Difference between Padel, Platform Tennis, POP Tennis, Spec Tennis & Beach Tennis

Here in the Northeast U.S., there is one paddle sport that people are crazy about...Platform Tennis.  However, unbeknownst to many 'Northeasterners', there are equally enthusiastic groups of paddle sportsters from the Midwest to the West coast, in Puerto Rico and as far reaching as Europe.  They play the all-season POP Tennis, Padel, Spec Tennis or Beach Tennis.  Each of these sports is growing rapidly and provide as much fun as they do competition.

PLATFORM TENNIS

Platform Tennis had its beginnings around 1930, begun by a group of tennis enthusiasts looking for winter entertainment in a racquet sport.  Played on an elevated, heated court (typically in the winter months) that is surrounded by wire fence walls off of which the ball can be played. It is a doubles game where the best of 3 sets wins. Only one serve is allowed and standard tennis scoring applies. Platform Tennis is an easy sport to learn and very little gear is required to play.

Details: Court measurement - 44' Long by 20' Wide with markings like a miniature tennis court Net Height - 34" Perimeter - Court is bordered by a 12 Foot tall galvanized fence

Equipment: Platform Tennis Paddle - 18" is the standard paddle length.  Paddle composition includes a variety of face materials with solid EVA cores (no strings!)  Holes cut straight through the paddle face aid in maneuverability and help bite the ball. A Platform Tennis Ball is a firm, dense ball with a short felt-like surface called flocking. One ball typically lasts for one session of play. Platform Tennis Shoes - Players wear durable tennis shoes (the court surface is VERY abrasive). Running shoes and cross-trainers ARE A HUGE NO-NO for safety reasons! For more information on Platform Tennis, contact the APTA (American Platform Tennis Assoc.)

POP TENNIS:

POP Tennis (until recently was called Paddle Tennis) is believed to have originated in 1898 as an outdoor game for children. In 1959, Murray Geller revised the format and rules and the standardized game of Paddle Tennis took off for players of all age groups. Paddle Tennis / Pop Tennis can be played either as singles or doubles and the winner is the best of three sets. Tennis scoring applies, although only one underhand serve is allowed. It is an easy sport to learn and as with tennis, very little gear is required to play. Especially popular in the Southeast and West Coast regions and now, with the backing of the USTA, is gaining popularity across the USA.

In order to better market the sport, promoters have changed the name from paddle tennis to POP Tennis which corresponds to the sound of the ball hitting the paddle. Watch POP Tennis here.

Details: Court measurement - 50' Long* by 20' Wide (no doubles lanes).  Singles and Doubles are played on the same court. *Note: due to court availability, POP tennis is now often played on a 60' x 27' full tennis court with a 36" high net. Standard Net Height - 31"

Equipment:

  • POP Tennis Paddle - 18" is the standard paddle length.  Paddle composition includes a variety of face materials with solid EVA cores (no strings!)  Holes in the paddle aid in maneuverability and help bite the ball. While a Platform Tennis Paddle can be used, Padel Rackets which are thicker (38mm) have become the new, more popular option for POP Tennis. 
  • POP Tennis Ball - Uses either a punctured (depressurized) tennis ball, low compression tennis ball or the official POP Tennis Ball called the Control+ Green Dot Ball made by Penn
  • POP Tennis Shoes - Players should wear good quality tennis shoes! Running shoes and cross-trainers NOT recommended for safety reasons!

BEACH TENNIS:

Take the fun and fast-paced sport of tennis... combine it with the sun, sea and sand of the beach and you have beach tennis, the most electrifying new sport to hit the U.S. Beach tennis merges the worlds of tennis and beach volleyball into one exciting sport. It can be played both competitively and recreationally and because it is so simple to play, it appeals to athletes and non-athletes of all ages. So what exactly is beach tennis? It’s like regular tennis except it’s played on a regulation beach volleyball court. Using paddles, two players on each team volley back and forth, hitting a slightly depressurized tennis ball directly over the net without letting it bounce... it’s hard to make the ball bounce on sand! One hit per team is all that’s allowed. Your team scores a point each time your opponents hit the ball outside the lines or let it hit the sand.

