Hearing from the Master: Creator of our leading padel coaching programme shares his journey

It’s safe to say we’ve come a long way in a short space of time with our coaching courses since our first ever Certified Padel Coach training course held in at Thistle Padel Club, Edinburgh back in May 2022.

We’ve now ran 25 courses and trained over 250 coaches, across the UK, with many of those who have completed our accredited Padelmba coaching, going on to join the G4P family and coach at our venues.

As we pass this milestone, we sat down with Nino Sanchez-Alcaraz, the man who helped grow the Padelmba qualification in the UK and has travelled extensively across the globe educating and mentoring padel coaches.

Q) Hi Nino, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us. Can you tell us a little bit about your early padel journey?

A) Hi, thanks for taking the time to chat. Certainly, for me, it started with tennis, which I played up until I was around 18 years old and played to a reasonable level. Then I discovered padel and immediately fell in love. For a while I played both sports but eventually started to focus predominantly on padel and managed to reach a high level in Spain before my passion for coaching others really took over. I saw padel growing

and did coaching courses to learn more before starting my own academy. Then, around six or seven years ago, I introduced the racket sports syllabus into the Sports Science Degree at Murcia University, not long after, Padelmba got in touch, and the rest as they say is history!

Q) That leads us nicely onto Padelmba. Can you explain what it is please?

A) We offer a host of certificates to meet everyone’s needs across Game4Padel venues in the UK and at its Spanish venue , Oliva Nova Resort. From those looking to start a padel coaching career, specifically to coach kids or learn how to manage their own padel club, we have something for everyone. The beauty of our courses is that they combine online and practical training so you get that full, 360 degree learning

of not only padel tactics and technique but the soft coaching skills that you need to help your players be the best they can be. We emphasise the importance of the role of a coach; the face of the club to grow the padel community, which ensures the success of the club.

Q) And can you explain a little bit about your role within that please?

A) Well I’m so lucky now that my role in helping train coaches has taken me to over 40 countries around the World. Seeing padel at different stages e.g Bali, Indonesia where padel is booming with more and more venues opening to South Africa where padel is more established and requires different advice and perspective. In Lithuania, I have had the pleasure in training over 150 coaches and when I return to Klaipeda it makes feel very proud when I see these coaches now working in clubs and delivering

successful programmes. These experiences continually show me the incredible growth of padel. What I love about the Padelmba courses is the huge network it opens for people completing the training. For example, one of the guys I had the chance to train in London, is now opening up his own club in Poland. I think this shows how crucial the Padelmba programme, and Game4Padel’s role within

it, is for growing the game and educating those who love it. Students attend the course for many different reasons but all playing an integeral part in the growth of

the game, one lovely story that I always tell is of Marcelo, from Brazil who travelled to Edinburgh from Qatar on his back to his home country with the mission to build courts for underprivileged children, the skills required from the course gave him the confiedence and credibility to deliver this.

Q) How important is Game4Padel’s partnership with yourself and Padelmba?

A) I don’t think you can overstate Game4Padel’s importance. Partnering with the best in the business is so helpful because it becomes so much easier for people to attend the courses and to ensure the successful growth of the sport of padel. I knew James Rose, the National Development Manager at Game4Padel, from my time at La Manga Club and working closely with him over the years has been brilliant. Together, we’ve now helped train over 250 coaches across the UK. From the outset Padelmba’s objective was to have a globally recognised coaching qualification, to do

this they had to have a presence in many different terrorities. With Game4Padel having the UK franchise, which was always a key market for Padelmba has helped them achieve this goal. It's been so rewarding being at the start of the journey in the UK. All the hard work that the Game4Padel team have put in behind the scenes has meant step by step they have created a valued and respected coaching pathway. We are looking to forward to the many years ahead and delivering exciting new projects and welcoming more coaches to the community.

Q) What would be your message for anyone considering enrolling in one of the Padelmba courses?

A) I’d say go for it. The quality of the courses is amazing with a great mix of online videos and in person coaching options. There’s also great flexibility with the Padelmba courses which I think is fantastic to work around everyone’s busy lives. And this is the time to do it, when the sport is growing so rapidly. There’s a huge demand for coaches and people with the knowledge to help others learn and improve their padel games right across the UK. I always tell my students, you don’t need to be the best player at your club to coach but so long as you have the required technique to rally with players to maximise their lessons and a passion, then you can be an incredible coach. Our 2026 Padelmba coaching calendar is now live, with options at Game4Padel venues across the UK.

Full details on the Game4Padel here and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team to find out more!