Padel Tennis
One of the fastest growing games in the world
The biggest sport you've never heard of:
Locations
Preparation
- Choose the right padel racket
- Wear padel shoes
- Learn the right grip
- Learn the basic shots
Shot Selection
| Aggression | Shot | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Defend | The Lob | Important! Over 30% of shots should be lobs. Aim to prepare a counterattack by taking a net position. |
| Defend | Chiquita | Soft, make opponent in front of court hit the ball from below their knees |
| Neutral | The Serve | Not as important as in tennis, the aim to gain the advantage of net position |
| Neutral | The Forehand | Return the ball, not much power is needed, more of a placement shot |
| Neutral | Bandeja | Difficult to execute, use to stay at the net, aim to push opponents back |
| Neutral | Vibora | Pressure a point. Useful for players that do not have a powerful smash |
| Attack | Attacking Volley | Maintain net position, move an opponent around |
| Attack | The Smash | Finish the point |
The Serve
Serve from the centre as it means less distance to cover to get forward, additonally the ball won't ricochet out from the wall as much.
- Aim to keep a low bounce
- Allow time to get to the net
- Strike tbe ball with a flat swing
- Serve down the line
- OR close to the wall
Demos:
The Return
Stand 2 to 3 feet behind the service line
- Decide early
- Before glass - move diagonally forward
- After glass - move straight back
Block back to the server's feet unless you can lob
Lob from the T
High to the backend volley
Demos:
Forehand/Backhand
A good slice ball will stay low after hitting the glass wall. The best technique is to hit through the ball while chopping down.
Chopping down too much to create extra slice is not effective and more likely to end in a miss-hit.
Demos:
The Lob
Widely considered the most important shot, most beginners do not use the lob enough. Controling this shot provides a great advantage in the matches by providing the opportunity to counterattack by taking a net position.
Hit the lob as flat as possible, topspin will make the ball easier to return off the glass. Playing a slice is more likely to end with the ball flying long.
Do not rush, control is needed
Play the lob as flat as possible
Focus on height over depth, height gives you time and opponents struggle more with high balls.
Bajada
The ball is going back over your head.
- Get back as fast as possible
- Try to get behind the ball so you can come forward with your shot
- Keep your eyes on the ball
- Use rotation of your body to generate more power
Demos:
Bandeja
Done right, the Bandeja is very hard for the opponent to return well and puts you in a great position to win the point.
You must commit fully to the shot.
The shot is harder to learn, and requires training
Very commonly used by the pros; circa 30%.
Demos:
La Chiquita
A soft shot where the ball is played to below the knees of an opponent that is coming to the net.
Accuracy is most important. The intent is to take the net position while forcing your Opponent to spoon the return up and providing a soft opportunity to be more aggressive on the next shot.
Don't play this shot when your opponents are close to the net as it provides an easy attack option for them
Demos:
Vibora
The Vibora is usually played when your opponents play an easy lob and your still pretty close to the net. From this position you are able to be more aggressive with your smash than a Bandeja.
Attacking Volley
Try to move your opponents around to create instability in their game with the aim that they must make returns where the ball is as low as possible.
Must prepare feet and bat early. Don't hang out the washing, punch through the ball to get slice.
Shorter, Slower with Slice
Play side spin into the corners
Play cross court from the direction you are heading
Don't hit the ball straight back to your opponent
Trying to forcing winners
Demos:
The Smash
The most powerfull shot. Has to be executed correctly to finish the point otherwise you leave a clear opportunity for counter-attack.
Strategy
Not about the killer blow, but isolating an opponent and moviing them around to put them off balance and maintain front of court position to take a risk-free winner when available.
Hit to the feet. This limits options for the return.
- Control power
- Defend using the walls
- Attack using the cage
- Keep the ball in play
- Play as a team
- Play on both sides
Control power
It is tempting to smash any easy return but don't. The game of padel is based on patience and waiting for the right opportunity to decide the point. Also, the game becomes more fun with longer points.
Padel is not a power sport. Sure, some situations require a lot of power, but they are only a few. Using too much power leads to more mistakes. When you face good padel players, they will let your hard shots bounce off the glass for a simple counterattack.
Learn to play controlled and safe shots before you start practicing the smash.
Balls that Die on the Glass
When going back to a ball that is traveling slowly to the glass. Dont't wait, hit the ball as early as possible onto the glass for it to rebound over the net.
Don't wait for the slow ball
Defend using the walls
Mastering the back glass is the key to defending in padel. Once you understand your court position
It feels natural to hit the ball before reaching the glass wall. Practice letting balls that bounce far back in the padel court bounce on back glass before you hit them. It gives you more time to think, and also, the ball loses speed when it bounces off the glass.
