Pared
- Wall. Used in many shot names, such as salida de pared and bajada de pared.
- Por cuatro (x4)
- A smash that bounces in the opponents' court and goes out over the back wall and its mesh, 4 metres in total, so it cannot be returned unless out-of-court play is allowed.
- Por tres (x3)
- A smash that bounces in the opponents' court and goes out over the side wall. Usage varies a little between players, but both x3 and x4 mean a smash that leaves the court.
- Rally
- An exchange of shots during a point. Also the warm-up before a match, which lasts 3 minutes in official competition.
- Remate
- A smash. A powerful overhead shot meant to finish the point.
- Resto
- The return of serve.
- Revés (lado de revés)
- The backhand, and also the left-hand side of the court. The "revés player" plays on the left and usually takes more of the overheads down the middle.
- Round racket
- A racket shape with the balance near the handle and a large sweet spot. The usual choice for beginners. See our racket guide.
- Rulo
- A smash hit with heavy topspin so the ball kicks high and fast off the bounce. Often used when an x3 or x4 is not possible.
- Salida de pared
- Playing the ball after it has rebounded off the wall. A core padel skill that separates improvers from beginners.
- Saque
- The serve. Underarm, hit at or below waist height after a bounce, diagonally into the opponent's service box.
- Service box
- The area between the net and the service line, split in two by the centre line. Serves must land in the box diagonally opposite.
- Service line
- The line parallel to the net, 6.95 metres from it, on each side of the court. You serve from behind it.
- Side wall (pared lateral)
- The glass panels at the corners of each side of the court. The rest of each side is mesh fencing.
- Smash
- An overhead attacking shot. In padel, a smash without enough power often comes back off the back glass, which is why players use the bandeja and víbora.
- Star point
- A scoring method added to the FIP rules in November 2025 and used on the pro tours from 2026. Advantage is played twice at most, and if it is deuce a third time, a single deciding point is played.
- Super tie-break
- A tie-break to 10 points, by two clear points, sometimes used instead of a third set.
- Teardrop racket (lágrima)
- A racket shape between round and diamond, with a mid balance. A popular all-round choice.
- Tie-break
- Played at 6-6 in a set. First to 7 points with a two-point lead wins the set 7-6. Players change ends every six points.
- Víbora
- An aggressive overhead hit with heavy slice and sidespin, faster than a bandeja. Its name means "viper". It is aimed to skid low off the glass.
- Volea
- A volley. Hitting the ball before it bounces, usually from near the net.
- Wrist strap (cordón)
- The cord on the racket handle that goes round your wrist. FIP rules make it compulsory, and it stops a slipping racket hitting someone.
- x3
- Short for por tres. See por tres.
- x4
- Short for por cuatro. See por cuatro.
Where to go next
If you are just starting out, read our beginner's guide to padel, try the racket finder quiz, then find somewhere to play with the court finder.
Questions players ask
What is the difference between a bandeja and a víbora?
Both are overheads hit with slice. The bandeja is about control and keeping the net. The víbora is faster with more sidespin, and aims to make the ball skid low off the glass.
What does x3 mean in padel?
It is short for por tres, a smash that bounces and leaves the court over the side wall. An x4 (por cuatro) goes out over the back wall.
Why are so many padel terms Spanish?
Padel grew up in Spain and Argentina, and most top players and coaches come from there, so the Spanish shot names stuck.
What is punto de oro?
Spanish for golden point. At 40-40 a single point decides the game, with no advantage.
Is a chiquita a drop shot?
No. A dejada is the drop shot. A chiquita is a soft, low ball aimed at the feet of the players at the net.
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