Overweight and discouraged to play

Are you sponsored? I pay to play, to have fun. Don't feel discouraged. I started playing with 96kg and now, 2 and a half years later, 77kg. You can and should have fun, and it's all that matters!

I play 3-4x a week with an obese guy. I barely beat him because he is such a great defender. If you wanna play and there are no medical restrictions, then there is no reason you shouldn't play.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE ENCOURAGING WORDS. I forgot that first and foremost it's a sport we love to play, so I should first focus on that and enjoy!! I deserve to take my space on the court and thanks for encouraging me!! Means a lot to me, folks. Was feeling really down about it for months now, but this thread has given me a chance to reframe my thoughts. Thanks a lot, I mean it.

play padel. add diet. add some weight training (maybe 15min core training is already enough). go this for one year. dont get discouraged. it is your life. you will se the transformation. it takes time. it works. own your life. play padel. enjoy life. you have only one.

Been playing padel for 12+ years as a 120kg teen, 75kg beast in my 20s and as a 90kg daddy in my 30s. Obviously my performance was better a few years ago. But experience is a really important part of the sport. So don’t get discouraged and enjoy the game as best as you can my man. Also if you are planning to lose weight via padel I cannot encourage you enough to also lift some weight at least twice a week. When i was losing weight at my 20s I was basically playing padel 3 times a week (2 classes and a match) and lifting the other 2. Nothing too hardcore just easy full body workouts first home and later at the gym. That plus a good diet and medication really helped me out.

I see quite a few at where I play… and am incredibly impressed with their abilities. I judged a book by its cover which was a stupid thing to do. You will improve skills and physique along the way. Go for it!

I suppose the best way would be to add some athletic training and diet to the padel. Playing padel should be fun, not a pain.

sucks to hear, brother. when my friend and i play against a “bigger” player, we sometimes try to make them move a lot. it doesn’t always work though. the key is to be smart with your shot selection and positioning, and don’t give us easy chances to pull you all over the court. and honestly, it’s not only disadvantages. depending on your level, you can even use your weight as an advantage: you may have more power, more stability, and it can be easier to lean into the ball. you can learn to use that body weight to hit strong, effective shots. at the end of the day, it is what it is. i’ve never judged anyone by their weight on the court (or anywhere). i hope you can get through it psychologically and not lose the spark you have for padel. embrace where you are now, and work toward whatever you want to achieve in life :)

A lot of great support here. More importantly though, the path to better health is to play. I’m 5’9, usually 190-210 lbs. It’s taxing on me, but I feel like I move better and am in better shape the more padel I play.

If you lose most of the extra weight, you’ll be at least twice a better player. This is my personal experience. Unfortunately Padel is not the quickest way. I have many overweight friends who blew their knees out; we play advanced level. The quickest way is: - Weight training 2+ times a week. And no, not the boring machines. 1 hour intensive full body will do. I do Les Mills Body Pump 3x a week. Also necessary is stretching routines before and after, weights and padel - Moderate sugar intake once a week. Except for olive oil, avoid vegetable oils like the plague. Reduce carbs and eat as much leafy greens / vegetables / fruits as you can - Consistent high quality 7 hour sleep In 1 year you will not recognize yourself in the mirror.

Just get out there and play

my man, i'm a 1,67m 90kg, and yes, it would be much better if i could be at least a 20kg lighter hahah... other factor is, i dont have money to expend on classes, so a i watch a lot of videos and that was one the things that made me improve, slowly, but i improved! But, unless you want to play on a competitive level and make living out of this, just play for fun

It's a shitty feeling. I used to weigh 50kg more, and felt very self-conscious about any sport I did. But most people are mainly happy for you that you are out there getting fitter, and if you are in a group where your skill level is on par with others (or sometimes even if it's not), it's all just great padel fun, and your thoughts about your abilities related to your weight are just in your own head. Be proud and happy that you get out there and do your thing, it takes mental fortitude when you are overweight!

That's the beauty of padel, you don't need to be super fit or a beast to play. the court is not that large, you are 2 on the court, so you don't need to run that much. its more tactical and about positioning yourself. also, I know a lot of players when playing regularly 2 to 4 times a week, they start to lose some serious weight, so that is even better :-).

I’ve seen some obese players which play much better that most intermediate because their technique is great. Also some players that play great and hardly move, because they know where to place themselves. Don’t feel discouraged about your weight, IMO technique and skill is much more important than being fast.

Don't be discouraged! There's only one way to lose weight, and that is when you are motivated for it. There is no better motivation than passion for sports. Sure there's a gap between an overweight and fit padel player. But if you face that challenge with a positive attitude, you can overcome that gap. I lost 10kg since I started playing, but the most noticeable difference is not my weight but my stamina. It just happened, I didn't even realize it until someone I hadn't seen for a while pointed it out.

Padel saved my life. 5 years ago, I was obese. 15kg overweight on my 1.6m frame. I tried everything and nothing works. Then i discovered padel. I nearly died at my first training class. Very unfit. But i love the game. Went on to play rank on playtomic. Didn't do very well. When it comes to meal time, i used to eat like 3 bowls of rice for dinner. When i was going for refill, my mind went to my next padel game. Maybe if i were to stop at 2, i might just win the next game. Padel helped me to be able to stop eating so much carb. 5 years later, i lost nearly 15 kg. I am at the fittest stage of my life - way better than in my 20s when i was in the army. I really out ran the young 20s in my club. As long as you love padel, you will have the determination to resist that last slice of pizza. Vamos!

