Trying New Things

Since I was 6 years old the only sport I have been interested in playing was Tennis, my life revolved around it. Now don’t get me wrong Tennis is still very much a huge part of me, but it is no longer my only love. I have recently discovered a brand-new sport that has been brought to South Africa, it is called Padel.

Padel is a very nice mixture of Tennis and Squash. Tennis and Padel are very different in many ways, but they are also very similar in a lot of other ways. Padel is surrounded by 4 glass panels whereas Tennis is surrounded by fences. In Padel you can hit off of the wall when you are playing, but I guarantee if you try to hit the ball against a Tennis fence it will most definitely not come back to you. Most people would say that the most difficult shot to play in Tennis is the serve because you have to do this huge, complicated shot that injures your arm most of the time, but in Padel all you have to do is serve under arm.

As most of you know, I work in the Pro Shop at the German Country Club and one of the first questions clients ask me when they walk into the shop is “which do you prefer, Tennis or Padel” and the answer is simple… I love them both equally because they both have certain aspects that make them fun.

I must say that I love the social aspect of Padel, it is a nice family sport and it is great for doing team building events and birthday parties, some people even have nappy parties at the Padel courts. Most people enjoy the Padel because it is a lot easier than Tennis, it is not as technical.

“Never be afraid of trying new things because life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know”