Everything gets tested.
Mostly on us.
Films from the courts, match breakdowns, gear we actually play with, and the photographs. The Laboratory is where the season gets written down instead of disappearing into a group chat.
- Padel science
- Materials
- Human performance
- A more social sport
Four jars on the bench
Every ball, every racket and every format we run gets judged on the same four things. When we publish a breakdown, this is the scale it is scored against.
- Fig. 01
Core
How much life is left after three hours of play. The first thing that goes, and the first thing anyone notices.
- Fig. 02
Spin
How much the surface grips. Decides whether a kick serve is a weapon or a warning.
- Fig. 03
Durability
Matches per ball before it stops being fair to both pairs. Cheap balls cost more.
- Fig. 04
Feel
The part no spec sheet has. Six players hit blind, and we take the average.
Scored one to five. No brand pays for a score — if they ever do, it will say so on the page.
Watch first
Padel Heads Laboratory — film 001
The first film from the Laboratory. Courts, faces, sound — Lisbon as we play it.
Plays on YouTube. Nothing loads until you press play.All characters are fictional. Any resemblance to players who really hit that shot is purely coincidental — and entirely their own fault.
Everything else
Newest first. Filter by what you came for.
Padel Heads Laboratory — film 001
The first film from the Laboratory. Courts, faces, sound — Lisbon as we play it.
Watch →Padel Heads Laboratory — film 002
Second reel out of the Laboratory. Same courts, same people, more of what actually happens.
Watch →Padel Heads Laboratory — film 003
Third one. Shot on the same courts, edited the same night, published before anyone could talk us out of it.
Watch →The rules, by Uncle Head
Six of them. They are not long, and nobody has ever needed a seventh.
Level beats ego
Play with whoever is on the court. The wall has never once asked for your rating.
Be on time, or bring the balls
Fifteen minutes late is a choice. So is showing up with three tubes and no apology.
No coaching across the net
Unless somebody asks. Then be useful, be short, and let them play the next point.
Call your own balls out
Nobody in the history of this sport has won an argument at 5-5. Give the point and take the next one.
The new person plays
If somebody is standing alone by the glass, you are the one who says hello. Every single time.
What happens at the afterparty stays there
What happens on court gets filmed and ends up here. Choose your moments accordingly.
Uncle Head, Head of the Laboratory
Filmed a point worth watching?
Send it. Clips, photos from the sideline, a breakdown of a match you played — if it is good it goes up here with your name on it.
Or email padelheadlab@gmail.com with the files attached.