Details:

  • The Penn ball is the official ball of Beach Tennis USA
  • Regulation net height is 5 ft. 6 3/4 inch. (1.7 meters)
  • Width of an official Beach Tennis court is 26 1/4 ft. (8 meters)
  • Length of an official Beach Tennis court is 52 1/2 ft. (16 meters)

Equipment:

Beach Tennis Paddle - 18" is the standard paddle length (no longer than 20" allowed). Composition includes Graphite, Titanium and solid EVA cores (no strings!) Holes in the paddle head aid in maneuverability and help bite the ball
Beach Tennis Ball - A punctured (depressurized) tennis ball or low compression Penn Tennis Ball
Shoes - what shoes???? You're in the sand!!!

Listed below is a summary of the official rules and regulations from Beach Tennis USA®, the organization responsible for launching the sport of beach tennis in North America.

Rules:

  • Scoring is the same as tennis 15-30-40
  • NO ADD scoring… at 40-40 (deuce) next point wins
  • In mixed doubles, men serve underhand
  • Lets are in play
  • You only get 1 serve
  • The ball can NOT hit the sand… if the ball does hit the sand, the opposing team receives a point
  • If the ball strikes the line in any way, the ball is good
  • No part of a players body or his/her equipment may touch the net or cross the plain of the net (over or under).. by doing so, the player and his/her teammate will loose the point being played
  • The player serving must stay behind the base line while serving… if any part of a players body touches the base line in his/her service motion before hitting the ball, it is considered a foot fault (serving team will loose the point)
  • ‘One hit and over’… you may not pass the ball to your doubles partner, one hit to get the ball over the net

 

SPEC TENNIS

Pickleball too slow for you?  Have an abundance of pickleball courts in your area but want to use them to play a faster paced, more athletic game?  Give SPEC Tennis a go.  Quieter, faster and more tennis-like, SPEC Tennis provides an alternate use for all those pickleball courts and is often played as both singles and doubles. Many tennis players move to pickleball as they age due to the smaller court size which makes it easier to cover.  With SPEC Tennis, the smaller court size can be fully utilized, with tons of shot options and a significantly faster pace. SPEC Tennis uses platform tennis paddles with a low compression tennis ball (depressurized or roughly 50% pressure).  The "pickleball kitchen" is disregarded so that the full court is in play and serve and volley is allowed. 

Details:

For further information, check out spectennis.com

PADEL

As of 2021, Padel, pronounced "Paddle", is the fastest growing racquet sport in the world, with over 12 million players worldwide. A close relative of tennis, with similarities to racquetball and squash, this dynamic sport has made its way to the USA via its origins in countries such as Mexico, Spain and Argentina.  The game itself is very similar to tennis, however there are some significant differences. Played typically as doubles, it is played on an enclosed court that is significantly smaller than a tennis court and has tempered glass walls that can be used during the game. The scoring is like tennis and the object of Padel is to win two out of the three, six-game sets that constitute a match. Each match begins with an underhand serve that must go diagonally into the opponent's court. 

Equipment:

Padel is played on a small, tempered glass-enclosed court that is just over a third of the size of a tennis court and has a playing surface of 20m x 10m. The walls can utilized by players during the game (play the ball off the wall). The surface of the court can be made from a variety of materials, including cement, synthetic materials or artificial grass. The net divides the court across the middle, as on a tennis court.

The padel ball is slightly smaller than a tennis ball, and has less internal pressure for a softer feel and more controlled action.

Padel racquets or padel paddles (sometimes called bats) are made from composite materials with holes in the face and are a "thicker" style paddle, roughly 38 mm. The face may have no texture, or varying degrees of texture. Because the racquet is much shorter than a tennis racquet, it is much easier to control. It typically has a wrist tether on the handle, for safety reasons in the event the paddle slips from the player's hand where it could otherwise do some damage on such a small court!

For further information, check out https://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/padel.html