Padel and Pickleball: Sister Sports But Uniquely Different
One of the things people are often confused with when it comes to playing padel is its similarity with pickleball. Let’s settle the score once and for all and dive deep into these two very close yet very different sports.
The answer to this question is a little more complicated than you may expect.
Padel and Pickleball are destined to be compared. Pickleball is the fastest-growing racket sport in the United States, whereas Padel is the fastest-growing racket sport in the globe. Exactly how much do these two things resemble one another?
Pickleball and padel are two different sports. However, although pickleball and padel seem to be based on the same activity, they are in fact two entirely distinct sports. Unlike badminton, pickleball and padel in terms of size, scoring, and rules of play are drastically different.
So what’s the difference?
Despite their superficial resemblance, these two games are quite different in structure and design. Because each of these games has its own distinct set of rules, methods of playing, and scoring, you must familiarize yourself with them all before you begin playing.
In truth, the two games are played on grounds that are very unlike in appearance. One of the unique things about padel is the backglass. After hitting the clear glass walls in padel, a ball may be struck in pickleball since there is no opportunity for a ball to rebound off of the glass.
Both of these games are great for those who prefer playing doubles. Because of this, you should be aware that padel requires playing doubles on a normal court. Although some padel courts are designed specifically for singles play, the great majority are doubles-only setups. You may play singles or doubles on the same court in pickleball, which has no such restrictions.
Did you know that there are parts in the pickleball court you can’t access?
Pickleball has banned parts of the court; yes, there are spots on your side of the court that you are not supposed to tread on unless under certain rule exceptions. This is an important distinction between the two games. This is critical since it might cost you a lot of points if you don’t know it.
Take a good look at the equipment used, they are quite different for both games
Despite their superficial resemblance, the two games need very distinct sets of tools to be played. Pickleball’s racket has a solid face whereas padel’s has a thicker, perforated face.
With the only difference being that padel balls have less pressure and bounce lower than tennis balls, the game is extremely similar to tennis.
Rallies are common in both sports. Pickleball’s sluggish wiffleball keeps the ball in play, while padel’s encircling walls do the same. While playing padel you feel like you’re on a tennis court, playing pickleball you feel like you’re standing on a giant ping pong table.
In both games, a net separates the court. There are badminton-like lines on each side of the pickleball court, and tennis-like lines on each side of the padel court.
