Scroll through a club’s booking app and you’ll find sessions listed as “Americano, level 2 to 3.5” or “Mexicano, all levels”. If you’ve only played a few times, you’ll probably wonder whether you’re allowed in. You almost certainly are.
Padel has its own vocabulary for levels and social formats. Once the words make sense, these sessions are the easiest way to get regular games without organising three other people yourself.
Who decides your padel level?
Not the LTA, which surprises people. The LTA runs padel rankings, which come from results in its graded tournaments, but it says plainly that it doesn’t run a skill rating. The numbers you see on session listings come from booking apps and clubs.
The one you’ll meet most in the UK is Playtomic’s, which runs from 0 to 7. When you sign up, the app asks a few questions and gives you a starting level. That first number is a guess. It moves after every competitive match you record, based on the result and the levels of the players on court, and beating a stronger pair moves you further than beating a pair at your own level.
Playtomic also tracks how reliable your level is. With only a few matches behind you, it swings a lot after each one. Once you’ve played plenty of rated games, it settles and changes slowly. Other apps and many clubs use their own scales, often 1 to 7, so a “3” at one venue isn’t always a “3” at another.
What the numbers mean on court
Every scale describes levels a little differently, but on Playtomic’s 0 to 7 they roughly break down like this:
- Below 1: you’ve barely played any racket sport, or you’re on your first few sessions.
- Around 1 to 2.5: you know the rules and can keep a rally going at an easy pace, but the glass still catches you out and volleys are hit and miss.
- Around 2.5 to 3.5: you rally comfortably, have a dependable serve, use the back glass and understand when to go to the net.
- Around 3.5 to 4.5: you’re confident in most positions, choose shots tactically and can defend lobs with a bandeja (a controlled overhead with slice that lets you keep the net).
- 4.5 and above: strong club and tournament players. The top of the scale is professional level.
Two habits throw people’s levels off. One is rating yourself on your best shot instead of your whole game. The other is tennis players assuming their tennis carries straight over; it helps, but the walls take a while.
If you’re not sure where you sit, pick the lower end of a session’s range and tell the organiser you’re new to it. Moving up after a good night is easy. Spending two hours out of your depth isn’t much fun for anyone.
What a padel social is
“Social” is a loose word that clubs use for any session where you sign up as an individual and the organiser sorts out who plays with whom. Nobody brings a partner. Partners and opponents rotate every round, so over an evening you play with and against most of the group. A growing number of venues run women-only socials as well, and finding your first women’s session explains how to read those listings.
Sessions usually last between one and two hours across several courts. Some keep no score at all, and Playtomic now lists these as Open Play. Others keep a running total and finish with a winner, and that’s where Americano and Mexicano come in.
Americano
In an Americano you get a new partner every round, and each round is played to a fixed number of points, commonly somewhere between 16 and 32. Every point your pair wins goes on your own personal total, and your partner gets the same points on theirs. When the rounds are done, the player with the highest total wins.
Points in an Americano are usually counted one by one, with no 15-30-40 or games, which means every rally adds to the score. The serve normally rotates every few points within a round, so everyone serves; the organiser will tell you how they run it.
It works best when the group’s levels are fairly close. Because partners are mixed by a fixed schedule, a big gap between the strongest and weakest players can make some rounds lopsided.
Mexicano
Mexicano starts out like an Americano, but after each round the standings decide the next pairings. A common way to do it is to put the top four players on court one, with first partnering fourth against second and third, then the next four on court two, and so on down the leaderboard.
The effect is that players of a similar standard meet more often as the session goes on. Stronger players end up testing each other on the top courts, and newer players get closer games further down. That makes Mexicano a better choice when the group’s levels vary a lot.
Other formats you might see
| Format | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Open Play or mix-in | Timed rotations, no score kept and no winner | Your first social, or a relaxed run-out |
| King of the Court | Short games; winners move up a court, losers move down, and the aim is to finish on the top court | Groups who want a bit more edge |
| Round robin | You stay with one partner and play every other pair once | Pairs who want to play together all evening |
| Open match | One game listed in an app with spaces to fill, usually with a level range | Getting a match at your level at short notice |
| Box league | Small groups by level play scheduled matches over a few weeks, then move up or down | Regular competitive games without a tournament |
Leagues and tournaments sit a step further on. Graded LTA events are where rankings come from, and the padel in the UK guide explains how the LTA’s competition structure fits together.
Your first social: what to expect
Most clubs list their socials, Americanos and open matches in the same app you’d use to book a court, and many post them on their own websites too. If you haven’t used one of those apps yet, the booking guide walks through the main ones. After that, the night itself runs roughly like this:
- Check the listing. Look at the level range and the format before you book, so there are no surprises on the night.
- Arrive early. Ten or fifteen minutes gives you time to find the organiser, say it’s your first social and give an honest idea of your level. A handful of sessions is a perfectly good answer.
- Ask about scoring. Total points or games, how many points per round, who serves and when, and what happens at 40-40 in a games format (golden point or Star Point are both common). Sorting it out now saves a lot of confused counting later.
- Play the first round loose. It’s always the scrappiest while everyone works each other out, so don’t judge your night on it.
The etiquette is what you’d expect from any friendly game: call the score, make fair line calls, and be a decent partner to whoever you’re drawn with. At some point you’ll be paired with someone far better than you, and later with someone newer. A quiet “good shot” to a partner who’s struggling goes a long way.
If you’re unsure what to bring or wear, the first session checklist covers it.
Next on the blogHow to find people to play padel with in the UK
