Padel dictionary,
every term explained.
The words you hear on court and on our streams, from bandeja and víbora to golden point and star point. Each term gives the Danish and Spanish names too, because padel is played in a mix of all three.
Læs ordbogen på dansk → · 76 terms
Shots
- BandejaSpanish for “Tray”
- A controlled, sliced overhead hit at around shoulder height. It is not meant to win the point but to keep your place at the net and push the opponents back. The racket is held as if carrying a tray.
- VíboraSpanish for “Viper”
- A more aggressive cousin of the bandeja, hit with slice and sidespin so the ball skids low off the side glass.
- SmashSpanish: remate, “The finish”
- A hard overhead meant to win the point. Because the ball comes back off the glass, a padel smash often has to bounce out of the court (see por tres and por cuatro) to be a winner.
- OverheadDanish: Overhåndsslag · Spanish: golpe aéreo, “Aerial shot”
- Any shot hit above the head: bandeja, víbora, smash, rulo and gancho. Note that the Spanish remate means only the smash, not every overhead.
- Por tres (x3)Spanish for “By three”
- A smash hit so hard that, after it bounces, the ball flies up over the back glass and out of the court. A winner unless the opponent is allowed to run out and play it.
- Por cuatro (x4)Spanish for “By four”
- A smash that, after bouncing, leaves the court through the side opening (the door) instead of over the back glass. Hit with sidespin or angled towards the side.
- RuloSpanish for “Roller”
- A smash with heavy topspin that kicks high and long off the back glass, often out of the court.
- GanchoSpanish for “Hook”
- An overhead hit beside the body, for a ball too high for a volley and too low or close for a bandeja. Often used at the net to close the point.
- BajadaSpanish: bajada de pared, “Coming down off the wall”
- An attacking shot from the back: the ball has come back high off the back glass and the player "brings it down" with a hard swing before it drops.
- Off the back glassDanish: Udgang fra glasset · Spanish: salida de pared, “Out of the wall”
- Letting the ball hit the back glass and playing it as it comes back. The core defensive skill in padel and the first thing new players have to learn.
- Double wallDanish: Dobbelt glas · Spanish: doble pared
- After bouncing, the ball hits two walls, for example back glass then side glass, before it is played. Hard to read because it changes direction twice.
- Contrapared (back-wall return)Danish: Contrapared · Spanish for “Against the wall”
- An emergency shot: the player hits the ball into their own back glass so it rebounds over the net. Legal in padel.
- VolleySpanish: volea
- A shot taken out of the air before the ball bounces. The standard shot at the net.
- Block volleyDanish: Blok · Spanish: bloqueo
- A short volley with no swing: the player simply holds the racket out against a hard ball and uses its pace.
- Half-volleyDanish: Halvflugt · Spanish: bote pronto, “Early bounce”
- Hitting the ball just after it bounces, before it rises. Used when the ball lands at your feet.
- ChiquitaSpanish for “Little one”
- A soft, low ball from the back aimed at the feet of the net players. They have to hit upwards, which gives you the chance to move up and take the net.
- LobSpanish: globo, “Balloon”
- A high ball over the net players. The most important defensive shot in padel: a good lob forces the opponents back and lets your pair take the net.
- Drop shotDanish: Stopbold · Spanish: dejada, “Left behind”
- A short, soft shot that lands just over the net and dies before the opponent reaches it.
- ForehandDanish: Forhånd · Spanish: derecha / drive, “Right”
- A shot on the same side as your racket hand. "Drive" is also used for the forehand from the back.
- BackhandDanish: Baghånd · Spanish: revés, “Reverse”
- A shot on the opposite side to your racket hand.
- ServeDanish: Serv · Spanish: saque
- The shot that starts the point. The ball is bounced once behind the service line and struck at or below waist height, diagonally into the opponent's service box. You get two attempts.
- ReturnDanish: Returnering · Spanish: resto
- The shot that answers the serve. The ball must bounce in the service box before it is returned.
- Passing shotDanish: Passerslag · Spanish: passing
- A shot past the net players, down the side or through the middle.
Scoring
- Scoring (15-30-40)Danish: Pointtælling (15-30-40) · Spanish: puntuación
- Padel scores like tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. Six games win a set, and a match is normally best of three sets.
