The world's fastest-growing racquet sport doesn't have a club at SMU. We're fixing that.
Padel is tennis played inside a glass box, where the walls are part of the game. About twenty minutes to learn, considerably longer to stop playing.
Tennis, squash, and a little bit of chess
Padel is played in doubles on an enclosed court about a third the size of a tennis court. You serve underhand. The racquet is solid and stringless. The back and side walls are in play — a ball that beats you can come off the glass and be beaten right back.
What makes it spread so fast is the on-ramp. A complete beginner can hold a real rally on day one. The underhand serve and the smaller court remove almost everything that makes tennis discouraging for the first six months. The ceiling is high; the floor is unusually low.
- i.The bandeja
An overhead played flat and slow, hit to keep your team at the net rather than to win the point outright. The signature shot of the sport.
- ii.The chiquita
A soft, low ball dropped at the feet of the players at the net. Unglamorous, deeply annoying, wins matches.
- iii.The bajada
Letting the ball pass you, come off the back wall, and hitting it on the way down. The shot that separates week one from month three.
The walls aren't out of bounds. They're the point.
It's the one thing padel has that no other racquet sport does, and it's why a beginner and a veteran can share a court and both have a good time.
- 1M+Players in the US
- 20×10Metres of glass
- 4Players, always
- 0Experience needed
One session a week, everybody plays
The format is deliberately simple. We book a block of courts at a Dallas club, everyone shows up at the same time, and we run an americano — partners rotate every few games and points are scored individually, so mixed abilities mix and nobody sits watching for long.
Racquets and balls are provided for anyone who doesn't own them, which at the start will be almost everyone. There's no tryout, no team to make, and no prior racquet-sport experience assumed.
As the club grows we'll add a second session for members who want to train more seriously and eventually compete against other university clubs. UT Dallas already has a program twenty minutes up the road, and USA Padel ran the first National Collegiate Padel Championships in Austin in April 2026.
Built in the open
We're new, and we'd rather say exactly where things stand than pretend otherwise.
- In progress
Founding membersRecruiting our first fifteen players for the fall. No experience needed — say hello and you're in.
- In progress
A home courtIn conversation with padel clubs across Dallas about a standing weekly block.
- Next
USA Padel member clubRegistering with the sport's national governing body through its Collegiate Padel program.
- Next
University recognitionApplying to SMU Student Senate for a charter as a recognized student organization.
- Then
First session on courtAs soon as the courts are booked. Everything above exists to make this happen sooner.
How to get involved
Email us
Tell us your name and year. That's the whole application. You don't need to have played, and you don't need a racquet.
We'll send you the session details
Once the weekly court block is confirmed you'll get the time, the venue, and how to get there.
Show up and play
Wear sneakers. We'll have spare racquets and balls, and someone will show you the serve in about five minutes.
Either of us. We're the two founders, and we read everything — students, venues, coaches, and other collegiate clubs alike.