Suddenly Padel Trend, Sports To Build Networks In Indonesia

JAKARTA If the sport of bicycles and running was loved by various groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, this time it was Padel's turn to rise.

Since last year, the trend of padel sports has experienced a drastic increase. The high number of padel enthusiasts coincided with the increasing number of pade fields in big cities, including Jakarta, which even enforced a list or waiting list.

Prior to Jakarta, the padel first became a trend in Bali and then penetrated other cities such as Surabaya and Yogyakarta.

According to the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI), The International Padel Federation (FIP) states that Indonesia is ranked 6th as the country with the fastest sales development in Southeast Asia and 29th in the world.

In Indonesia, the Great Association of Indonesian Padels (PBPI) has been formed which is part of the FIP. Various pade competitions have been held, including in the 2024 National Sports Week (PON) in February, although their status is only as an exhibition sport.

Padel is transformed into a sport that is very popular in Indonesia. According to Bona Palma, as the founder of the Padel Aja Seladah (PAUD) community in Jakarta, revealed several factors that make padel loved by the community, namely flexibility, ease, pleasure, and the benefits of adolence.

As a new sport in Indonesia, he said, padels have quite interesting characteristics for people who are looking for new sports alternatives.

"This sport can be a superfun game, in a short period of time there is quite a lot of calorie burn, and has measurable playing time, so many people can adjust their time to other activities or their daily work," he said.

"As an alternative sport in the midst of busy Jakarta residents, this is certainly very good. Want to play before working hours, many courts have been open since 6 am, want to play after many court hours open until 12 pm. Very flexible," added Bona.

At first glance, this sport has similarities to tennis in terms of rackets, balls, and fields. For this reason, padels are also often called combinations of tennis and sqash.

Padel requires a combination of dexterity, speed, strategy, as well as teamwork in playing it. This sport regulation is also classified as not complicated so it is quite easy to play by anyone.

Although it looks similar, there is an important difference between padel and tennis. Pegel rockets are smaller in size, have no strings like tennis rackets, and have holes. The holes in the racket function to reduce air drag so that they are more aerodynamic. On the other hand, the hole also helps reduce the weight of the racket.

The padel field is also smaller, only 20x10 meters in size, and the ball is lighter.

Citing various sources, this sport was first played in Acapulco, Mexico in 1969. It was Enrique Corcueara who created the sport of padel.

This sport was further developed in Spain and Argentina in the early 1970s. Only on July 12, 1991, padel sports began to be developed as official sports by establishing the Federation International de Padel (FIP) in Madrid, Spain.

Padel is even said to be more popular than tennis in Spain, where there are more than four million players and become the only sport bigger than football.

In Southeast Asia, apart from Indonesia, Thailand is the country with the largest pawn development. Data from the Thailand Padel Association shows significant growth with more than 300 active players and more than 90 padel fields, especially in big cities such as Bangkok and Phuket.

The popularity of the padel has penetrated almost all circles, including celebrities and world athletes. Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, former England and Manchester United star David Beckham, to two former Barcelona players Lionel Messi and Neymar also tried out this sport.

Those who have tested the padel say that this sport is more beginner-friendly. Not only that, the padel also offers social aspects. Sports observer Djoko Pekik Irianto said that the padel is popular because people want to try new things. padel is also a dynamic game that is popular with young people.

While playing, the intensity can be controlled so that players can avoid the danger ofheart attack as often happens to court tennis or badminton. In addition, the padel is seen as a prestigious elite sport resembling a brush, "Djoko explained.

Furthermore, Djoko also assessed that padels can be a means of building networks inclusively. This is because the costs incurred are not as expensive as other networking sports such as golf, so they can be played by all levels.

Many middle and upper economies gather, due to the impression of padel as modern and new sports. After the venue is prepared by cafes (for) communication facilities, Djoko added.

Not only growing rapidly in Indonesia, padel sports are indeed popular around the world. The 2024 Global Padel Report released by an application that connects the sports community, Playtomic, reveals that an average of 111 fields are built every week during 2023.

The total number of padel fields around the world is said to grow by 16 percent in 2023. Its growth in 2024 is estimated to be even greater. A number of factors that encourage the expansion of this padel include accessibility, social components, technology, and professionalization.

PBPI General Chair Galih Kartasasmita said early childhood coaching of padel athletes in Indonesia will begin to be intensified starting in 2025.

"Early development is a program that I will intensify. Next year (2025) it will definitely start," said Galih, quoting Antara.

He explained that early childhood coaching of padel athletes had been designed by PBPI. The first step is to certify the coach with the support of the International Federation of Padel (FIP) in early 2025. From the results of the coach's certification, PBPI will appoint a coach who can create a program for early childhood coaching.