Most padel rules settle themselves. One bounce, then the walls, then hit it back. The arguments start with the odd ones. The ball clips your partner. Your racket brushes the net after a winner. The ball seems to hit the strings twice. Someone volleys a serve that was flying long.
The rulebook answers all of them, but never side by side. The 2017 edition, still the one hosted on the LTA's website, had worked "Case" examples after many of its rules. The FIP edition in force since 1 January 2026 has none. So here's a casebook: the situation, the ruling, and the rule number from the International Padel Federation (FIP) Rules of Padel. Padelism is not affiliated with the FIP or the LTA.
For the whole rulebook on one page, see our padel rules cheat sheet. For glass, mesh, lights and ceilings, see can the ball hit the fence.
The 13 cases at a glance
| Case | Ruling |
|---|---|
| 1. Your shot hits your partner | Point lost |
| 2. Ball touches you after it bounces | Point lost |
| 3. Ball hits your hand on the grip | Point lost, on a plain reading |
| 4. Follow-through touches the net after a winner | Point lost if the ball is still in play |
| 5. You touch the post or the cable | Point lost |
| 6. Frame then strings in one swing | Good, if it's one movement |
| 7. Two separate hits | Point lost |
| 8. Both partners swing at it | Depends what each racket touched |
| 9. Thrown or dropped racket | Point lost |
| 10. Receiver volleys a long serve | Server's point |
| 11. Your shot hits a loose ball on their side | Good. Play on |
| 12. You hit it into your own floor | Point lost |
| 13. Foot through the door as you hit | Point lost, unless out-of-court play is allowed |
The ball and your body
Case 1: Your shot hits your partner
You hit a lob from the back. It clips your partner's shoulder at the net and still drops in on their side.
Ruling: point lost. Rule 13.1 j: once you've hit it, if the ball touches you, your partner or anything either of you is wearing, your pair loses the point. Where it lands makes no difference. Same for a mishit that comes off your frame onto your own arm.
Case 2: The ball touches you after it bounces
Their shot bounces in your court, comes off the back glass and brushes your leg before you can swing.
Ruling: point lost. Rule 13.1 k says you lose the point if the ball touches any part of you or your kit, apart from the racket, once the other pair has hit it. There's no exception for a ball that has already bounced. The before-the-bounce version, the ball that "was going out anyway", is explained on the rules cheat sheet.
Case 3: The ball hits your hand on the grip
A fast ball catches your fingers on the handle and loops back over the net.
Ruling: point lost, on a plain reading. The only exception in Rule 13.1 k is the racket, and your hand isn't the racket. If your group plays the hand as part of the racket, agree it before the first serve. The rulebook doesn't.
The net
Case 4: Your follow-through touches the net after a winner
You put away a volley. It bounces on their side. Your racket carries on and touches the net before the ball bounces again.
Ruling: point lost. Rule 13.1 a says you lose the point if you, your racket or anything you're wearing touches the net while the ball is in play. Rule 12.2 says the ball stays in play until a let is called or the point is decided. Your winner doesn't end the point. The point ends when it's decided, usually on the second bounce.
Case 5: You touch the post or the cable, not the net
Ruling: point lost. Rule 13.1 a names the net posts, the tension cable and any part of the opponents' court alongside the net itself. Jumping over the net while a point is on is its own entry, and loses the point too (13.1 n).
The racket
Case 6: Frame then strings in one swing
A scrambled defensive shot. You feel two contacts, or the ball seems to sit on the racket.
Ruling: good, if it's one movement. Rule 14.1 h says the return stands if the player hasn't hit it twice, the contact is one movement, and the ball's natural exit doesn't change much. The 2017 edition named a ball that is "scooped" or pushed. The LTA's rules page bans deliberately hitting it twice.
Case 7: Two separate hits
You pop the ball up off the frame, then swing again to send it over.
Ruling: point lost. That's a double hit under Rule 13.1 i. Two movements, two hits.
Case 8: Both partners swing at it
A ball down the middle. You both go for it.
Ruling: depends what each racket touched. If both of you touch the ball, at the same time or one after the other, the point is lost (13.1 o). But the note under that rule says that if one of you hits the ball and the other only hits their partner's racket, it isn't a double hit. Clashed rackets, one contact with the ball: play on.
Case 9: Thrown or dropped racket
Ruling: point lost either way. Hitting the ball with a racket you've thrown loses the point (13.1 m). Drop your racket or snap the wrist cord and your pair loses the point straight away (13.1 r), even if the ball goes back over.
The serve
Case 10: The receiver volleys a serve that was flying long
The serve looks well out. The receiver blocks it out of the air on reflex.
Ruling: server's point. Rule 8.1 says the receiver has to let the serve bounce in their box. Rule 8.5 says if the ball hits a receiving player or their racket before it bounces, the point goes to the server. "It was going out" is no defence, so step aside and let it land. A net cord serve is the exception and is retaken (9.1 b). Every other serve outcome is in our serve rules guide. After the return, anyone can volley (14.1 a).
The odd ones
Case 11: Your shot hits a loose ball on their side
A spare ball sits by their back glass. Your shot bounces and hits it.
Ruling: good. Play on. Rule 14.1 f says a ball that hits an object lying on the opponents' court, such as another ball, is a correct return. It doesn't win the point either. The 2017 edition's worked case says the game carries on. The exception is Rule 10.1 d: if the loose ball then moves in a way that could interfere with play or be dangerous, it's a let. Easier still, clear spare balls before each point.
Case 12: You hit it into your own floor
A mishit smash hits your own court and bounces up over the net.
Ruling: point lost. Rule 13.1 l says a shot that touches the ground on your own side loses the point. Your own glass is fine (14.1 b). Your own floor never is.
Case 13: Foot through the door as you hit
On a court with no out-of-court play, you reach for a ball with one foot through the open door.
Ruling: point lost. Rule 13.1 p says you lose the point if you hit the ball with one foot, both feet or any part of your body outside your court, unless out-of-court play is allowed there.
The tee for the case that isn't here
None of these 13 cases is about a line. That question has its own line-call code, and its own tee. Our Focus tee carries WAS IT IN WAS IT OUT on the back.
It's 100% cotton at 305 g/m2, cut oversized and unisex, so size down for a regular fit. It's £48, or any two £48 tees for £90 at checkout in the 2 for £90 range, Focus included, which also clears £75 for free UK delivery. Made for off the court. Every other design is in tees.
FAQ
Do you lose the point if the ball hits your partner in padel? Yes. Under FIP Rule 13.1 j, if your shot touches your partner or anything they're wearing, your pair loses the point, even if the ball would have gone in.
Can your racket touch the net after you've hit the ball? Not while the ball is in play. Touching the net, posts or cable during play loses the point (Rule 13.1 a), and the ball stays in play until the point is decided (Rule 12.2).
Is it a double hit if the ball touches the frame and then the strings? Not if it happens in one swing and the ball leaves roughly where the swing was sending it (Rule 14.1 h). Two separate swings is a double hit, and the point is lost (13.1 i).
