From Miami’s Padel Boom to LA’s Rise | Abraham Alvarez at Padel Up

In this episode of Padel Smash Academy, we head to Los Angeles to visit Padel Up and sit down with Abraham Alvarez, the club’s Head Padel Coach, to talk about what it really takes to build padel from the ground up on the West Coast.

Abraham shares his journey starting padel in Miami in 2021, getting instantly hooked after transitioning from tennis, and witnessing the Miami padel boom as clubs started opening fast. Then he moved to LA where padel was basically only happening in private homes—and began teaching house-to-house before helping grow what became one of the most important padel communities in the region.

We get into how Padel Up built community through programming, clinics, leagues, and events, and how that effort turned into a 450-person WhatsApp group. Abraham also breaks down the model: memberships, court pricing, lesson rates, amenities, and why education is a huge part of converting racquet-sport players into real padel players.

If you’re building a padel club, coaching, investing, or you’re just obsessed with the sport’s growth in the US—this one’s for you.