What do you need to play padel?
Padel is a racket sport, usually played in doubles on a court closed in by glass walls. To play, you need a padel racket and padel balls. Our padel rackets page explains shapes, balance and weight. This page holds the whole kit, from rackets and bags to balls, overgrips, frame protectors, shoes and clothing, by brands such as Starvie, Dunlop, adidas, Bullpadel, NOX, Wilson and Asics.
What makes a padel shoe different?
Look at the outsole and the side support. Asics gives the Sonicsmash FF a herringbone outsole with an X-groove design, and the Gel-Dedicate 8 a wrap-up outsole for stability. The women's Gel-Challenger 15 has a supportive structure for lateral movements. adidas builds a Slingframe into the Courtquick to support rotational movements and quick transitions.
Which padel balls should you buy?
Pick balls by how you play. Dunlop builds its Team Padel Ball for recreational games and relaxed training. Babolat aims the Ace ball at competitive players, and Bullpadel aims its Premium Pro balls, with a pressurized rubber core, at high-level players. Babolat's Ace X3 and Court Padel X3 are approved by the International Padel Federation, and NOX says its Pro Titanium balls are approved by the French Tennis Federation.
Most of these balls come three to a can. To store and carry spare balls, Siux makes the Neo ball can with a secure lid.
Overgrips and frame protectors
An overgrip is a thin wrap that goes over the racket handle. Bonelli's perforated overgrip lets air through and draws moisture away from your hand for a dry, tacky feel, and Dunlop's Tour Pro overgrips come in a pack of three. A frame protector is an adhesive strip around the edge of the racket head. Bonelli's clear protector guards against chips and scratches without changing how the racket looks. Find them all in padel accessories.
Starting from zero? Buy the racket first, then add a can of balls, a spare overgrip and a frame protector before your first match. Most of this kit is unisex, and there are separate sections for men's padel and women's padel.
