Because padel features two teams playing either side of a net, and each team has two players, a lot of new fans/players of the sport may wonder whether a team or player is allowed to hit the ball twice in order to return it to the opponent’s side of the court. Take volleyball for example, which is another sport featuring multiple players on each team separated by a net. In volleyball, each team is allowed to have a maximum of 3 touches before they have to hit the ball back to the other side of the net. If you want to learn if padel has similar rules, make sure you read on!
So, can you hit the ball twice in padel?
In padel, a player is not allowed to hit the ball twice consecutively. If they do so, this will result in their team losing the point. Instead, whenever the ball is hit by a player, it must travel over the net onto the opponent’s side of the court and land inbounds so that the opponent has a chance to return it.
Taking the information above into account, padel players are also not allowed to hit the ball to their partner so that they can hit it immediately after. Every time the ball goes onto your side of the court, only one player is allowed to make contact with the ball. Therefore, if one player hits the ball and it goes on to touch their partner’s body or any part of their partners racket/equipment before it passes the net, that team will immediately lose the point.
Additionally, if a player hits the ball with their racket and the ball goes on to hit another part of their own body, this also counts as a double hit. This would also lead to that player’s team losing the point. So, for example, if you had to lunge forwards and stretch to hit the ball, and after you hit the ball it happened to hit your leg, this would automatically cause you to lose the point.
What Happens If Both Players Hit The Ball At The Same Time?
If both players on one team are judged by the umpire to have struck the ball at exactly the same time, this will be counted as a double hit. That team will lose the point as a result.
If both players try to hit the ball at the same time and one actually manages to make contact with the ball but the other player hits their teammates racket instead of the ball, this will not be counted as a double hit and the point can continue.
What Happens If The Ball Is Hit Twice Accidentally?
Occasionally in padel matches there may be a scenario where a player accidentally hits the ball twice. For example, if players are holding their racket in a certain way, the ball could potentially strike their finger first (which counts as one hit) before rolling onto the face of the racket and being hit again. A double hit like this may be impossible for the umpire, spectators and opposition players to notice, so technically the offending player could get away with it.
If this happens, a lot of padel players will take the sporting route and choose to own up to their double hit, forfeiting the point in the process.
However, there are a lot of players that won’t own up to double hits – trust me, I’ve played against many of them! If you’re up against this type of player you’ll have to make sure you keep an extra close eye on them when they’re playing shots!
What If The Ball Is ‘Scooped’ Or ‘Pushed’?
When the ball is ‘scooped’ or ‘pushed’ it may often look like a player has hit the ball twice when they actually haven’t. If you’re not sure what a scoop or a push shot is, they are basically shots where the ball stays on the racket face for longer than usual. During a scoop or a push shot, the ball will land on the face of the racket once and will stay attached while the player moves the racket. The ball will then leave the racket once the player completes the motion of their shot. So, technically, during a push or scoop shot the ball only bounces on the racket once, making it a single hit. During a normal shot the ball will bounce once on the face of the racket. During a double hit, the ball will bounce on the face of the racket twice! Therefore, a scoop or a push shot will not be counted as a double hit or an illegal shot.
The problem with scoops and push shots is ensuring that the ball doesn’t bounce on the face of the racket more than once, and even if it does, the umpire of the opposing team may still believe it was a double hit. Therefore, scoops and push shots are something that I’d try to avoid playing if possible!
Conclusion
In summary, it’s illegal to hit the ball twice in padel. Whenever the ball is on one side of the court, it must only be hit once by one individual player. If one player hits the ball twice, or if the ball makes contact with both players, that team will lose the point – so make sure you don’t get in the way of your partner’s shots! In padel it’s vital to build up a good relationship with your teammate so that you know where they’re likely to hit the ball and when they’ll play different types of shots. The more times you partner up with a certain player, the more comfortable with them you will become!