What a padel americana is and how it works

If you are new to padel, sooner or later someone will invite you to an americana (Americano in much of Europe). It is the most popular social format at Mexican clubs: in a single afternoon you play with lots of different partners, meet half the club and finish with an individual winner. This guide explains how it works, which variants exist and how to get the most out of your first one.

The basic idea

In an americana you do not sign up as a pair: you sign up on your own. Through the event you keep changing partner, so you play with several different players (ideally with all of them) and against almost everyone.

Because your partner changes every round, scoring is individual. Every point or game you win with any partner is added to your personal total. At the end, whoever has accumulated most wins.

That is what makes it so much fun: it does not depend on having a good fixed partner, and it forces you to adapt to a different style every round.

How it is organised

The details vary from club to club, but a typical americana works like this:

• Players: multiples of four, because each court takes four players. Most common are 8, 12 or 16 people on 2, 3 or 4 courts.
• Rounds: each round the organiser sets the pairs from a rotation table. With 8 players there are usually 7 rounds, so everyone partners each of the others once.
• Short matches: each round is a brief match, timed (for example 15 or 20 minutes) or played to a fixed number of points or games.
• Length: two to three hours in total.
• Level: many clubs run americanas split by level, or mixed (men and women) with rotation rules that balance the pairs.

How it is scored

There are two main systems, and it is worth knowing which one is used before you start:

• By points. Each match is played to a fixed total of points, for example 24 or 32. Points are counted one by one (1, 2, 3…), not as in tennis, and each player serves a fixed number of times. If your pair wins 15-9, you add 15 points to your total and each opponent adds 9.
• By games. Each round is a mini-match, timed or to a number of games, counted the normal way (15, 30, 40). At the end each player adds the games their pair won.

Either way, the final table is ordered by individual totals. Ties are usually broken by points difference or by the result between the tied players.

Variants

• Mixed americana: every pair is one man and one woman. It is one of the most popular at clubs.
• Mexicana: the variant known elsewhere as the "Mexicano". Pairs do not follow a fixed table: after each round they are set by the current standings, so 1st plays with 3rd against 2nd and 4th. Matches balance themselves as the event goes on.
• Team or fixed-pair versions: some clubs call a short fixed-pair event with rotating opponents an americana. It is not the classic format, but it shares the spirit.
• King of the court: winners move up a court and losers move down. The last round on court 1 decides the winner.

What to bring and how to prepare

• Your racket and plenty of water. Two or three hours of non-stop padel is tiring, especially in the heat.
• Arrive early to warm up. The first round starts on time, and a late arrival disrupts everyone's rotation.
• Ask about the level before signing up. An americana far from your level is fun for nobody.
• Pay the entry fee the club sets: it usually covers the court, new balls and sometimes prizes or food at the end.

Tips for your first americana

• Talk to each new partner. Before you start, decide who plays the right side and who the left. Thirty seconds of chat saves a lot of mistakes.
• Play safe. Matches are short, so every error costs. Lobs and balls down the middle win more points than forced smashes.
• Adapt to your partner. If they are stronger, support them; if they are weaker, cover more court without crowding them.
• Do not fixate on the score. An americana is a social event; most people are there to meet others and play a lot.
• Stay until the end. The prize-giving and the hang-out afterwards are half the fun.

How to run an americana

To run one with friends you need a multiple of four players, the courts booked, a rotation table (plenty are online for 8, 12 and 16 players) and someone to keep score. Decide the scoring system and the length of each round in advance and send it to the group. With that, you have a great afternoon.

Americana or reta: what is the difference?

A reta is any informal match: four friends booking a court, or "winner stays on" at the park. An americana is an organised event, with an entry fee, rotating partners and an individual score. Both are the best way to play more and meet more people at your club.