Ace Your Game: 9 Tips for Winning More Padel Matches
Winning padel matches is as much about strategy as it is about physicality and technique. We’ve compiled a list of 9 top tips covering everything from the basic principles of padel all the way through to mental tricks used at the very top of elite sports. Whatever your level, if you’re struggling to win padel matches there will be something in here for you.
1. Flat Serves off the Wall
The serve is the first shot of any point so it’s definitely worth getting yours right!
The highest point you’re able to hit the ball after the bounce when serving is at hip height - and there’s an important reason for why you should be doing this. Taking the ball at the highest possible point means you can hit the ball flatter than if you were to hit it from lower down. If you utilise this technique, the ball will sit up less for your opponent, making it harder to return.
You should also be focusing on where you place the ball on the serve. By aiming to bounce the ball just before the glass on your opponents side, you will force them to play off the wall. Mastering strokes off the wall can take a while so by aiming for this spot you will automatically heap the pressure on your opponent and score some easy points.
2. Moving as a pair
Unlike tennis, it’s beneficial for you to move in waves with your partner. Together, you should be moving forwards and backwards thereby giving your opponents less gaps and angles to take advantage of.
3. Use The Lob
The aim of padel is to take the net. It’s at the net where you can play attacking shots and force errors from your opponents. The easiest way to take the net is by lobbing your opponent, giving your team time to move forwards. It’s for this reason that at the highest level of the game, the lob is by far the most utilised shot.
Spend some time practicing placing your lobs deep in the opponents half as a short lob is a recipe for disaster.
4. Picking a side
If you come from tennis, you’ll be used to swapping sides with your partner every point. This is not the done thing in padel. As you develop your arsenal of shots and play with partners more regularly, you will gain an awareness of which side you’re better suited to.
As a rule of thumb, the left is more suited to attacking players as they’ll have more opportunity to play aggressive smashes and viboras whilst the right favours steadier, more defensive players. Of course, this isn’t the case if you have a leftie in your pair!
5. In-Game Strategy
At the beginning of the match, It’s good to briefly discuss with your partner how you’d like to play. Maybe you choose to take the initiative and dominate the net from the get go. Maybe, if you’re not familiar with the opposite pair, you’d prefer to suss out your opponents before landing on a game plan.
Whatever the case, it’s important to keep up a running dialogue with your partner throughout the match so you can choose if and when to switch it up.
6. Target on of the opposition players (Put them in the fridge!)
If the stakes are higher, this is one of the more cold blooded strategies. If it becomes apparent that one of your opposition is weaker than the other, simply play all your shots to their side.
This strategy is understandable if you’re in a tournament. Needless to say, if you’re using this on club nights and in friendly games, don’t be surprised if your invitations start to go missing!
7. Use The Walls
This is one for the newcomers. As previously mentioned, playing off the walls usually takes much longer to master than regular groundstrokes. Even the most adept tennis players will be unfamiliar with the movements required for taking the ball off the walls.
If you’re fed an easy ball at the net, try hitting the ball harder and deeper to really apply the pressure. If you can get the ball to bounce off two walls, even better!
8. Stay calm under pressure
This is almost always easier said than done and many people suffer from playing unusually bad shots under pressure (don’t worry, it’s normal!).
If you suffer from performance anxiety come crunch time, try focusing on slowing down your breathing in between points. In the SAS soldiers calm their nerves by breathing in for four seconds, holding for four seconds, breathing out for four seconds and repeating.
Before kicking for goal, All Blacks rugby star Dan Carter would focus on his external environment such as the feeling of the ground, or the smell of the grass. This prevented the thinking mind from becoming a distraction.
9. Shake off mistakes
Stay focused on the next point. It’s easy to beat yourself up after a bad point and carry that negativity onto the next but this can lead to all sorts of problems. Do yourself a favour and forget about it!
With these 9 strategies in your playbook, you're well-equipped to win more matches and enjoy every moment on the padel court. Keep practising, stay positive, and most importantly, have fun! Remember, it's not just about winning—it's about the joy of playing the game. See you on the court!
