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Padel Smash TV is the media arm of Padel Smash - a platform dedicated to the people, stories, and innovation driving the growth of Padel worldwide.
On this channel you’ll find racket reviews, player interviews, club features, industry conversations, and original shows that explore both the sport and the business behind it. Our goal is to spotlight the players, brands, entrepreneurs, and communities shaping the future of padel.
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The first time I, I hold the racket, I
get hooked, you know, and then nothing.
And it was so much fun.
A lot of people start to play.
They start to play matches.
And then from there, in Miami
was the boom, you know, when I
moved to la, we wa was No, no.
Paddle was.
No paddle was just private houses.
I start with paddle, like teaching
in the in the houses, says,
Hey everyone.
Welcome to another exciting
episode of Paddle Smash Academy.
Today we are visiting paddle
clubs on the West Coast.
Specifically, we are in LA at Paddle
Lab, and we have here Abra Alvarez,
the head paddle coach at the club.
Welcome to the channel, Abra.
Tell us a little bit
about your paddle journey.
Uh, where you coming from and
how did you start playing Paddle?
Yeah, thank you for introduction.
Uh, I started playing
Paddle in 2021 in Miami.
Eh was just one club open there and
was not many people playing in paddle.
Uh, and then of course I did
the transition from tennis.
I get from tennis the first
time I, I hold the racket, I get
hooked, you know, and then nothing.
And it was so much fun.
A lot of people started to play.
They started to play matches.
And then from there in Miami was the boom,
you know, uh, they started to open clubs.
I think after 1,022, they
start to open, uh, 2021, 2022.
A lot amount of of of clubs Did
you start playing here in the us
Is that when you started playing?
Yes, I started playing here in
the us eh, for my first time I
knew about Pado in Argentina.
I used to live in Argentina too.
I knew about Pado, but I
never, I never give it a try.
So how did you get to.
How did you get here to la How did
that, you know, how did that happen?
How did you connect Also with Paddle
Up, I mean, LA was always a, a city
like, was always on my, on my, my brain,
you know, like, oh my God, LA is a,
it's a great city to, to live and I,
I, I have a friend, like was here in
LA living, um, we, we was always in
touch, you know, that, uh, talking with
each others and he bring me here to a
tournament to play like a tournament.
Uh, which club was that at?
That, uh, no, no.
We, we started to play paddle tennis.
Uh oh, okay.
Play paddle tennis.
It was in Venice.
That's how I, that's how
it's gonna Beach tennis?
No.
Paddle tennis.
We have a, a, a, it, it is a sport here.
Like it's a, it's between
paddle and platform.
The one is in New York.
I don't know.
You heard about it's Yeah, it's like
pop now, now it's association that,
uh, is pop tennis, you know, but used
to be a part of tennis with no glass.
That's how I, I came here.
Daniel Wolf was the one, he, he bring
me to, to, to explore this new world.
And, and, and I see the
vibe of LA the people.
And I said, dude, this
is, this is my vibe.
You know, like this is something
like, it is, it's feeling on me.
I, I, I give a try for a couple times.
Um, and then I used say, this is my city.
Why, why not?
You know, so, so, and how did
you end up here in Para Laba?
Or tell us a little bit about the journey.
You said, uh, before we saw the interview
that you were here Since the beginning.
Yeah, from the beginning.
So what did you tell us a
little bit about your journey.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, so the, when I moved
to LA, we wa was No, no.
Paddle.
Was No paddle, was just private houses.
Eh, so that how we, I start with pal,
like, teaching in the, in the houses.
Oh.
And, uh, how did you connect with them?
Yeah, so I mean, co connection,
eh, friends, eh, okay.
I have a friend, like Wolf was
the one, like, actually connect
me with these people, eh.
Um, and, and then from there, I mean, it's
a small world when you, when you are doing
the right things and you know, the, the
right people too, it's like easy to to go.
But, but yeah, it was, uh, was uh.
I was lucky, you know,
to have the opportunity.
And I started teaching
on, on, on private houses.
And then when these people, the owners,
they, they decide to open a paddle lab.
Uh, they use ritual house.
The ritual house.
Um, and nothing I start from zero was
not club, the only club was in, in
sunset that, uh, is the power courts.
Like they open like 10 years ago.
Uh, like now it's managed for ra
uh, and then was not successful
in that moment because was.
Anyone was having idea about Pado and
then, uh, they reopen, I think years ago.
And then, then the other one was in Tica.
That was in a Torrance, like so far away.
So basically we was the only club
in, uh, in a, in the west coast.
