Insights
Insights
Tips, stories, and updates from the Rally team.
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Padel vs. Squash vs. Tennis: Which Should You Learn First?
All three are racket sports, but they reward completely different things. Here's how to pick your first one based on what you actually want out of it.
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Padel Levels Explained: What A1 to C Actually Means
Padel level systems change from club to club and app to app. Here's what the letters and numbers actually mean, and how to figure out where you really stand.
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NTRP to Padel to Squash: A Cross-Sport Rating Rosetta Stone
Your tennis rating means nothing on a padel court, and padel levels change club to club. Here's how to translate your skill level across all three sports.
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How Idle Court Time Adds Up (And What to Do About It)
A single empty hour doesn't look like much. Multiplied across a season, it's a number most venues underestimate.
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Your Empty Courts Are Our Supply Problem, Not Yours
Idle court time isn't just a revenue gap for venues. It's the exact problem Rally exists to solve, from the player side in.
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US Padel Growth in Numbers: From 100K to 500K Players in Two Years
Padel in the US went from a niche curiosity to a genuine growth story in a very short window. Here's what the numbers show, and what they don't.
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Padel Is the World's Fastest-Growing Racket Sport, and It Still Runs on Group Chats
Padel's global numbers are genuinely wild. Here's what the growth actually looks like, and why the way people organize a game hasn't caught up.
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Starting a New Sport as an Adult, Alone: How to Actually Get Your First Game
Trying a new sport without an existing friend group is a specific kind of anxiety. Here's how to get past it and actually get on court.
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Is Padel Hard to Learn? An Honest Beginner's Guide
Padel gets marketed as easy to pick up. It mostly is, but a few things trip up almost every beginner. Here's the honest version.
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Squash for Complete Beginners: What to Expect Your First Game
Squash has a rougher first session than most racket sports. Here's what actually happens, why it's harder than it looks, and how to get through it.
Pickup Game Etiquette for Playing With Strangers
Club etiquette guides assume you already know your regulars. Here's how to play well with people you just met through an app.
Group Chat Roulette: Why Finding a Game Still Runs on Group Chats
Even with dozens of matchmaking apps out there, most padel, tennis, and squash games still get arranged in a group chat. Here's why that's still the default.
How to Find a Pickup Squash Game Near You
Squash clubs run on ladders and box leagues more than open drop-in sessions. Here's how to get into the rotation.
How to Find a Pickup Tennis Game Near You
Tennis has a reputation for needing a regular partner and a home club. Here's how to find real matches nearby without either one.
How to Find a Pickup Padel Game Near You
You don't need a fixed group to play padel regularly. Here's where pickup games actually happen and how to get invited into one.
What Happens When Your Match Partner Doesn't Show Up, and How to Prevent It
Getting stood up before a match stings more than it should. Here's why it happens, and a few things that actually reduce the odds next time.
The Real Cost of No-Shows in Racket Sports (And Why Every Club Charges You For Them)
Padel, tennis, and squash venues almost universally charge no-show fees. Here's what that tells you about how much flaking really costs, and who pays.
Why Does My Padel, Squash, or Tennis Partner Keep Flaking?
You lock in a game, then the cancellation text shows up an hour before. Here's why this keeps happening and what actually fixes it.
Peer-Rated vs. Self-Reported: How Rally Calculates Your Level
Rally doesn't ask you to guess your own number. Here's how peer-based rating actually works, across squash, padel, and tennis.
Why Self-Rated Skill Levels Don't Work (And What Sandbagging Costs Everyone)
Self-reported ratings drift for reasons that have nothing to do with skill. Here's why sandbagging happens and what a fairer system looks like.
SquashLevels and USR Explained: What Your Squash Rating Means
Squash runs on two main rating systems depending on where you play. Here's how SquashLevels and the Universal Squash Rating actually work.
NTRP Rating Explained: Find Your Tennis Level
The National Tennis Rating Program is the scale most US tennis players run into first. Here's what the numbers mean and how self-rating breaks the system.