- GameDanish: Parti · Spanish: juego
- A run of points (15-30-40-game) with the same server. Danish: parti.
- SetDanish: Sæt
- Won by the first pair to six games with a two-game lead (6-4, 7-5). At 6-6 there is a tiebreak.
- DeuceDanish: Lige · Spanish: iguales, “Equal”
- The score at 40-40. What happens next depends on the rule in use: advantage, golden point or star point.
- AdvantageDanish: Fordel · Spanish: ventaja
- The point after deuce. If the pair with the advantage also wins the next point, they win the game; otherwise it is back to deuce.
- Golden pointDanish: Gyldent point · Spanish: punto de oro
- At 40-40 the game is settled by one single point. The receiving pair chooses which of them returns the serve. It was standard on the World Padel Tour and is still common in Danish events.
- Star pointSpanish: punto estrella
- FIP's rule from 2026: at 40-40, advantage is played up to two times. If it goes back to deuce a third time, one deciding point – the star point – settles the game. Used at FIP events, including the junior FIP Promises.
- TiebreakSpanish: tie-break
- Decides a set at 6-6. First to 7 points with a two-point lead; the set is recorded as 7-6.
- Super tiebreak (match tiebreak)Danish: Super-tiebreak · Spanish: super tie-break
- A tiebreak to 10 points with a two-point lead, played instead of a full third set. Also called a match tiebreak. Common in amateur events and team ties.
- BreakSpanish: break / rotura
- Winning a game on the opponents' serve. A break point is a point that can give you a break.
- Set point and match pointDanish: Sætbold og matchbold · Spanish: bola de set / bola de partido
- A point that decides the set or the match if won.
- Double faultDanish: Dobbeltfejl · Spanish: doble falta
- Both serve attempts are faults, and the point goes to the opponents.
- LetDanish: Net (om igen) · Spanish: let / red
- The serve clips the net and lands in the right box, so it is replayed. If the ball then hits the wire mesh, it is a fault instead.
- Foot faultDanish: Fodfejl · Spanish: falta de pie
- The server steps on or over the service line, or jumps while serving. Counts as a fault.
Court, kit and rules
- CourtDanish: Bane · Spanish: pista
- A padel court is 20 × 10 metres, enclosed by glass walls at the ends and wire mesh at the sides, with a net across the middle.
- Glass (wall)Danish: Glas · Spanish: pared / cristal
- The back and side glass are part of play: after bouncing in the court, the ball may hit the glass and be played on. If it hits the opponents' glass directly without bouncing first, the point is lost.
- Wire mesh (fence)Danish: Gitter · Spanish: malla / reja
- The metal fence along the sides. The ball may hit the mesh after bouncing, but it rebounds unpredictably. On the serve, hitting the mesh after the bounce is a fault.
- NetSpanish: red
- The net is 88 cm high in the middle and 92 cm at the posts. Players may not touch it while the ball is in play.
- Service boxDanish: Servefelt · Spanish: cuadro de saque
- The area between the net and the service line, split by the centre line. The serve must land diagonally in the opponents' box.
- Service lineDanish: Servelinje · Spanish: línea de saque
- The line 6.95 metres from the net, about 3 metres from the back glass. The server stands behind it.
- Panoramic courtDanish: Panoramabane · Spanish: pista panorámica
- A court with no posts behind the glass, so spectators and cameras see straight in. Standard at professional events.
- Playing outside the courtDanish: Spil uden for banen · Spanish: salir por fuera
- On courts with side openings, a player may run out of the court to return a ball that has bounced out. Only where the court and the event allow it.
- Racket (paddle)Danish: Bat · Spanish: pala, “Shovel”
- A padel racket has no strings but a solid, perforated face. At most 45.5 cm long, 26 cm wide and 38 mm thick, with a wrist strap that must be worn.
- Round, teardrop and diamondDanish: Rund, dråbe og diamant · Spanish: redonda, lágrima, diamante
- The three racket shapes. Round: balance near the handle, big sweet spot, most control. Diamond: balance high in the head, most power, hardest to handle. Teardrop: in between.
- Padel ballDanish: Padelbold · Spanish: pelota
- Looks like a tennis ball but has slightly lower pressure, so it is slower and bounces less.