Wow.
That, that was in Century City.
That was the first one we opened.
So.
When you opened this club here,
did you have a network of players
already or how long, how long
has this been open for first?
Eh, we opened in two, eh, summer of 2024.
Okay.
Uh, the, the one in Century City.
Okay.
Um, yeah, 2024 and this
one we opened last year.
Uh, this one, the indoor one in April.
April, may, uh, may.
Okay.
Uh, but yeah, from the beginning
I remember people coming to the
club, um, Hey, this is Pickable.
And they was not having idea
about like what paddles, so we
was explaining and educating
people, uh, carrying the programs.
Of course people like they came from Miami
or they came from Europe, from Spain.
They know about paddles.
Yeah, right.
It's easy.
How about the locals?
How about the locals?
Uh, were you able to get
some land community here?
Uh, and how long did it take you to
build some type of community where
you can do leagues and programs?
Yeah, that's a good point.
I feeling, I feeling that me arriving to.
Teach Paddle of tennis.
The one in Venice was a
community already there.
Uh, beach tennis was a
community already there.
Uh, tennis.
I used to play all the RAC sports,
so was really a community and um,
I don't want to lie, was a very
difficult you the transition the
people used to play pickleball because
pickle is a sport like is free.
Right?
We get that.
We get that all the time.
Exactly.
Most people who don't go to Strand
don't transition from pickle paddle.
The pickle players are
thing are different market.
Exactly.
Different market.
Different market.
Different market.
I mean, I not judge and,
and, but it's different.
Like, you know, like they don't
need to, to pay for, for build
a court or to rent the court.
They just, they're taking over of a court.
And it's easier for, for people who have
never played a sport before or Exactly.
Athletes.
Exactly.
They can play that.
Exactly.
So you know that there's a market there.
Yeah.
So what don't you tell us a little
bit about who the owners are.
Yeah.
And, uh, what is your
role, specific role here?
Yeah, the owners are from
Jamaica, eh, are from Jamaica.
Yeah.
Uh, John, John are smart, eh, eh,
guys that they start this journey
with, eh, another, eh guy from,
eh, it is like five, five owners.
Five, five owners.
I part of the team, two main owners,
and then another one is from, uh,
America, another one from two from
America, another one from Canada.
Uh, and yeah, in Jamaica,
that's how they started.
Um, my role, eh, from the beginning
was I was the only one, one of
the owners, he was having a tennis
background, but no knowledge with Pado.
So I was the one with the knowledge
of Pado, like did knowing people.
And basically I create the programmings,
uh, of the clinics and the open place,
um, schedule, uh, the adults kids.
Uh, everything from, from scratch
and then, uh, organized events.
That's how that, that was
my, my strength thing.
Organized event do tournament, uh,
and put everyone together, you know,
try to make sure that it's as whole
experience that the people is learning,
but in the same time having fun.
And so creating the
community and all that.
Yeah.
So where do you see them coming from?
Uh, tennis.
Mostly people.
Yeah.
Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
People, yeah, I mean, I mean, I mean.
People came from everywhere.
Yeah.
People that came from tennis.
The transition is quickly.
Yeah.
You know, the only they take a little bit
longer to learn is the walls For sure.
But people squash, a lot of people coming
from squash, tennis, A lot of soccer
players actually, people like play soccer.
They're been playing,
they're been playing battle.
But yeah, for sure.
I mean.
You came from tennis, like it's the
mother of the racket sport, and then
you wanna play all the racket sports.
So is there a land community
here that that started playing?
Or, or, or European community?
Like Spanish community?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
A hundred percent.
A hundred percent.
Now we have in the WhatsApp
group, like 450 people.
Wow.
Like in the beginning, I remember, Hey,
I was the only one I texting or Oh.
We got like 20 people used.
Yeah.
It grows quickly, huh?
Yeah.
Yeah.
They, they used to play
and then I feeling that.
Yeah.
So has been, has, has been.
Great.
So now why don't you tell us a
little bit, people always are viewers
and listeners, wanted to find out
how much is it to play here, how
much, what to play, how much is it?
Yeah.
Uh, reservation, clinics,
lessons, and what's the model?
Is there members, non-members?
Yeah.
In the differences?
Yeah.
That's a good question.
We have, we have, since we open, eh,
Cooper City, we, because we, how you can
see, we have the gym on the back of us.
We have the showers.
We have a sauna cold plunge,
we start to do the members
that now we have 200 members.
Yeah.
So it's going well.
And of course the members have
a different price than the
people are not, not members.
