Starter guide
Winter doubles on a heated deck, with the screens in play.
Platform tennis is an outdoor doubles game played in the cold months on a raised aluminum deck about a third the size of a tennis court, fenced in by 12-foot wire screens. You hit a solid rubber ball with a short perforated paddle, score it like tennis, and can play the ball off the screens after it bounces, so points last far longer than they look like they should. Heaters under the deck melt snow and ice, which is why the season runs from October to March. Most players call it paddle, and most of them came for the game and stayed for the foursome and the warming hut afterward.
Tick these off as you go
The full rulebook
What to check before you buy
Size is fixed by rule
No longer than 18 inches, with up to 87 small holes drilled through the face to cut air drag.
Weight
12 to 13.5 ounces (340 to 380 grams). Start at the light end, since you will spend most of a match with the paddle held up at the net.
Core
A softer, lower-density foam core sends the ball deeper with less swing and suits a first paddle. Dense cores trade that power for control and are built for advanced players.
Face
A gritty textured face grips the ball for spin. The grit wears smooth with play, which is the main reason regular players replace a paddle every season or two.
Grip
Adult paddles come in one size, 4 1/4 inches. If it feels thin, a pro shop can build it up for you.
Before each session
Start here
Ask the pro or the front desk at your nearest courts when the next beginner clinic or open paddle night is, and sign up as a single. You will be dropped into a foursome and rotated every few games.
Start here
Tell the paddle pro you want league play. New players are placed on a lower-series team, and your rating starts moving after your first few recorded matches.
Start here
Find a paddle tennis court (they are most common at beach clubs and parks in California, Florida and New York), bring one can of low-compression balls and play a set with underhand serves.
Start here
Take a paddle and three orange balls to a beach volleyball court, lower the net to 5 feet 7 inches and see how many volleys you and a partner can keep in the air.
Open one to see where to start. Paddle tennis and Beach tennis each have a button that adds their own paddle and balls to the bag.
The lob comes first
The lob
The most used shot in the game. High, deep and down the middle, it pushes the other team off the net and buys you time.
The volley
Short and firm with almost no backswing, aimed at the feet of the player in front of you.
The overhead
Hit at about two-thirds power and placed deep to a corner. A full smash only bounces up off the back screen into an easy lob.
Screen play
Turn sideways, let the ball pass, wait for it to come off the wire and drop, then hit it in front of you.
The serve and first volley
One spin serve into the box, then three steps in to join your partner at the net.
What to expect, and what to drop
A clinic with a certified paddle pro is the fastest way in, and most clubs run a beginner series in October and November for $20 to $40 a session. Between lessons, watch a full match from the national championships and count how often the best players lob: it resets what you think a good shot is. To find a game, join a club ladder or ask to be added to the sub list. Courts are concentrated in the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and around Chicago, with pockets around Pittsburgh, in Ohio and in Colorado.
The paddle is most of the cost, because platform paddles are made by a handful of specialist brands and there is no true budget tier. Balls are the running expense: a sleeve lasts two or three matches before the deck wears it smooth. Shoes and a glove come next because the grit and the cold are the two things the game adds to an ordinary racquet sport. Paddle tennis and beach tennis each need their own paddle and ball, so those sit behind their own add-ons. Eyewear is optional and worth it if you play a lot of net. Court time is not in the kit: a public court runs a few dollars an hour, and a winter paddle membership at a private club can cost several hundred dollars a season.
Compare the options below, then set your tiers and check out from the bag. Clicking a card selects it there. The paddle, balls, shoes and glove start in the bag. The Paddle Tennis and Beach Tennis lines join once you switch that game on, and the eyewear waits until you add it.
It is the one tool of the game, and nothing from another paddle sport is legal or built for the heavy rubber ball. A light paddle with a soft core gives a new player depth on lobs without a hard swing.
Adult paddles come in one grip size, 4 1/4 inches. Skip junior models, which are shorter and have a smaller grip. Last season's paddles often sell at a discount and play the same.
The ball is solid sponge rubber with a fuzzy flocked coat, heavier and lower-bouncing than a tennis ball, and no other ball works on the deck. The gritty surface wears the flocking off in two or three matches.
X Platform Tennis Balls by Xenon, Bright Yellow for High Visibility, Superb Durability, APTA Approved, 2 Balls per Sleeve
4.8(73)
$16.95
A sleeve holds two balls, which is one match. Keep them indoors until you play: a ball left in a cold car bounces far lower.
