How to track padel on Strava — and why there's no padel activity type
Strava has no padel activity type. As of July 2026, its sport list covers tennis, pickleball, squash, badminton, racquetball, and table tennis — padel is missing, despite being one of the world's fastest-growing racket sports. The workaround: log your match as a Workout (or Tennis) and rename it. You keep duration, heart rate, calories, and Relative Effort. You get nothing padel-specific — no shots, no technique, no level. Here's exactly how to do it, and where the workaround stops being enough.
Table of contents
- Does Strava have a padel activity type?
- How do you log a padel match on Strava?
- Should you log padel as Workout or Tennis on Strava?
- What does Strava actually track for a padel match?
- What can't Strava tell you about your padel game?
- Strava workaround vs padel-native tracking — how do they compare?
- When is Strava enough — and when do you need a padel app?
- Key takeaways
- Questions
Does Strava have a padel activity type?
No. Strava expanded its sport-type list significantly in 2022, adding most racket sports — tennis, pickleball, squash, badminton, racquetball, table tennis — but padel was not among them and still isn't as of July 2026. Adding a padel sport type has been one of the most-requested features on Strava's community forum for years, with no announced plans. The FIP counted over 25 million padel players worldwide in 2024, so the gap is a product decision, not an oversight — Strava is built around GPS endurance sports, and a padel match generates no route, no distance, and no pace.
How do you log a padel match on Strava?
Two ways. Recording in the Strava app: open Strava, tap Record, tap the sport icon, select Workout (closest neutral fit) or Tennis (closest racket-sport fit), start recording before the match, stop and save after, then edit the activity title to 'Padel' so it reads correctly in your feed. Syncing from a watch: record the match on your Apple Watch or sports watch — use the Tennis or Other/Workout profile, or a native padel profile if your watch has one (some newer Garmin models do) — and let it sync to Strava automatically. Either way, Strava maps the activity to one of its generic sport types on upload. Wear a heart-rate monitor or watch during the match: without heart-rate data, the entry is just a timer.
Should you log padel as Workout or Tennis on Strava?
Tennis is the better default. It's a racket sport, so the effort profile — intervals of explosive movement with short rests — matches how Strava contextualises the heart-rate data, and your feed shows a racket icon instead of a generic one. Use Workout if you'd rather not see padel matches inflate your tennis stats, or if you also play actual tennis and want the two separable. Whichever you pick, stay consistent — mixing both makes your own history impossible to filter later. And rename the activity to 'Padel' either way; the title is the only place the sport is recorded truthfully.
What does Strava actually track for a padel match?
With a heart-rate monitor or watch: duration, average and max heart rate, calories, heart-rate zones, and Relative Effort — Strava's training-load score, which works for padel because it's computed from heart rate, not GPS. Your padel sessions count toward weekly training-load totals and fitness trends alongside your runs and rides. Without heart rate, you get elapsed time and nothing else. GPS adds nothing on a 20×10m court — leave it off.
What can't Strava tell you about your padel game?
Everything padel-specific. Strava doesn't know a bandeja from a backhand: no shot counts, no shot types, no technique feedback, no winners or errors, no match score, no padel level, no progression in anything except cardiovascular load. Two matches with identical heart-rate curves could be your best padel of the year or your worst — Strava records them identically. It answers 'how hard did my body work?' and nothing else. If your goal is fitness volume, that's fine. If your goal is getting better at padel, the workaround measures the wrong thing.
Strava workaround vs padel-native tracking — how do they compare?
Compare them attribute by attribute. Sport type: Strava logs padel as Workout or Tennis; a padel-native app like PadelUp treats padel as the sport. Effort: Strava tracks heart rate, calories, and Relative Effort; PadelUp tracks consistency through streaks and XP. Technique: Strava tracks none; PadelUp scores five dimensions — stance, grip, swing path, body position, racket angle — from video, each 0–10. Level: Strava has no concept of padel skill; PadelUp includes a padel level test. Progression: Strava shows cardio trends; PadelUp shows per-shot technique scores over time and builds a 7-day training plan around the weakest one. Social: Strava wins — the feed, clubs, and kudos have no padel-app equivalent. The honest split: Strava measures the athlete, a padel app measures the padel.
When is Strava enough — and when do you need a padel app?
Strava is enough if padel is one input into a broader training log — you're tracking weekly load across running, gym, and padel, and you don't care about racket skills. The rename-a-Workout routine costs nothing and keeps your training history in one place. It stops being enough the moment your question changes from 'did I train?' to 'am I improving?'. Shots, technique, and level need a tool built for them. The two aren't exclusive: plenty of players log the match on Strava for the training load and kudos, then upload three clips to PadelUp for the technique scores. Different tools, different questions.
Key takeaways
- Strava has no padel activity type as of July 2026 — tennis, pickleball, squash, and badminton made the list; padel didn't.
- The workaround: record as Workout or Tennis, then rename the activity to 'Padel'. Pick one type and stay consistent.
- With a heart-rate monitor, padel counts toward Relative Effort and training load — without one, it's just a timer.
- Strava tracks the athlete (heart rate, calories, load), not the padel — no shots, no technique, no level, no score.
- Padel-native tracking (PadelUp) covers what Strava can't: technique scored 0–10 across five dimensions, a level test, and adaptive training plans.
- Many players use both: Strava for training load and the social feed, a padel app for actual improvement.
Questions
Does Strava have a padel sport type?
No. As of July 2026, Strava's sport list includes tennis, pickleball, squash, badminton, racquetball, and table tennis, but not padel. Padel players log matches under Workout or Tennis and rename the activity. A padel sport type is a long-standing request on Strava's community forum with no announced plans.
Should I log padel as Tennis or Workout on Strava?
Tennis is the better default — the racket-sport effort profile fits and your feed shows a racket icon. Choose Workout if you also play real tennis and want the stats separate. Either way, rename the activity to 'Padel' and use the same type every time so your history stays filterable.
Does padel count toward my Strava fitness and Relative Effort?
Yes, if you record with a heart-rate monitor or watch. Relative Effort is calculated from heart-rate data, not GPS, so a padel match contributes to your training load and fitness trends like any other workout. Without heart-rate data, the activity records elapsed time only.
What is the best way to track padel improvement?
Track the padel, not just the heart rate. PadelUp analyses your shots from smartphone video and scores five technique dimensions (stance, grip, swing path, body position, racket angle) on a 0–10 scale, runs a padel level test, and builds 7-day training plans around your weakest dimension. Score trends per shot type over weeks are a direct measure of improvement — something no generic fitness tracker records.
Will Strava add a padel activity type?
Unknown. It has been requested on Strava's community forum for years, and padel's growth — over 25 million players worldwide per the FIP's 2024 figures — keeps the pressure on. As of July 2026 there is no announcement. Until then, the Workout-or-Tennis rename is the only option.
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