It will come an issue at an advanced level if you ever get there, as in it will hinder your full potential. But not many people get to that level and it will be next to no issue for anything at a lower level.

Just keep playing and you’ll lose weight, fr. Also, there are a bunch of heavier people playing at our club, that’s far better than the majority. I doesnt matter. Keep playing, and have fun.

Just jump on and have fun Play with lower ranked players so you dont feel terrible and enjoy we all start somewhere

I'm a bigger guy but it doesn't stop me being better than the skinny ones! Technique and skill is the most improtant after basic fitness Use it as motivation and eat cleaner Padel is amazing as a HIT fat burn exercise. Just playing 2x a week will shed pounds.

I have played with quite few bigger players. Good technique and knowing where to position yourself at court beats speed. Just take it slowly and calmily at first, becausr your knees and ankles can fail under rapid movement and extra weight.

Keep playing and you won’t be overweight for long. 

man I dread when and big guy enters the court in flash or social tournament I know I'll be running to every corner from his shots. big, skinny or fit its not really important if you are playing as a hobby there are lots of big guys (and girls) that have several years of experience that are going to mop the floor with your average fit guy just starting. Yeah overall fitness plays its part but at hobby levels its not the most important factor by a long shot

I played against a bigger dude and I am afraid of him. He places himself so well and hits the ball with such a technique that it's almost impossible to return it without making an error. He can win a match just by walking around the court and not even running out of breath.

I'm 48, 1.75 m and 107 kg, I'm obese. I start going to the gym to lose weight, but I can play decent, you don't need to be fit to be good, you need to make better decisions on your shot placements and you'll move less. Even though my size, I'm pretty agile and fast with my feet, but as soon I started to take better decisions my pádel improve 200%

Tolito was considered obese a few years ago and that doesn’t stop him to compete in the highest level. I’m 100 kg myself and I play for fun. There’s nothing wrong with exercise

Start with playing friendly matches. Most beginners will be happy for any match. Once you get above beginner level weight won’t matter

Read the inner game of tennis by tim gallwey. it has nothing to do with weight but everything to do with your mind. i think it might help.

I’m overweight and am fine to play. Don’t look at other players you’re there for you.

I was really unfit before I started padel. Its made a world of difference for me. Please don't be discouraged. Most padel players are there to have fun and I'm sure you will too. Good luck!

There’s a guy I play with He’s a big fella And let me tell you we recently won a beginner tournament He’s incredible and I feel so lucky to play alongside him Please keep going

I totally understand how you feel. I’m actually bigger than most of my friends too, they all are petite Asian girls and I being around them all the time 😂 so I know how easy it is to compare yourself on the court. But padel isn’t a weight class sport. Skill, positioning, timing, and game sense matter so much more than just being lighter or faster. Don’t wait to be ‘fit enough’ to enjoy it. Play now. Improve now. Fitness will follow naturally if you keep playing. You deserve to be on that court just as much as anyone else.

My friend's partner is the largest person out there on the padel courts and honestly we just have fun and there's no judgement at all. I think you're overthinking it, which is hard not to do sometimes. But just try to relax and enjoy a fun sport! 😉 

I'm fat as f*** but played sport all my life, still get round the court well and I think I'm a decent player. Dont worry about it at all. Only hurdle is joining randoms for a game because 1st impression they prob think oh ffs he's going to be rubbish

Just think of your knees, don’t overload them, ad some physical training, diet or at least make sure u get enough protein. Rest and recovery is essential, avoiding injuries is crucial. Suitable shoes etc. And have fun!

I'm ~150kg and working on it, was around 190kg little over a year ago. Always been fairly athletic for my size though and always been sport mad (mainly football and golf) but have played squash in the past. Been playing padel 18 months or so now and sitting around 2.5 on playtomic. When I have played with random players, i can see the looks when I turn up, but I know that I can hold my own. The biggest focus for me is positioning and shot placement. I know that I am not going to beat players by hitting fast and getting drawn in to fast paced rallies. Focus on hitting slow and well placed shots to allow yourself time to recover the net. When serving, serve slow and in the right area to allow time to get to the right position. Most of all though, enjoy it! I've become fully hooked on padel and want to be better and I know that losing weight will help this! Side note: are you UK based?

I played against a player who had played national level doubles tennis, and gained a lot of weight over lockdown (130kg+), he didn't move much, but had incredible touch, and we couldn't exploit his mobility. You can always be better at a sport, but below national level competition padel, you can definitely compete when overweight. 

I have seen some amazing big players in my country. They obviously have some limitations against very advanced fit players, but they are very advanced.

Search Tolito highlights on youtube:) you will understand how amazing can someone a bit overweight can play!

I'm 135kg and really enjoy padel regularly. Yes I can't sprint across the court for the entire game and longer rallies get the better of me. However, I've already seen great improvements in the time I've been playing. One of the best players I've seen playing recently was easily 150kg+, I was watching them whilst warming up for my game and he was phenomenal defensively. Never rushing, always in The right place. Don't be discouraged! If you enjoy the game go at it with gusto, people will see your enthusiasm long after they've forgotten about your weight.

Playing padel was the best thing for my weight. Just go play

I see overweight people on courts too, they are funny, their skill and movement is terrible but they are happy. So do not be worry to enjoy padel, just play with people of your kind and join normal people when you improve