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A Padel Coaching Session Plan for Beginners

A simple four session block for new padel players. What to teach, in what order, and what to write in the session note after each one so the next coach (probably you) walks on court already knowing where to begin.

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In this guide

  1. 01Why a first block matters more than a first lesson
  2. 02Before the first lesson
  3. 03Session one. Grip, contact and the back wall
  4. 04Session two. The serve, the return and the lob
  5. 05Session three. The bandeja and the net
  6. 06Session four. First match patterns and a closing message
  7. 07Where to keep the notes so the system does the remembering
  8. 08Frequently asked questions

Why a first block matters more than a first lesson

Most adults who try padel once will come back a second time. The question that decides whether they become a regular is what happens across the first three or four lessons. A coach who treats each one as a standalone session tends to lose them around lesson five. A coach who runs a clear short block tends to keep them for years.

This guide is a worked example. A four session beginner block with a single arc, a note prompt for each lesson, and a short closing message you can send at the end. Adapt the order to your players, but keep the shape.

Before the first lesson

  • Send a short welcome message

    Confirm the time, the court, what to bring (court shoes, water, a borrowable racket if they do not own one) and one sentence about what the first lesson will cover. Removes most of the small anxiety that beginners feel before walking on court.

  • Ask one question

    Have you played tennis, squash or any racket sport before. The answer changes how you pitch the first ten minutes. Write the answer down so you do not have to ask again.

  • Set the rate clearly

    Per session or block, court hire included or split, payment method. Beginners almost never ask. They just quietly decide whether to book again.

Session one. Grip, contact and the back wall

The goal of the first lesson is not strokes. It is a player who finishes the hour feeling like padel is a sport they can actually play.

  • Note prompt after lesson one

    Three lines. What the player can already do. What they struggled with. One thing to revisit at the start of lesson two. Thirty seconds on your phone, attached to their profile. This note is the entire reason lesson two will feel like a continuation.

Spend the first ten minutes on the continental grip, the ready position, and a soft cooperative rally from the service line. Keep the ball in play. Resist the urge to correct technique on every shot. The single most useful thing in lesson one is the feeling of a rally that lasts.

In the middle of the hour, introduce the back wall. Most beginners are scared of the glass. Five minutes of feeding gentle balls into the wall and asking them to play the rebound usually turns that fear into curiosity. End the lesson with an underarm serve and a short cooperative point.

Session two. The serve, the return and the lob

  • Note prompt after lesson two

    Same three lines. Add one note about temperament. Are they fast to laugh at a miss, slow to try a new shot, quietly competitive. This is the kind of detail that shapes how you coach them in lesson three, and it is impossible to remember without writing it down.

Open by revisiting the one thing you flagged in your note from lesson one. The player will notice. It is the single most underrated coaching habit in the sport.

Spend the bulk of the hour on the underarm serve, the return cross court, and the defensive lob. The lob is the shot that turns a panicked beginner rally into a real point, because it buys time and lifts the opponent away from the net. Finish with five minutes of cooperative lobbing, both sides moving back and forward.

Session three. The bandeja and the net

  • Note prompt after lesson three

    What clicked this week. What is still raw. Whether they are starting to enjoy the tactical side or whether they still want to hit hard. The answer determines how you frame lesson four.

The bandeja is the shot that separates a padel player from a tennis player on court. A flat, controlled overhead played from the back of the court, used to keep the opponents back rather than to win the point outright. Most beginners try to smash. Coaching the bandeja early is how you stop a season of bad habits.

Pair it with simple net positioning. Where to stand when your partner serves, when to move forward, when to drop back. End with a short three on one drill so the player gets used to playing as part of a pair.

Session four. First match patterns and a closing message

  • Send a four lesson recap that evening

    Five short paragraphs. What we covered, what improved, what we are working on next, one personal observation, the next booking. Built from your four session notes, so it takes ten minutes to write, not an hour. This single message is the difference between a player who books a fifth lesson and a player who quietly drifts.

The last lesson of the block is mostly play. Twenty minutes of warm up and revision on whatever the player most needs from your notes. Forty minutes of points, with you on court as the fourth player when possible, calling out one tactical reminder every few rallies. Stop the play to coach a moment, then let it flow again.

End the lesson with a short conversation. What they enjoyed, what they want to work on next, whether they want to keep coming weekly. Most players, by this point, will say yes without you having to sell them anything.

Where to keep the notes so the system does the remembering

Four sessions for one player is easy to hold in your head. Forty sessions across ten players in a busy week is not. Most padel coaches who try to do this in a notebook give up by month three and end up reinventing each lesson on the way to the court.

A simple shape works for almost everyone. One profile per player. One short note per session, captured on your phone within an hour of the lesson. One monthly summary built from those notes. Software like Another Session is designed around that exact rhythm. Useful linked reading: how to write coaching session notes, and how to send monthly summaries to coaching clients.

Frequently asked questions.

What should I teach in a first padel lesson for an adult beginner?

The continental grip, a soft cooperative rally from the service line, a first encounter with the back wall, and an underarm serve. The goal is not technique. It is for the player to leave the court feeling like padel is a sport they can actually play.

How long does it take to teach the bandeja?

Most beginners can play a recognisable bandeja within two or three lessons of structured practice, though refining it takes much longer. Coaching it early matters more than perfecting it, because it stops the habit of smashing every overhead from setting in.

How many lessons does a beginner need before they can play a match?

A focused four lesson block is usually enough for a complete beginner to play their first social match with friends, provided the coach has covered serve, return, the lob, the bandeja and basic net positioning. Confidence builds faster from one short block than from the same hours spread across six months.

How do I keep track of what I covered with each padel player?

Write a three line note after every lesson, attached to the player’s profile. What they can already do, what they struggled with, one thing to revisit next time. Thirty seconds on your phone. The note is what turns four standalone lessons into one coherent block.

What should I send after a beginner finishes their first block?

A short five paragraph recap. What you covered, what improved, what you are working on next, one personal observation, the next booking. Built from your session notes, sent the same evening. It is the single highest leverage message in the relationship.

Is there software designed for padel coaches?

Another Session is built for the solo padel coach holding their own roster of players and pairs. One profile per player, fast session notes, payments in the same place, and a one tap monthly summary built from your own notes. 30 days free, no card needed, then 10 dollars a month flat.

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