Menu
Epirus London
0
  • Home
  • Shop
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • français
  • États-Unis (USD $)
  • Votre panier est vide
Epirus London
  • Home
  • Shop
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Langue

    translation missing: fr.general.country.dropdown_label

  • 0 0

What is Padel / Paddle tennis / Platform tennis? And what are the differences?

janvier 28, 2018

What is the difference between Padel / Paddle tennis / Platform tennis?

Padel, paddle tennis and platform tennis are three similar but different sports.

To make things even more confusing, platform tennis is often called "paddle tennis" by its players and sometimes only "paddle".

Needless to say, it can be hard to know exactly which sport a person is talking about.

One commonality? All three games have their roots in tennis. Padel (sometimes spelled "paddle") is the most popular and widely available internationally. It is also one of the fastest growing sports in the world by participation. 

While the three games are very similar, there are some key differences which are summarised in the table below:

Get a stylish new bag made for tennis, padel, pickle or platform tennis
Epirus tennis bag collection
     Epirus Everyday Collection

 

Padel (or Paddle)

Paddle tennis

Platform tennis

Where it started

1969, Mexico

1915, New York

1928, New York

Where it’s played

Worldwide - especially popular in Latin America and Spain

Mostly Southern California, Florida and New York

Mostly New York,
New Jersey, Connecticut and Chicago

Indoor / outdoor?

Indoor & outdoor

Indoor & outdoor

Outdoor (heated underneath)

Size of court vs tennis

Half size of tennis court

A third of tennis court

A third of tennis court

Serve

Underhand

Underhand

Overhead

# of courts worldwide

10,000 +

Hundreds

Hundreds

# of players

10 million +

25,000 +

10,000 +

Paddles

Thicker paddle

Thinner paddle

Thinner paddle

Balls

Low pressure tennis ball

Soft spongy ball

Soft spongy ball

 

Padel Court 

Picture of outdoor padel court

Paddle Tennis Court

Paddle tennis court in LA

Platform Tennis Court 

Epirus guide to padel, platform and paddle tennis: platform tennis court

What’s the appeal of these sports?

The smaller dimensions of the courts cater to longer points and arguably require a bit more creativity and perseverance to hit winning shots. Among accomplished players, exchanges of three minutes or more are practically the norm, which adds up to a lot of sustained movement, exertion and team collaboration.

The nature of these games are slightly less technical than tennis, but still require the hand-eye and racket/ball coordination that tennis players have honed. Thus, there are many transferable elements from the game of tennis to these sports allowing seasoned tennis players to start in the middle of the learning curve.

Finally, doubles specialists out there will be particularly enthused as doubles is the predominant version of all these games.

We will do a deep dive into Paddle and Paddle Tennis in future posts, but for now we will focus in on the features and characteristics of Platform Tennis.  

The platform tennis court

Platform tennis court with 4 players in the middle of a point

The Platform Tennis court is about one-third the size of a traditional tennis court and is surrounded by a chicken wire fence 12 feet (3.7m) high. The taut fencing allows balls to be played off the wall and remain in play similar to racquetball and squash.

Originally developed on land unsuitable or too small for traditional tennis courts, the space under the platform allows for the installation of heating equipment that facilitates year-round play (as it melts any snow). As a result, platform tennis is especially popular in winter when tennis courts may be out of action.  

The deck is 60 feet (18m) long by 30 feet (9.1m) in width. The court measures 44 feet (13m) in length by 22 feet (6.7m) in width and is divided by a net that is kept taut at a height of 34 inches (860mm) at its center and 37 inches (940 mm) at either end.

The area between the baseline and the service line is called the backcourt. The area between the service line and the net is called the forecourt, which in turn is divided into two service courts, deuce and ad.

The area between the sideline and the alley line is called the alley (or ‘tram lines’ depending on where in the world you reside). There is a space of 8 feet between each baseline and the back screen, and a space of 5 feet between each side line and the side screen. These spaces are part of the playing area, but they are not part of the court.

The scoring is the same as tennis with the usual format being best two of three sets. However, the ways in which points are decided differ markedly. When the ball is in play, a team loses a point if:

  • The ball bounces twice.
  • If the ball lands outside of the baseline or sidelines or hits the net or any other object.
  • A player hits the ball before it has completely passed over the net to their side.
  • A player catches or handles the ball deliberately.
  • The ball touches any part of a player.
  • A player hits the ball out of play, hits an object outside the court and then rebounds back into the court.
  • Any player touches the net whilst the ball is in play
  • A player throws their paddle at the ball and hits it.

Want to delve deeper into the rules and etiquette of the game? The American Platform Tennis Association is a useful resource.


The gear

Picture of Wilson platform tennis balls

Platform tennis uses a spongy ball measuring 2.5 inches (64 mm) in diameter and is heavier than a regular tennis ball.

The ball is struck with a paddle that measures up to 18 inches (460 mm) and which may have up to 87 holes measuring no more than 3⁄8 inch (9.5 mm) in diameter to improve its aerodynamics. The paddle has a rough textured surface to get more grip and spin on the ball.

Platform tennis paddle

 

With smaller rackets and similar carrying/storage needs to tennis, all of the bags in the Epirus collections work perfectly for the sport. The Borderless Backpack and Transition Tote easily fit two paddles, the 24 hour bag fits three and the Weekend bags as well as the Dynamic Duffel fit five or more if needed. 

Epirus Everyday Collection - Stylish Modern Black Tennis Bags


 

Getting involved

There is no world association for Platform Tennis but there are national organisations across the globe such as the American Platform Tennis Association. The APTA tournament calendar, which includes juniors, men’s and women’s as well as college events is available here. If this article has piqued your interest, check out the list of public courts available worldwide.

  • Partager:


Voir l'article entier

What is a tennis grip cover?
What is a tennis grip cover?

novembre 15, 2022

Tennis is a sport with a multitude of accessories. Whether it’s practice, warm up or match apparel, on-court equipment (bags, racket, shoes, balls…) or off-court training products, there is an abundance of items to sift through. In this post we will focus on tennis rackets, specifically grips and grip covers and the different roles they play in the lifestyle of tennis players.

Voir l'article entier

The 10 Best Gifts for Pickleball Players
The 10 Best Gifts for Pickleball Players

novembre 15, 2022

Looking for a gift to delight the pickleball fan in your life? Look no further. We have found some great ideas across a variety of price points to help guide your research.

Voir l'article entier

The 10 Best Gifts for Padel Players
The 10 Best Gifts for Padel Players

novembre 15, 2022

Shopping for someone that has a passion for padel? We've taken the time to research some unique gift options that will surprise and delight your recipient. Acing gift giving has never been easier...

Voir l'article entier

Partage
  • Our Story
  • Look Book
  • Compare Bags
  • FAQ
  • Return Policy

Be the first to hear about new products, sales, give-aways and more...

Langue

translation missing: fr.general.country.dropdown_label

© 2023 Epirus London.
Commerce électronique propulsé par Shopify

American Express Apple Pay Diners Club Discover Google Pay Maestro Mastercard Visa