Use the walls. They are your friends.
Defend the Smash
- Read the shot
- If hard run forward ASAP
- Don't run into the balls path
Standing still and attempting to block the shot
Defending against spin
How to play slices balls from deep in the court?
- Get back to the wall
- Not too close to the corner
- Padel back early
- Get low from the knees
- Decide late which shot
Demos:
Attack using the cage
Try to hit into the cage as there is a large chance that the ball will go straight down and be really hard to pick up. The cage is very unpredictable. This is a higher risk shot, but the more you practise the easier it gets.
Remember to mix up your attacking volleys by aiming some towards the cage. It will make your opponent move, and potentially frustrate them as well.
Keep the ball in play
One of the best tips to get better at padel is to play more consistently and stable. Regardless of level, unforced errors are a key statistic.
There are many reasons why it is important to keep the ball in play and avoid mistakes. By constantly returning the ball, the chance increases that your opponent makes a mistake. Longer balls also give you more chances to practice.
Finally, you also get a psychological advantage over the opponent when you consistently return all their shots. Choose the best padel balls for beginners to make it easier to keep the ball in play.
Play as a team
Padel is a social sport, which is one of the reasons why it is growing so fast. Padel always plays in doubles, and regardless of level, the interaction must work well.
Teamwork is not only important from a tactical point of view but also psychologically. If you like playing with your partner, you will perform better on the padel court.
Always communicate with your partner during matches, and don't forget to encourage even when he or she makes mistakes.
Play on both sides
There is a forehand player on the right side and a backhand player on the left side in padel. The forehand player normally has a more defensive role, while the backhand player expects to decide more points.
Experienced players who train and play actively often specialize in one of the sides. As a beginner, you should test on both sides to see what suits you best.
There are several benefits of being able to play on both sides. Besides a good understanding of what is required of your partner, it gives you more opportunities to find matches. Being flexible allows you to join matches, whether a forehand player or a backhand player is missing.
Play
Don't forget to drink water
Warm-up
Warm-up to avoid injury
- Mini Court: ground strokes from inside the second post
- Ground strokes inside the third post: swing is compact
- Use the glass: from behind the line with longer swing
- Volley and Defend with wall: start slow
- Bandeja and Defend with wall: start slow
- Smash: defending player tees up smashes for the attack
Mantra
Don't overthink it
Your best chance to play a good shot is to get into good position. Your best chance to get into position is to concentrate on predicting where you need to be
- Forget about your last shot
- Concentrate on a simple process
- Have fun, keep a blue head, and enjoy the game
PPPPPP
| Order | Notes |
|---|---|
| Plant | |
| Predict | Relies on focus |
| Position | |
| Prepare | |
| Point | Point at ball |
| Placement | Move people around |
Mantras are the way in which we can tell our story to ourselves; they are a tool for effective thinking, a mental roadmap in times of pressure - Wayne Smith
Plant
Plant feet early get bat position ready early
Predict
Do not stand on your heels and wait, be active even when you do not have the ball by keeping the weight on the front of the foot.
- Where do need to be to return the next shot?
- Read the opponents shot
- Big backswing or short?
- Ball at their feet or high?
- How does your opponent typically hit like to hit the ball?
Don't forget to use the glass
If the ball is fast and to the feet chances are good for an easy volley return.
Position
Having good footwork is essential.
Aim to move, stop and be standing still when hitting the ball.
Poor footwork means arriving too late, with a less effective shot as a result.
- Move early
- Try to keep side on
- Don't get caught in no-mans land
Prepare
- Bat back ready early
- Height mirrors ball impact height
Point
Point at the ball with your free hand, particularly overhead shots.
- Aim for where you intend to strike the ball
Placement
When you switch sides, you increase the chance of creating an easier return opponent to hit a winner.
- Prioritise position over power
- Move your opponent around
- Pick on one player
- Make it easier to predict the return
Tired players make mistakes
Conditioning
Common Injuries
Rules
Standard tennis scoring.
Americano
The basis of an Americano is that the teams are drawn for each match and the tournament is finished when everyone has played with everyone. Each match is played for a certain number of points, eg 32 points. Each team serves in that case 4 times, then the serve goes over to the opponent. Each ball won gives one point to the winning team. When you have played 32 balls, you fill in each team's result and this result is transferred to the individual player. Example: Team A with player 1 and player 2 meets team B with player 3 and player 4. If team A wins by 17-15, player 1 and player 2 get 17 points each and player 3 and player 4 get 15 points each.
Business
Court Construction
Court dimensions are 20m by 10m.