Play and tactics
- Taking the netDanish: At tage nettet · Spanish: ganar la red
- The pair at the net attacks; the pair at the back defends. Much of padel is about winning the net, usually with a lob or a chiquita, and holding it.
- Right side (drive side)Danish: Højre side (drive-side) · Spanish: lado de derecha
- The right half of the court seen from your own baseline. The player there is the drive player, usually the steady builder of the point.
- Left side (backhand side)Danish: Venstre side (revés-side) · Spanish: lado de revés
- The left half of the court. For a right-hander, balls through the middle come on the forehand, so the backhand-side player often hits most smashes and finishes most points.
- Down the middleDanish: Midten · Spanish: por el medio
- Playing between the two opponents. It causes doubt about who takes the ball and gives them fewer angles back.
- Cross-court and down the lineDanish: Diagonal og parallel · Spanish: cruzado / paralelo
- Cross-court: angled across the court. Down the line: straight along the side.
- WinnerSpanish: winner / golpe ganador
- A shot the opponent cannot touch, winning the point outright.
- Unforced errorDanish: Uprovokeret fejl · Spanish: error no forzado
- A mistake on a ball the player should have been able to play, without pressure from the opponent.
- RallyDanish: Duel · Spanish: punto / peloteo
- The exchange of shots in a point. Padel rallies are often long because the glass gives the defender another chance.
- Americano
- A social format: partners rotate every round, each match is played to a fixed number of points, and everyone collects their own points. Most points wins.
- Mexicano
- Like an americano, but after the first round pairs are made from the standings, so players of similar level meet.
Tournaments and rankings
- FIPSpanish: Federación Internacional de Pádel
- The International Padel Federation. It runs the world ranking, the World Championships and the FIP Tour, the international tour below Premier Padel. More →
- FIP Bronze, Silver, Gold and PlatinumDanish: FIP Bronze, Silver, Gold og Platinum
- The levels of the FIP Tour, lowest to highest. A higher level gives more world ranking points. FIP Bronze events have been held in Denmark.
- FIP Promises
- FIP's international events for juniors.
- Premier Padel
- The top professional tour, run with FIP. Its levels are P2, P1 and Major, and the season ends with the Finals.
- World Padel Tour (WPT)
- The former leading professional tour. It closed after the 2023 season, and the top players moved to Premier Padel.
- DPF (Danish Padel Federation)Danish: DPF
- Dansk Padel Forbund, the Danish federation. It runs the Danish ranking, the national championships and the national teams. More →
- DPF100 to DPF2000Danish: DPF100 til DPF2000
- The levels of DPF ranking events: DPF100, DPF500, DPF700, DPF1000 and DPF2000. The higher the number, the more ranking points and the stronger the field. DPF2000 is the season finals.
- Danish Championships (DM)Danish: DM
- Danmarksmesterskabet, the Danish padel championships. The highest-ranked Danish event. More →
- Elitedivisionen and 1. divisionDanish: Elitedivisionen og 1. division
- The top two tiers of the Danish club team league. A team tie is made up of several matches, and the team that wins the most of them wins the tie.
- National teamDanish: Landshold · Spanish: selección
- Denmark sends national teams to the European, World and Nordic championships – senior, veteran and junior. More →
- RankingDanish: Rangliste
- Players earn points for how far they get in an event and how highly the event is rated. The ranking decides seeding and entry to events.
- Elo ratingDanish: Elo-rating
- A strength rating that rises when you win and falls when you lose, by more against strong opponents. It measures level, where a ranking measures results and participation. More →
- SeedingDanish: Seedning · Spanish: cabeza de serie, “Head of the series”
- The highest-ranked pairs are placed in the draw so they cannot meet early.
- QualifyingDanish: Kvalifikation · Spanish: previa
- A pre-event where lower-ranked pairs play for the last places in the main draw.
- Main drawDanish: Hovedturnering og lodtrækning · Spanish: cuadro final
- The draw is the event's bracket. The main draw is a knockout: round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final.
- Walkover and retirementDanish: Walkover og opgivet · Spanish: W.O. / retirada
- Walkover: a pair does not turn up and the opponents go through without playing. Retirement: a pair stops during the match, usually through injury.
- WildcardSpanish: invitación
- A main-draw place the organiser gives to a pair not ranked high enough to get in.
- RankedIn
- The platform that hosts Danish tournaments, draws, team ties and rankings.
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