In padel you serve underarm. Bounce the ball behind the service line, then hit it at or below waist height, with at least one foot on the ground, diagonally into your opponent's service box. For a good serve, hold the tossing arm out in front, contact the ball in front of you at around belly-button height, and move forward as you hit so you can follow the serve to the net.

The serve rarely wins points in padel, but it decides who gets to the net first, and that usually decides the point. This guide covers the rules, then the technique.

The padel serve rules

These are the main serve rules under the International Padel Federation (FIP) rules in force from 1 January 2026. Club and league rules can differ slightly, so check locally if you play competitively.

  • Position. Stand behind the service line, between the centre line and the side wall. Your feet must not touch the service line or the centre line before you hit.
  • Bounce first. Bounce the ball on the floor behind the service line before you hit it.
  • Height. Hit the ball at or below waist height, with at least one foot touching the ground.
  • Direction. Serve diagonally into your opponent's service box, starting from the right-hand side and alternating each point.
  • Glass yes, fence no. After bouncing in the box, the ball can hit the glass. If it hits the metal fence before its second bounce, it is a fault.
  • Two serves. You get two attempts. Two faults in a row lose the point.
  • Lets. A serve that clips the net and then lands correctly, without hitting the fence, is a let and is replayed.

The checkpoints of a good serve

These come from the padel coach who helped build OnCourtAI's padel analysis, and they are what our model checks in your video.

  • Tossing arm out in front. Hold and drop the ball with your free arm extended in front of you. This places the bounce where you can hit it comfortably in front.
  • Contact in front of you. Meet the ball in front of your body, not beside or behind you.
  • Contact around the belly button. This is a height window, not "as low as possible". Too high risks a fault and makes it hard to control. Too low and you have to lift the ball, which sends it up and gives your opponent an easy return.
  • Moving forward as you hit. Your weight and feet should be travelling forward through contact, so the serve flows straight into your run to the net.

Step by step

1. Set up side-on

Stand side-on to the net, a little behind the service line, with your weight on your back foot and the racket held in a continental grip.

2. Drop the ball in front

Hold the ball with your arm out in front of you and let it drop, so it bounces slightly in front and to the side of your front foot.

3. Swing as you step in

Take the racket back, then swing forward as your weight moves onto your front foot. Contact the ball in front of you at around belly-button height.

4. Keep going to the net

Let the forward movement carry you towards the net. The serve is the first step of your approach, not a separate shot.

Coming from tennis? What changes

If you play tennis, the padel serve asks you to unlearn more than you might expect.

  • No toss. The ball is dropped and bounced, not thrown up. The tossing arm still matters, but its job is to place the bounce in front of you.
  • No power serve. The court is small and the walls return fast balls. Placement and a low bounce beat pace.
  • The serve is an approach. In tennis you can serve and stay back. In padel the serving team almost always heads straight for the net, so moving forward through contact is part of the technique, not an extra.
  • Grip. Many tennis players serve with an eastern forehand grip out of habit. A continental grip makes the serve easier to slice and means you are ready for the first volley.

If you are making the switch, our complete guide to padel covers the other main differences.

Where to aim

  • Into the side glass. A serve that bounces in the box and then hits the side glass makes the receiver play the rebound.
  • At the body. A serve aimed at the receiver gives them little room to swing.
  • Deep with a little slice. A serve that stays low after the bounce is hard to attack and gives you time to get forward.

Avoid the high, slow serve that sits up in the middle of the box. It is the easiest serve to attack.

The most common serve mistakes

  • Hitting above the waist. Tennis players especially let the ball rise too high. It is a fault, and even when it is legal it is harder to control.
  • Hitting too low. Crouching to take the ball near the floor makes you scoop it upwards, so it sits up for the receiver.
  • Contact beside or behind the body. Usually caused by dropping the ball too close. Hold the tossing arm further out in front.
  • Standing still. Serving flat-footed and then starting your run leaves you stranded in the middle of the court when the return comes.
  • Clipping the fence. A serve hit too hard and too wide can bounce in and hit the metal fence, which is a fault.

How OnCourtAI analyses your serve

Choose Serve in the padel analysis and film side-on. OnCourtAI checks whether your tossing arm is extended in front, whether contact is in front of you and around belly-button height, and whether you are moving forward as you hit. You get a score out of 100 for each part and advice on what to fix first.

OnCourtAI measures your body, not the ball, so it cannot check where the serve lands or call faults. For the serve together with the volley that usually follows it, see our padel serve and volley guide.