Is Padel the Secret to Fitness?

How the Fastest-Growing Sport in the World Is Transforming Health and Training

Move over, soccer, the sport of padel is thought to be the world's fastest-growing sport. Coming from the world of racquet sports, padel is a hybrid of pickleball and squash, played outside in an enclosed court with teams.

This setup provides a game of both intense action and a high social aspect, making it very appealing to players around the world. While most play for enjoyment, padel actually requires a high level of movement and can be a great addition to any fitness regime, or it can be your fitness regime.

How many calories does it burn? More than you think…check it out.

What Is Padel?

Padel (sometimes incorrectly called Padel ball, which refers to the actual ball) is a fast-paced racquet sport that combines elements of tennis and squash. 

It's generally always played with doubles (this is the official way to play) on an enclosed court about one-third the size of a tennis court. It's surrounded by glass or mesh walls that keep the ball in play for longer rallies, as the balls can bounce off and still be in play.

The sport originated in Mexico in the 1960s but exploded in popularity across Spain and Europe before spreading globally. It's caught on with the public for several reasons:

• Compact court keeps it fast-paced
• Simplified rules make it easy to play 
• Less "stuffy" compared to other paddle sports like tennis
• A highly social format makes it one of the fastest-growing sports in the world

Plus, it's a surprisingly effective full-body workout that builds endurance, agility, and coordination. Better yet, it has the best quality you want in exercise; it's genuinely fun and doesn't feel like exercise.

It's no surprise that squash was an intricate part of Gold's Gym back in the 1970s-1990s, until it was phased out in the 00s.

Rules of Padel Ball

The rules of padel ball are fairly simple, making it easy to pick up.

1. Court and Equipment

• Played on a 20m x 10m enclosed court with glass and mesh walls.
• Each player uses a solid, stringless paddle and a low-compression tennis ball.

2. Scoring To Win A Match

• A match is played as a best-of-three sets.
• Each set is won by being the first team to win 6 games, with at least a 2-game lead (for example, 6–4)
• The first team to win two sets wins the match.
• Win 6 games → win a set
• Win 2 sets → win a match
• This means you'll need to win at least 12 games to win a match. 

In short: Win 6 games to win a set and win 2 sets to win the match

3. Scoring To Win A Game

• Uses the same scoring system as tennis: 15, 30, 40, game.
• Each game starts at 0 (called "love").
• You win a game by reaching 4 points total, known as 15, 30, 40, game.
• You must win by 2 points
• If both sides hit 40–40 (deuce), you have to win two points in a row to take the game.

In short: You need to be the first to score 4 points, and you must win by 2.

3. Serving

• Underhand serve from below waist height.
• The ball must bounce once in the opponent's service box before it can be returned.

4. Wall Play

• Players can use the glass walls after the ball bounces, similar to squash.
• The ball must hit the ground first before hitting a wall.
• This adds to the fast-paced and strategic nature of the sport.

5. Rally Rules 

• Rally refers to hitting the ball back and forth across the net.
• The ball may bounce only once before it's returned.
• Volleys and smashes are allowed, but must stay within the court boundaries.

How Long Do Padel Ball Games Last?

Padel ball games can last anywhere from 45 minutes to over 2 hours. However, on average, games last 60-90 minutes.

Generally, friendly competition is going to move faster.

Further, some groups may choose not to follow traditional scoring rules. For example, if there is a larger group of friends playing, they may choose to simply play the first to win 5 games and then switch out.

Padel's Role In Fitness

While "going to the gym" is often standard advice, one of the biggest issues facing the fitness industry is that gym leaders refuse to acknowledge a glaring truth.

Lifting weights can be boring.

Obviously, we love the gym and 100% believe that people need to be involved in resistance training. However, many people don't find lifting weights inherently enjoyable.

Think about it; would you go lift weights if you didn't increase your muscle mass and strength?

Probably not. We love the gym because we understand the benefits it offers us.

