If you’re wondering whether padel might be a good sport for your child to try, the short answer is yes! It’s one of the easiest racket sports for kids to pick up, whether they typically enjoy other sports or not, and it’s fun. Parents regularly tell us their kids never want to get off the court.
This guide covers everything a parent needs to know: the right age to start, what a first session looks like, and why we’ve built our junior programme the way we have.
Why padel works so well for kids.
Padel has a much faster learning curve than tennis, and solves a lot of the problems that put children off other sports early on. The court is around a third the size of a tennis court, so there’s less ground to cover. The walls keep the ball in play for longer, which means more rallying and less chasing after balls that have gone miles away. And because points are won through positioning and timing rather than raw power, children don’t need to be particularly strong or coordinated to start enjoying it straight away.
It’s also naturally social. Padel is always played in doubles, so from the very first session your child is playing with others and making new friends. And if you’ve got children of different ages, or fancy getting involved yourself, padel works well as a family activity too.
There’s no need for your child to have played a racket sport before at all. It’s a sport that everyone can enjoy, and one that’s quicker to pick up than most.
Smash story: padel clicked for the whole family.
“Smash padel Oxford is such a lovely, friendly club. As a family we have used it to play together, join in really well organised social events and drop in sessions. The kids coaching team is also brilliant – my 13 year old son has found a sport he loves. I feel very lucky to have this facility on our doorstep.”
– Lisa Barnes, Oxford Smash Padel Customer
What age can my child start?
Children can start from around age four, though what that looks like changes a lot as they grow.
- Little Smashers (four to six years). Games that build the ABCs (agility, balance and coordination), with no pressure and nothing to score.
- Mighty Smashers (seven to ten years). Padel habits start to form, with simple rallies, basic shots and the beginnings of relaxed match play.
- Mega Smashers (eleven to thirteen years). More structure comes in, with tactics, footwork and proper matches, though fun still stays at the centre of it.
For children who want to take it further, the pathway continues beyond Smashers into squad and academy level, all the way up to national and GB representation. In fact, half of the current junior GB padel team came through the Smash programme.
Our approach to junior padel.
We made a deliberate decision early on to give up court time that could have gone to paying adult members, and invest it in junior development instead.
Smash builds sessions around fun first. Rather than sitting children down to learn grips, serves and rallies in order, our coaches design engaging games that teach the fundamental movement skills children need before they can control a racket at all: running, stopping, jumping, twisting and catching. The same thinking applies to competition. We’re in no rush to push children towards competition, and we celebrate effort and attitude as much as results, so every child can simply enjoy the game.
Every one of our coaches is employed directly by Smash and developed through our internal coaching programme, so your child gets a consistent approach and builds a real relationship with the people coaching them, term after term. Two of our coaches are also GB junior coaches, so the same expertise that shapes elite junior padel in this country is shaping your child’s sessions too.
What to bring and how booking works.
Rackets and balls are provided. So all that your child needs for their first session are trainers they can move around in and comfortable, breathable sports clothing. We also recommend they bring a water bottle to stay hydrated, and a hat and suncream for outdoor courts.
Booking is done through the Nettla app, and your child’s free intro session is the easiest way to get started with no cost and no commitment.
What if my child doesn’t take to it straight away?
Some children click with padel from the first ball they hit. Others take some time to find their feet, especially if they haven’t played a racket sport before. Both are completely normal, and regardless of what age they start playing we’ll help them develop the fundamental movement skills they’ll need.
The best thing you can do as a parent is keep the focus on fun rather than progress. Ask what game they enjoyed most, not how well they played. Children pick up on pressure quickly, even the well meant kind, and comparing them to other kids on the court is one of the fastest ways to put them off. It’s also why we don’t introduce competition until children are genuinely ready for it, and why progress in our junior programme is tracked through effort and enjoyment rather than results.
What to look for in a good junior padel programme.
Whether you’re looking at Smash or another padel club, a handful of things tend to separate a genuinely good junior programme from one that’s just filling court time:
- Coaches who specialise in junior coaching, not adult coaches running a scaled down adult session.
- No pressure to compete until a child is developmentally ready for it, usually well into their pathway.
- A progressive programme, so your child builds new skills each half term rather than repeating the same session.
- Consistency of coaching staff, so your child is building a relationship with someone who knows them, not a different face every term.
- Somewhere children want to go back to. This sounds obvious, but it’s the clearest sign a programme is working.
What types of junior sessions are available?
Padel coaching sessions for children run in a few different ways, so there’s a format that works for everyone.
Group coaching runs in term-time blocks, much like an after-school club, with children grouped by Smashers stage rather than mixed together. Group sessions tend to suit young children best, since padel is a social sport and children often relax more when they’re playing alongside others their age.
Padel camps run during school holidays and half terms, and are a good option whether your child already plays regularly or is trying padel for the first time. These all-day sessions are a great way to keep your kids engaged, active and offline during the school break.
Private coaching is available alongside or instead of group sessions, for children who want more focused, one-to-one attention on a particular part of their game.
Ready to see how your child gets on?
The easiest way to find out if your child will enjoy padel is to bring them along to a free intro session. No experience needed, rackets provided, just turn up and play.
