Turn the Focus tee round and it asks one question: WAS IT IN WAS IT OUT. That question ends more padel friendships than any smash.
This page is three things. What's on the tee. What the FIP rulebook actually says about in and out. And a code to agree before the first serve of any game with no umpire, which is almost every game most of us play.
What's on the Focus tee
The front is plain. A small Padelism wordmark on the chest, nothing else.
The back is the joke. Four rows of white letters, spaced out like the chart you squint at during an eye test: WAS, then IT IN, then WAS IT, then OUT.
Each row is smaller than the one above. One way to read it: that's how a disputed call goes. Big and sure at the start. By the time someone asks "are you sure?" for the third time, the OUT is tiny. The Padelism wordmark sits underneath in script.
The product page lists the print area as 40 by 52 cm. It comes in Black, Navy, Brown, Blackish Green and Colorful Blue.
What the FIP rules say about in and out
Here's what surprises people. In a rally, no painted line decides in or out. The walls and fence do the job.
- On the serve, the lines matter. A serve that bounces outside the receiver's box is a fault, and the FIP adds "the lines are counted as good" (Rule 7.1 c). Lines are 5 cm wide, so touch any of that and it's in.
- In a rally, the bounce matters. Your shot is out if it hits their glass or fence before bouncing in their court (Rule 13.1 g). After that bounce, the walls and fence are all in play (Rule 14.1 c).
- The serve and the fence. A serve that bounces in the box and then touches the fence before its second bounce is a fault (Rule 7.1 e).
- The open door. Where a court has a gap in the side for access, the rulebook says the line of the fence frame marks the court edge, "independently if there are a signed or painted line or not". Paint on the floor doesn't change it.
The other calls are about you, not the ball. A second bounce on your side (13.1 c), the ball touching you or your partner (13.1 j and k), your shot touching your own fence (13.1 l). For every wall and surface, ruled one by one, see can the ball hit the fence in padel. For the full rulebook on one page, there's my padel rules sheet.
The catch is that the rulebook is written for an umpire. Rule 10 tells players to "let the umpire know immediately" when they want a let. The conduct section asks everyone to behave "in a sportsman like manner". What it doesn't do is say who calls a ball when there's nobody in the chair.
A line-call code for social padel
Tennis solved this years ago. The USTA publishes a guide called The Code for matches with no officials. Padel has nothing like it in the FIP rulebook, so here's a padel version. Every point below comes from a principle in The Code, adapted for walls and doubles.
- The pair the ball is coming to makes the call. Your box, your floor, your call. If their shot hits your back glass before bouncing, you're the ones who say so.
- The best view wins. Either partner can call. The one looking along the line usually sees it better than the one looking across it.
- Doubt means good. If you can't say for certain it was out, it was in. The Code puts it neatly: "A ball 99% out is still 100% good."
- If partners split, good wins. One says out, the other saw it in. The ball is good. Tell your partner quietly, and let them give the point away themselves.
- Call it straight away. Say "out" or raise a finger the moment you see it, not once you know how your reply turned out. Playing on and calling it out only after your shot misses gives you two chances to win one point.
- Ask, then accept. Didn't see it? Ask the other pair. Whatever they say stands. If nobody saw it, it's good.
- Changed your mind? Their point. If you call it out and then realise it was in, the point goes to them. You don't replay it.
- Call your own. The double bounce, the ball that brushed your sleeve, the shot that clipped your own mesh. You're the only one close enough to know. My padel etiquette guide has more on this.
On the serve, The Code also says the serving side shouldn't call their own first serve out, because the receiver may be giving them the benefit. My serve rules guide suggests who calls what on the serve.
When to replay a point
Replay for a genuine let. The FIP list is short: the ball splits, something comes onto the court (usually a ball from next door), or an outside interruption nobody caused (Rule 10.1 a to c).
Don't replay to split a close call. "Not sure, let's play two" sounds fair, but under The Code it isn't. If you couldn't call it out, it was good, and the point is theirs. Offering a replay on a ball you're "sure" was out tells everyone you weren't sure.
If the score gets muddled, keep every point you all agree on and replay only the one in doubt. That's The Code's method too, and it beats arguing back to 15-all.
The words that keep it friendly
Most rows aren't about the call. They're about how it's said. These lines work:
- "Out, sorry." Quick and clear, then move on.
- "Good ball. Your point." The fastest way to win a group's trust.
- "Didn't see it. Did you?" Then live with the answer.
- "My mistake, that was in." No replay, no fuss.
- "Let, ball on court." Said the moment it rolls in.
And the ones to drop. "Are you sure?" once is fair. Twice is an accusation. Calling a ball on their side from your back glass is the other one. It isn't your view, so it isn't your call.
The tee for the argument afterwards
The Focus tee is a heavyweight tee in 100% cotton at 305 g/m2. The fit is oversized and unisex, so size down if you want it regular, or take your usual size for the oversized look. Think of it as a tee for the drink afterwards, when the disputed point is still being replayed in words.
It's £48, or any two of our £48 heavyweight tees for £90 at checkout, Focus included. See the 2 for £90 range. That £90 is over £75, so UK delivery is free. Every tee is made to order, which takes 7 to 10 working days in the UK. If it's a Christmas present, the last UK order date is 10 December 2026. The other designs are in tees.
FAQ
Who calls the ball in padel when there's no referee? The FIP rules assume an umpire, so social games need their own agreement. The simplest one: the pair the ball is travelling towards makes the call, because they have the best view of the bounce and the glass. Settle it before the first serve.
What happens if my partner and I disagree on a call? Give it to the other pair. If one of you saw the ball in, treat it as in. This comes from tennis's Code for unofficiated matches, and it works just as well in padel doubles.
Should you replay a point if nobody saw whether it was out? No. If neither pair can call it out with certainty, the ball was good and the point goes to whoever hit it. Replays are for real lets, like a ball rolling in from the next court or a split ball.
Can you change a call after the point has finished? Yes, but only in one direction. If you called it out and realise it was in, own it and give your opponents the point. Don't offer a replay instead.
What's printed on the back of the Focus tee? WAS IT IN WAS IT OUT, set in four rows that shrink as they go down, like a letter chart at the eye test. There's a small Padelism wordmark under it and another on the chest.
