The honest answer is: less than the internet wants you to believe.
Padel has a way of making people over-prepare. You watch a few match highlights, see players with diamond-shaped carbon rackets and dedicated kit bags, and assume you need something similar before you’re allowed on court. You don’t. Most clubs will hand you a rental racket, the balls come with the booking, and half the people in your first session will be wearing whatever trainers they own.
That said, there’s a difference between “you can get away with it” and “you’ll enjoy it more.” Some purchases genuinely improve those first few weeks. Others are money you’ll wish you’d spent later, once you know what kind of player you’re becoming.
Here’s how I’d split it.
The three things that matter on day one
A racket you can control
If you’re borrowing, ask for a round-shaped racket. The round shape puts the sweet spot in the middle of the face, which is exactly where a beginner’s contact point lands most of the time. Diamond-shaped rackets move that sweet spot toward the tip — great for players who already generate power and place the ball precisely, frustrating for anyone still figuring out where the ball is going.
Weight matters more than you’d expect. Anything in the lighter end of the range is easier to swing late, and beginners are almost always late. A heavy racket in an inexperienced hand produces mistimed shots and a sore forearm by game three.
One quirk worth knowing: padel rackets don’t come in different grip sizes the way tennis rackets do. The handle is a single standard size and you adjust it with overgrips — one for a slightly thicker feel, two if you have larger hands. It’s a two-pound fix, not a reason to buy a different racket.
If you’re at the point of buying rather than borrowing, our full breakdown of what to look for in a first racket goes into shape, balance and materials properly.
Shoes with lateral grip
This is the one place I’d argue against “just wear what you have.”
Padel courts are artificial turf dressed with sand. Running shoes are built to move you forward and are actively unhelpful on that surface — they roll under lateral pressure and their soles don’t bite into sand. Padel involves constant sideways movement and a lot of stopping.
Standard court shoes or trainers with a flat, non-marking sole will do for a first session. Beyond that, look for a herringbone or omni-style tread, which is designed to grip loose sand rather than skate across it. We’ve written about what separates padel-specific shoes from tennis and squash options if you want the detail.
If you buy one thing before your fourth or fifth session, make it shoes.
The wrist strap (which isn’t optional)
Every padel racket has a cord attached to the bottom of the handle, and you’re expected to loop it around your wrist before play. This isn’t a manufacturer’s suggestion — it’s in the rules, and most clubs will enforce it.
The reason is simple. Padel is played in an enclosed court with three other people inside it, and a racket that leaves your hand mid-swing has nowhere good to go. Put the strap on. Nobody will mention it if you do; everybody will mention it if you don’t.
What you can genuinely put off
Balls. Your booking almost certainly includes them, and any club worth playing at won’t hand you a dead tin. Once you’re playing weekly you’ll start noticing the difference between a fresh ball and one that’s lost its bounce — that’s when it’s worth understanding how padel balls differ from tennis balls and when to replace them. Not before.
A kit bag. A rucksack works. The three-racket thermal bags are for people who own three rackets.
Protective tape. Worth it eventually — the top edge of a racket takes a beating from glass and floor scrapes. But it’s a maintenance purchase for gear you own, not a starter purchase.
Padel-specific clothing. Whatever you play any other sport in is fine. Courts are enclosed and often indoors, so bring a layer for before and after rather than anything technical.
The one accessory I’d buy immediately
Overgrips. They cost almost nothing, and rental rackets have handles that have been sweated on by dozens of people before you.
More practically: your hands will sweat in an enclosed court, and a slipping handle changes how you swing. You start gripping tighter to compensate, your forearm tightens, and your shots get worse without your understanding why. A fresh overgrip solves a problem most beginners don’t realise they have. If your hands run damp, some grip materials handle moisture far better than others.
Buy a pack. Learn to wrap one — it takes about ninety seconds and there’s no skill to it.
Roughly what this costs
Prices swing a lot by country and brand, so treat these as bands rather than quotes.
- Session zero — around the cost of the court booking. Rental racket, club balls, trainers you already own. In most places a court split four ways is comparable to a cinema ticket.
- Getting properly kitted — entry-level racket plus decent shoes plus overgrips. This is where most people land after three or four sessions. It’s a real purchase but not a serious one, and a sensible entry-level racket will stay useful for a year or more.
- Everything else — bags, protective tape, spare rackets, ball tubes. Accumulates gradually and never needs to happen all at once.
The mistake I see repeatedly is people spending the mid-tier budget on the racket alone and playing in running shoes. Split it. A modest racket and appropriate shoes beats an expensive racket and slipping feet, every time.
Gear is the easy part
None of this tells you where to play, how the scoring works, or what to do when someone hits a lob over your head and the ball bounces off the back glass.
That side of it varies a lot by where you live — court availability, how clubs handle solo bookings, whether beginner sessions are a thing near you. If you’re starting out in Britain specifically, this walkthrough on getting on court for the first time in the UK covers the practical side reasonably well: finding somewhere to play, what a first session actually looks like, and the rules you’ll want to have read once before you arrive.
The rules take a session to absorb. Underarm serve, ball must bounce before you strike it, walls are in play, the metal fence is a different story. You’ll be corrected on court and nobody will mind.
The short version
Borrow a round racket. Wear shoes that grip sideways. Wrap an overgrip on the handle. Put the wrist strap on.
Then play four or five times before you buy anything significant. By that point you’ll have opinions — about weight, about balance, about whether you’re the player who lobs or the player who volleys — and those opinions will make you a much better shopper than any buying guide, this one included.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to buy a racket before my first padel session?
No. The large majority of clubs rent rackets, and it’s usually included in or added cheaply to the court booking. Most players buy their first racket after three or four sessions, once they have a feel for the swing.
Can I use a tennis racket to play padel?
No. Padel rackets are solid, stringless and perforated, and they’re shorter than tennis rackets. A tennis racket isn’t legal for padel and won’t function correctly against the walls.
Are padel shoes really necessary for beginners?
Not for the first session, but they’re the first purchase worth making. Padel courts are sand-dressed artificial turf, and running shoes offer poor lateral stability on that surface. Flat-soled court trainers work as an interim option.
What’s the difference between round and diamond padel rackets?
Round rackets have a centred sweet spot and are more forgiving on off-centre contact, which suits beginners. Diamond rackets shift the sweet spot toward the tip for more power but demand cleaner ball-striking.
Why do padel rackets have a wrist cord?
It’s a safety requirement in the rules of the game. Four players share an enclosed court, and the cord prevents a released racket from becoming a hazard. Most clubs will ask you to use it.
How many padel balls do I need?
Three is standard for a match, and clubs generally supply them. Buying your own only becomes relevant when you’re playing regularly enough to notice the drop-off in a used ball’s bounce.