The sport does not have a court problem right now. It has a teaching problem, and it is about to become expensive to ignore.
I have spent 25 years on courts—first as a player, then as one of the first Racquet Sports Directors in the country to earn a PSR 4-Star rating, and now as a certified Padel Master Coach. I have seen what happens when a sport grows faster than its teaching profession.
Courts are being built faster than qualified coaches are being developed. We are creating more rooms than we have teachers prepared to fill them.
Enthusiasm is not certification
Former tennis professionals are often handed a padel racket and a class roster after minimal preparation. Well-meaning managers coach because nobody else is available. New players develop habits during the exact period when good foundations are easiest to establish.
I created the P.A.D.E.L. Framework—Prepare, Analyze, Demonstrate, Execute and Lock In—because playing experience alone is not a teaching qualification. At Icon Padel Club, coaches complete Padel Smash Academy certification before running lessons. That is the floor, not the ceiling.
Standards make growth durable
This is the argument I made as President of the Padel Coaches Association, and it is central to Mastering the Art of Coaching Padel: standards are not the enemy of growth. They are what make growth durable.
What coaches should do now
The market still rewards availability, but professional expectations are rising quickly.
- Get certified before you get busy.
- Learn how to teach, not only how to play.
- Specialize early: youth development, adult social players and competitive pathways require different skills.
What clubs should measure
Audit the real qualifications of your coaching staff, not only their playing résumés. Then compare 90-day member retention for players taught by certified coaches with those who were not.
The sport needs qualified teachers standing on its courts. Develop them, and the growth numbers become much more sustainable.
Part 2 of 3 — The Profession. Adapted from Julian Wortelboer’s perspective on coaching standards and sustainable padel growth.
Explore Padel Coach Certification
Take your coaching skills to the next level
Master the Art of Coaching Padel
A global methodology for developing players, empowering coaches and growing the sport.
Purchase the book