However, it can take time to see these improvements, which is why many people drop out. Or, they simply become bored with it.

Padel Makes Fitness Fun

We need to move beyond the notion that the gym is the only way to get fit.  

This is why we're huge advocates for all types of athletics, and that is where padel comes in.

Living a healthy lifestyle requires lifelong adherence. For many people, just going to the gym for the rest of their lives as their sole means of fitness can fall short.

This doesn't mean don't strength train. In fact, we definitely think you should. It means padel can complement strength training, or strength training can complement padel ball (or any type of athletics).

Someone who is playing padel ball 3-4x a week in addition to 2 days of strength training is going to be in great shape. Plus, you can adjust this ratio as needed, depending on your feelings.

• If you have padel fever, aim to play up to 5 times a week and strength train once a week.
• If you start seeing your muscles and are feeling pumped, move strength training up to 4x a week and play Padel 1-2x a week

The point is to do whatever fits your goals and life. "Fitness" doesn't need to be something we force ourselves to do. 

How Many Calories Do You Burn Playing Padel Ball?

Many people grossly underestimate the number of calories they can burn in racquet sports like tennis, ping pong, and padel ball.

It can be hard to grab an exact number for calories burned, as there haven't been any controlled studies for padel. However, looking around on Reddit, many people report what their various fitness trackers report. Some numbers include;

• 90min beginner for 88kg man: 800cals (533cals/hr)
• 90 min "super competitive" 89kg man: 1,000cals (667cals/hr)
• 60min at 70kg: 500cals 
• 1 hour fast-paced game: 650 calories
• 1.5 hrs slower-paced game: 650 calories (433/hr)

While fitness trackers can be notoriously inaccurate, there appears to be a trend among players of various levels and weights to burn around 400-700 calories per hour. That's up there with running and makes sense with constant movement for 60 minutes.

This is actually in line with other racquetball sports that have had research.

1. In 1990, a study titled Applied physiology of squash found that medium-skilled players burned around 681-717 kcal/hour.

2. In 1987, a study titled Energy Requirements of Squash and Racquetball found that squash players burned ~661 kcal/hr while racquetball players burned ~600 kcal/h.

3. In 2007, a study titled Game analysis and energy requirements of elite squash found elite squash players burned a whopping 1,030-1,330 kcal/hr.

4. In 2013, a study titled Nutrition for Tennis: Practical Recommendations found women tennis players burned around 443-650 kcal/hour.

The primary factor will be the player's body weight and intensity of play.

Regardless, these are serious numbers, up there with the best forms of exercise to burn calories.

Where To Play Padel Ball?

Here's the good news.

Padel Ball is reportedly the fastest-growing sport in the world right now. This means facilities are popping up everywhere. 

If you perform a quick search, there's a good chance there's a padel court establishment around you.

Final Say On Playing Padel

Racquet sports can be a lot of fun, and as you see, you can burn a ton of calories.  Imagine you could burn off a pound of fat if you started playing 5 nights a week and have a great time doing it! If you feel your fitness regime is becoming stale, or want to add something other than more gym or more running, grab a friend and give padel a go.

Research

1. Girard, O., Chevalier, R., Habrard, M., Sciberras, P., Hot, P., & Millet, G. P. (2007). Game analysis and energy requirements of elite squash. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 21(3), 909–914. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-20306.1 
2. Montpetit R. R. (1990). Applied physiology of squash. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 10(1), 31–41. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199010010-00004 
3. Montpetit, R. R., & Beauchamp, L. (1987). Energy requirements of squash and racquetball. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 15(8), 106–109, 112. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913847.1987.11702059
4. Ranchordas, M. K., Rogersion, D., Ruddock, A., Killer, S. C., & Winter, E. M. (2013). Nutrition for tennis: practical recommendations. Journal of sports science & medicine, 12(2), 211–224. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3761836/ 
5. Juul99, S. (2023, August 31). Calories when playing padel [Discussion post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/padel/comments/14rjhgt/calories_when_playing_padel/