Paddleball vs. Pickleball vs. Padel –
What’s the Difference?
These days, there are more racket or paddle games than one can count. And while games like tennis, table tennis, and badminton have enjoyed widespread attention as well as popularity, we’re witnessing games like paddleball, pickleball, and padel taking over the world by storm.
When you see professional players participating in these games, you may/may not find numerous similarities. In fact, some even think of them as the same game. However, that’s not the case. Each of these games is unique and distinct.
To help you learn more about each of these sports and understand the difference, we’ve put together this blog post, where we’ll individually be looking at what each of these sports is all about one by one.
Without further ado, let’s dive into their actual meaning straight away.
What is Paddleball?
Following are the two types of paddleball you should know about:
- One-Wall Paddleball
- Four-Wall Paddleball
One-Wall Paddleball
One-Wall Paddleball involves two-four players hitting ball against a single wall. These courts are usually 34’ X 20’ and feature service line on the right side of the court, short line (16’ from the wall) and long line (34’ from the wall).
This game is played with paddles and rubber ball to 15, 21 and 25 points. It’s played in single or doubles and it’s important to note that only the serving team or player can score a point.
Four-Wall Paddleball
Similar to one-wall paddleball, four-wall paddleball is also played in single or doubles. Four-wall paddleball courts are 40’ X 20’ with the side and front walls being 20’ high. At the same time, the back wall should at least be 12’ tall. Four-wall paddleball courts are split into different zones:
- Zone I extends 15’ from the front wall
- Beyond Zone I, there’s a 5’ service zone comprising 18” wide service boxes on both sides.
- Beyond the service zone, there’s a 20’ zone with a receiving line. This line is 5’ behind the service zone and runs from one side to another.
Four-wall paddleball is played with a racketball and paddle.
What is Pickleball?
Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sport recently and is played on a court – which would be roughly the same size as that of a badminton’s court. In this game, the net touches the ground. The game can be played both indoors and outdoors – and comprises elements of ping-pong, tennis and volleyballs.
Just like paddleball, this game can be played in single or doubles and is played to 11 points. In this game, only the serving team can score a point and to win the game you need to be ahead of the opposition team by at least 2 points.
What is Padel?
Padel is a perfect combination of tennis and squash. Just like four-wall paddleball, it’s played inside an enclosed court. This court is usually roughly one-third or half the size of a regular tennis court. Padel is usually played in doubles and both sides are split by a net.
This game is played by padel rackets and a ball, which looks and feels similar to a tennis ball but is slightly smaller. Just like in tennis, a team can win a padel game by winning two out of three sets. To win a set, a team is required to win six games.
To win a game or a set, a team needs to be up by two points. In padel, players serve underhanded. Your team will win a match when:
- Ball bounces twice on the opposite side
- Opposition team players hit the fencing or another fixture prior to returning the ball
- Ball strikes an opposing player.
The big difference between tennis and padel is that padel players can bounce the ball off the four surrounding walls of the court rather than just the ground. In Padel you have always a second change and that is making it extremely popular and fun.
Paddleball vs. Pickleball vs. Padel –
What’s the Difference?
While these games look and feel almost similar, allow me to highlight some differences:
- Serving Style – In paddleball, the serving rules aren’t as strict as they’re in pickleball or padel. While players get just a single chance to serve, they can do it as they like. However, in pickleball, you get one serving chance and you can only do it underhandedly. Also, you can’t allow your ball to touch the no-valley zone while serving. In padel, players get two chance to serve and they need to do it underhanded and below the waistline.
- Game Scoring – One-wall paddleball is played to 15, 21 and 25 points. Whereas, four-wall is played to 7-11 points. Pickleball is played up to 11 points and players need to win by being ahead of the opposition by 2 points. The scoring system of padel is the same as that of tennis. A team can win a padel game by winning two out of three sets. To win a set, a team is required to win six games.
- Ball – One of the major differences is in terms of the balls used in these games. Pickleballs are usually lightweight and are made of plastic with holes in them. Paddleballs are depressurized tennis balls that are made up of rubber. Padel balls feel just like tennis balls yet are smaller in size.
Conclusion
These games may look similar – but they are not. You’ll know when you’re in the field. And with padel’s popularity, among the three, growing at an exponential pace, we can easily see it topping the top-played games list real soon.
And if you are looking forward to kickstarting your padel journey, you need to equip yourself with a reliable and high-quality padel racket that matches your style and level.
At PADEL1969, we build the highest quality and most reliable value-for-money rackets that players can’t resist falling in love with.
And if you want to explore the world of padel, dive deep into our resources section:
One Comment
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