Which Side Should I Play in Padel?

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One of the first questions every new padel player asks is: which side of the court should I play? It sounds simple, but it shapes everything — how you hit, how you move, how you support your partner, and how quickly you improve. With padel booming across the US and new courts opening from Miami to Los Angeles, more and more players are stepping onto a padel court for the first time and asking exactly this question.

The short answer is that most right-handed beginners should start on the right side, and most left-handers on the left. But understanding why — and knowing when to switch — will make you a much smarter player. Let’s break it all down.

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The two sides of the padel court explained

Before you can decide which side to play, you need to understand the naming conventions — because padel borrows terminology from tennis, and it can confuse beginners.

The right side of the court is known as the forehand side or the deuce side. It mirrors the “deuce” side of a tennis court — the side from which you serve on deuce points. For a right-handed player standing at the net or baseline, the right side puts their forehand toward the middle of the court, which is the most strategically important zone.

The left side is called the backhand side or the ad side (short for advantage side in tennis scoring). For a right-handed player, this side puts their backhand toward the middle and their forehand toward the left wall. It’s often considered the more demanding side because most shots coming through the center must be handled with a backhand volley.

If you’re familiar with how padel compares to tennis, these naming conventions will feel familiar. In competitive padel, players stick to these designations in conversation even though sides aren’t rigidly fixed during points.

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What’s the difference between left and right side?

Right side (forehand/deuce side)

Playing the right side means your forehand naturally points toward the center of the court — the highest-traffic zone in padel. Most returns, volleys, and attacking shots fly through the middle, so having your forehand there gives you a natural advantage. You’ll cover the middle on your half while your partner covers the left wall area.

On the right side, you’ll also handle more serves — in most recreational and competitive formats, the right-side player initiates service in the first game. You tend to play slightly more structured, set-up-oriented padel from the right: building points, directing the ball, and feeding your partner to finish from the left.

• Forehand toward the center — more natural coverage
• Strong position for baseline play off the back glass
• More methodical, directional shot-making
• Easier for beginners to handle most situations

Left side (backhand/ad side)

The left side demands more. Because your backhand now faces the center, you’ll need to handle quick net volleys with your non-dominant side, deal with high defensive lobs coming off the left glass, and generate attacking play from a slightly less natural arm position.

That said, the left side is where many of the match-deciding shots are made. Smashes, bandeja deflections off the glass, and aggressive cross-court put-aways are bread and butter for a strong left-side player. In competitive padel, the left side is often where the “dominant” player of a pair sets up — someone with a powerful backhand volley, great overhead game, and the ability to dictate from that position.

• Backhand faces the center — higher technical demand
• Key position for powerful overheads and smashes
• Involves more complex glass-wall shots
• Often occupied by the more experienced or dominant partner

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Which side should beginners play?

If you’re just starting out, the answer is clear: start on the right side.

The right side is more forgiving. Your forehand is your strongest shot (for most players), and having it cover the center of the court means you can handle the majority of incoming balls comfortably. You’ll make fewer errors, read the game more easily, and build confidence faster.

The left side requires a reliable backhand volley — especially at the net — which takes time to develop. Beginners who play the left side too early often struggle with fast-paced exchanges through the middle, get caught in awkward positions at net, and find it difficult to generate any offensive play from there.

The rule of thumb: if you’re right-handed, start on the right side until your backhand volley is solid and you’re comfortable playing off the left glass wall.

This aligns with what you’ll find in every beginner padel guide — master the basics on your natural side first, then expand your game to cover both.

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Left-handed players — which side?

Here’s where it gets interesting. Left-handed players have a natural tactical advantage that right-handers can’t replicate: playing the left side puts their forehand toward the center of the court, mirroring exactly what a right-hander gets on the right side. This means a left-hander on the left side can volley aggressively through the middle with their dominant hand — and that’s a very powerful weapon.

That’s why, at the professional level, you’ll often see a left-handed player specifically seek out the left side. Watch any top-tier World Padel Tour pairing and you’ll notice both players typically have forehands pointing toward the middle — one right-hander on the right, one left-hander on the left. This is considered the “ideal” configuration because it maximizes attacking options down the center of the court.

If you’re left-handed, try both sides early on, but expect to feel most comfortable on the left once your game develops. The forehand-dominant middle position will feel natural there.

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How does side choice affect your partnership?

Padel is a doubles game, and your side choice isn’t just about you — it’s about how well your pair functions as a unit. The most common beginner pairing is two right-handers, and that creates an important question: who plays where?

When both players are right-handed, one of them will have their backhand toward the middle on the left side. The typical advice is to put the player with the stronger backhand and better overhead game on the left, so the weaker side of the partnership is protected.

Communication is the other piece of the puzzle. You and your partner need to agree on who covers the center — especially in those 50-50 moments where a ball splits the middle. Ideally, the left-side player calls those balls because they’re coming into their forehand (if right-handed it’s actually their backhand, so this depends on the pair). In a right/left-hand pairing, the split is clearer: both forehands face the middle, so aggressive central shots are taken by whoever is in position.

Check out the full positions guide to understand how both sides of the court interact and how pairs should move together.

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When should you switch sides?

This is a major source of confusion for beginners: sides are not fixed during a point. Unlike in tennis doubles where you stay on your side throughout a rally, padel players move dynamically — crossing, swapping, and recovering position constantly depending on where the ball goes.

What “playing the right side” or “playing the left side” really means is where you start the point and where you naturally reset to between rallies. During the point itself, both players flow across the court, covering gaps and supporting each other.

Beginners often get caught standing still on their designated side, letting balls go past because they feel they “shouldn’t cross.” That’s the wrong instinct. Good footwork in padel is all about constant movement and repositioning — not staying rooted to one zone.

One great drill: deliberately practice on your weaker side. If you’re a right-hander who defaults to the right, spend training sessions on the left. You’ll be uncomfortable at first, but you’ll develop a far more complete game — and you’ll become a more adaptable partner for different opponents and formats.

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How professional padel players choose sides

At the professional level, side allocation is less about hand dominance and more about tactical role specialization. Each player in a top-tier pair has a clearly defined job depending on the side they occupy.

The right-side player typically anchors the defensive structure, controls the pace of rallies, and sets up attacking opportunities for their partner. The left-side player is often the aggressor — executing the big overheads, finishing volleys, and dominating through the middle.

The gold standard pairing — seen repeatedly at the top of the World Padel Tour rankings — is a right-hander on the right and a left-hander on the left. This configuration means both players have forehands pointing toward the center, creating maximum offensive coverage of the most contested zone on the court. It’s no coincidence that many of the best pairs in history have had this exact combination.

If you’re exploring padel in the US and watching the sport grow at local clubs, pay attention to how experienced players and coaches position themselves — that pattern of left-hander/right-hander pairing shows up at every level once players develop enough tactical awareness to implement it.

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FAQ — Which side should I play in padel?