Smash Padel’ Annabelle Denly, Assistant Manager and Coach at Smash Padel Bicester, has been featured in Padel Nation Issue 3 for her leadership of Sofa2Smash, our eight‑week introductory padel programme designed to help inactive adults build confidence and long‑term wellbeing through sport.

Her feature shines a light on the growing role padel can play in public health, community engagement and accessible coaching pathways across the UK.

Sofa2Smash was created to support adults who may feel under‑confident, inactive or disconnected from regular exercise, and was inspired by the NHS Couch to 5K model. Annabelle’s background in the NHS mental health service shaped the programme’s design.

Padel Nation’s feature highlights the programme’s evidence‑based approach. Participants took part in a pilot study measuring mental wellbeing, physical activity and quality of life at three points across the eight weeks. Alongside the data, Annabelle gathered personal reflections and feedback that showed clear improvements in confidence, stress levels, social connection and readiness to continue playing padel beyond the programme.

Read the full article below.