Padel terms and terminology explained: what do bandeja, vibora and chiquita mean?
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The modern global sporting phenomenon known as padel originated in Acapulco in 1974, then grew popular in Spain and Argentina.
40 years later, the rest of the world belatedly realised the sport's many attributes and took it to their hearts en masse.
Despite its rapid globalisation, many of padel's Hispanic roots remain, especially in the sport's nomenclature. Some of padel's terminology, used liberally by experienced coaches, pros and commentators, might still be unfamiliar to the beginner players.
We've pulled together a full padel glossary - explaining all the key terms and terminology you need to broaden your padel knowledge.
Padel terms and terminology glossary
| Bandeja | Padel's most famous shot is named after the Spanish word for 'tray' because the racket face is held open at head height, in the style of a waiter. It's a defensive volley with slice, hit deep into the court so it stays low off the glass. |
| Vibora | An attacking shot hit at around head or shoulder height in which the player imparts side-spin on the ball. This makes it kick low and laterally off the floor and walls, giving the opponent a difficult return. |
| Chiquita | A softly-struck shot hit from the back of the court towards your opponents' feet when they are stationed at the net. The idea is to force a weak upward volley or half-volley return which can then be attacked. It means 'little' in Spanish. |
| Bajada | Meaning 'descent' in Spanish, this is an aggressive downward shot, played from over head height, after an opponent's lob has rebounded high off the glass. |
| Por tres | This is a kick smash, usually played from close to the net, which hits the floor, the glass and bounces out and over the side wall (which is 3m high, hence the Spanish phrase, which translates as 'for three'). |
| Rulo | A lower-risk top-spin smash played diagonally towards the fence, where it will take an unpredictable bounce. Right-handers would usually play this cross-court from the left side of the court (and vice-versa for left-handers). |
| Boast | This one isn't Spanish, it's a term borrowed from squash and refers to hitting an angled shot off the side glass first before it travels over the net. Often used in a defensive situation when the ball bounces tight into the corner. |
| Nevera | Otherwise known as 'the fridge tactic'. This is where a pair repeatedly hits the majority of shots to the player they perceive as the weakest, thus the 'stronger' player is 'frozen out' of the game. |
| Golden point | A single deciding point played when a game reaches deuce, replacing tennis's traditional 'advantage' system. |
| Americano | A common format for social padel sessions where partners and opponents are rotated regularly but each player records their own individual points score, with the highest scorer crowned the winner. |
| Mexicano | Another favourite format for group social play. Players are initially paired up randomly, then the the pairings and opponents for each round are determined using a live leaderboard. |
| King of the Court | Another friendly format played across several courts. The coach blows a whistle at regular intervals and whichever pair is winning moves up a court and splits; the pair who's losing moves down a court and splits. Players soon find their level. |