00:00 It's the world's fastest growing sport and Filipinos are getting in on the paddle craze.
00:05 A racket sport that combines the elements of tennis and squash, paddle is played in
00:09 doubles inside an enclosed court with panel walls.
00:12 It follows the same scoring system as tennis and beginners can pick up the game within
00:16 just an hour of playing.
00:19 We have a lot of players, actually we have a lot of players who doesn't have a background.
00:24 It's like zero, zero talaga.
00:25 So, if you're a tennis player, it's easier to pick up because the pacing is really slow
00:31 here and you have the walls to slow the pace even more.
00:36 Paddle's popularity skyrocketed in Europe during the pandemic with now more than 25
00:40 million players around the world.
00:42 Even sports icons like Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Rafa Nadal have the paddle
00:47 fever.
00:48 In Mandaluyong City, this newly opened paddle court is packed every day, welcoming players
00:53 of all ages and skill levels.
00:55 And I think the best part of paddle is really the community aspect of it.
00:58 It's a sport that you will burn calories, you will run, you will have a lot of fun,
01:03 but at the same time you will meet a lot of people.
01:05 When he isn't leaping on poles and breaking world records, even Povolt or E.J.
01:09 Abiana enjoys a good game of paddle once in a while for cross training.
01:13 I like the hand-eye coordination of this.
01:15 I really love tennis and the way the mental game kind of works and it's a little bit similar
01:20 to this.
01:21 Povolting is an individual game.
01:22 This is a little bit more fun with more people around you.
01:25 At the forefront of promoting this sport in the country is Senator Pia Cayetano, who aims
01:29 to grow paddle from the grassroots level.
01:31 The good thing about paddle is that it's not hype-intensive.
01:35 Filipinos are known to be "malikse" (smart) so my focus is coaches because they will give
01:41 opportunity to new players and our future competitive international.
01:47 Pauline Berzosa, CNN Philippines.
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