What's the price of a membership?
The member is $200.
And what are the amenities that they get?
That the non-members don't?
Yeah, they give you, first of all, you can
book a call with so much time in advance.
Okay.
Uh, different to the
non, to the non-members.
Second one, you have a 50% of the 50%.
50% of the, of the s eh.
Um, and the co restoration.
The co reservation, you have two
free co reservations a month.
Wow.
Eh, and oh, that's pretty good.
Yeah, of course.
Have you, have you, partial
of you, of your membership?
You have that 50% and also you
can use the whole facility.
So I think it's a pretty good deal.
Yeah.
And if you are from LA and you.
You play twice or even once.
So if you're, if you're paid a play, how
much it would be that cost a non-member.
If you're nonmember and you book
a court, we have a different
price for no peak hours.
And for peak hours, eh, no peak
hours, you pay a hundred, eh, $10.
Okay?
And peak hours, you pay $130 for the core.
For one.
For the core.
For the core, oh, for one hour.
For one hour.
Okay.
It's not hour and a half.
No.
One hour.
Well, one hour and a half is a little,
is the So $130 for For one hour plane.
For one hour, yeah.
Okay.
And you get people, I mean, don't,
don't you think an hour is, it's enough?
Or people like to play more people.
People like to play One hour and a half.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think, I think the order Is
that like one 70 or, yes, yes.
1, 1 70. One 70.
From hour and a half.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Sorry.
Yeah.
And how much of a lesson.
The lessons?
Well, we have different rates
depending on the coaches.
For example, the head pro have a
different rate to the, to the coaches,
eh, but can come from 170 to EH 200.
220 with taxes.
Yeah.
And if I wanna play with you
how much it will cost me.
That's the, that the last one.
The last one.
You have to pay double that.
You gotta pay double.
Yeah.
Now you guys went with three courts.
I see that there's room
to put in more courts.
Is that here?
Yeah.
Do you guys just put the three courts
to see how you're developing a community
before you do then there's a possibility
putting another port afterwards or, yeah.
Or was that strategic to
create this more of an.
A lounge, an area where people will stay.
So you guys got a DJ there?
Yeah.
You guys have parties.
People want people to stay.
Exactly.
Do you guys have beer and wine, uh,
license and you have working on it?
Yeah, that's the question.
Yeah.
No.
So of course, sure.
We have, you see all this f we have
it's pay for food, another court.
But I think the idea was, okay,
normally we see a lot of clothes.
Like they have three court,
but this barely space to you
walking over around the court.
So here is more, we do a lot events.
Eh, a lot of parties or eh,
corporate events or the people come
here to book, it's a hangout area.
When the mothers, they come and the kids
are playing around, they play ping pong.
They play take ball.
So it's kind of like, eh, that was the
reason, like, okay, we have three court.
We have a big space, and then we can
manage this space to do another things.
We working on the, on the
license, we don't have the birth
and the, the white license yet.
Are, we're working on it.
But people can bring their own then.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah.
Right.
And you guys have coffee, right?
That's some coffee, yes.
Yes.
So tell us from what time to
what time is the club open?
Seven to 11.
Okay.
And if they want to find out more
information, where should they go?
Uh, you can, you have the app and we
have the, the instrument para parallel.
Parallel is the, is the, the Instagram
is the, the Instagram social media.
Right there.
We have all the photos, the event that
we, we promote, and we have the link
that, that send you to our website too.
That is spiral up club.com.
That's the website.
And if, uh, play to or play by
point, play byplay play by point.
So if they can look you up and play
by point, if they wanna, uh, make
reservations, all that, you can see
the two locations central and perfect.
So, Aran, before we, uh, finish this, is
there anything else you wanna talk about?
I wanna talking about.
I, I'm happy.
I'm happy.
Like you guys, you, you are
here, you're doing a great job
in the, in the paddle community.
I, I've been watching like couple of video
of you and interview and that's amazing.
And I think that's all about it.
The, the growth, the,
the sports, you know.
Great.
And, and I think all of us, we
are addicted, you know, we share
the same addiction, like it, it
paddle and we see how it can be.
Of course it's more challenged than
another sport, but at the same time it is.
It's a smart game.
It's a, it is a, it is fun.
It's a little hangout like you hang out
with, with, with the person next to you.
Uh, and how we know is gonna grow
and how it's growing, you know?
Beautiful mate.
So I think, I think that's, I
am just glad to be part of that.
Uh, and always, eh, I dunno.
Give my, my help.
I, Abraham blessed.
Thank you so much.
Congratulations.