The deck is coated in grit so it grips when wet, and that grit sands through soft running-shoe rubber in a few weeks. A hard-court tennis shoe has the tough outsole and the side support for quick stops at the screens.
K-Swiss Men's Court Express 2 Tennis Shoe
4.0(473)
$64.95
K-Swiss Women's Court Express 2 Tennis Shoe
4.0(364)
$64.95
K-Swiss Men's Ultrashot Light Pickleball Tennis Court Shoes
4.4(139)
$85.00
K-Swiss Women's Ultrashot Light Pickleball Tennis Shoe - Lightweight Court Shoes Lateral Movement Stable Support
4.4(215)
$85.00
K-Swiss Men's Hypercourt Express 2 Tennis Shoe
4.4(1.7K)
$130.00
K-Swiss Women's Hypercourt Express 2 Tennis Shoe
4.2(1.4K)
$130.00
Pick Men's or Women's on the option you choose. Wear a thicker sock in winter and size for it. Carry the shoes to the court so you do not track salt and gravel onto the deck.
The season runs through the coldest months, and a numb hand cannot feel the paddle. A thin glove with a tacky palm keeps your grip in the cold and damp, where a ski glove is too bulky to hold a paddle.
X Xenon Paddle Cold Weather Paddle Tennis Mitt, Waterproof Hand Warmer for Platform Tennis, Windproof Thinsulate Lining, Stretch Knit Cuff, Keeps Hands Warm While Playing
4.2(8)
$24.95
A glove fits snug like a golf glove. A mitt is a sleeve that covers your hand and the handle together, so your bare palm stays on the grip. Many players glove only the paddle hand.
Paddle tennis is played with a felt ball on a ground-level court, and its paddle is wider and thicker than a platform paddle, with a foam core tuned for that lighter ball.
LAPAT Padel Racket with Cover Bag - Carbon Surface with EVA Memory Foam- Paddle Tennis Racquets Lightweight - POP Tennis
4.4(164)
$64.00
This is a separate paddle from the platform one. Look for a length of 18 inches or less with a wrist strap.
Paddle tennis uses a felt ball with about three-quarters of a tennis ball's pressure. It bounces lower and travels slower, which is what makes a 50-foot court playable.
Oncourt Offcourt Quick Start 78" Green Dot Balls – 1 Can of 3 Balls/Same Size as Regular Tennis Balls/Green Balls
5.0(1)
$5.95
Tourna 12 Pack Pressurized Green Dot Tennis Balls in a Pressurized Can, USTA Approved
4.2(51)
$64.58
One can of three is enough to play. The dearest option here is a case of twelve cans.
Beach tennis is all volleys over a high net, so its paddle is longer and lighter than a platform paddle, built to be swung overhead for a whole match.
Beach Tennis Paddle Beach Tennis Racket Carbon Fiber with EVA Memory Foam Core Tennis Paddles
4.8(452)
$52.99
IANONI Beach Tennis Racket Carbon Fiber Surface with EVA Memory Flex Foam Core Beach Tennis Racquets Lightweight Beach Tennis Paddle
4.6(574)
$55.99
AMA SPORT Beach Tennis Racket Carbon Fiber with EVA Foam Core Texture Beach Tennis Paddle Raquete
4.7(31)
$139.99
This is a separate paddle from the platform one. The rules cap it at about 20 inches long, and 11 to 12.5 ounces suits most adults.
The beach game is played with the orange low-compression ball, about half the pressure of a tennis ball. It is slow enough to keep a rally alive when the ball can never touch the sand.
Sexy Brand The SXY Ball - ITF Approved, Rally-Friendly, Lightweight & Durable, Perfect for Tournament Play (3 Pack)
4.6(2)
$7.50
Penn QST 60 Tennis Balls - Youth Felt Orange Dot Tennis Balls for Beginners - 1 Can, 3 Balls
4.6(286)
$11.99
Vermont Beach Tennis Balls – Durable, High-Performance, ITF Approved Tennis Balls | Perfect for Beach Tennis | Multipack of 3, 12 or 60
No rating yet
$14.99
Three balls cover a match. Rinse the sand off and they last a season.
Four players stand within a few steps of each other at the net, and a hard rubber ball can come off a paddle or a screen at face height with no time to react. Eyewear solves that one problem.
Tecnifibre Absolute Protective Squash Eyewear/Eyeguard - Impact Resistant
4.3(202)
$39.99
Choose a clear lens with an anti-fog coating, since cold air fogs a lens fast. A strap keeps it on when you turn to play a screen.
