Padel match tactics for beginners

So you've heard the hype, watched some YouTube videos, grasped the rules and had your first few hits. Like more than a million other people in Britain, you've been bitten by the padel bug and are looking to start competing in matches.

Whether you've transferred from tennis or squash, a different sport, or no sport at all, padel's four glass walls, smaller court, carbon fibre rackets and doubles format all create unique playing conditions which take some adjusting to.

Techniques, strategies and norms learned in other sports don't necessarily translate to the padel court, so we've compiled this beginners' guide to the essential padel match tactics to set you off on the right foot.

Hit the ball over the net

Starting off with the basics - you've got to hit the ball over the net. It sounds obvious, but this is the most important piece of advice every padel beginner must keep in mind when they first start out playing matches.

At all levels of padel, especially novices, most rallies are won and lost by mistakes, not by hitting flashy winners.

You win 0% of points in which you hit the ball in the net or whack it into the glass. So just by hitting the ball over the net and landing it in, you improve those odds radically. Do that consistently and you'll win padel matches.

Hit the ball down the middle

When it comes to padel, hitting the ball down the middle often brings the most rewards.

Playing down the middle is really safe and can confuse your opponents, because they both go for the ball. By hitting down the middle, it forces your opponents to return it down the middle too, so you're controlling where they hit it back to and you can position yourselves accordingly.

Take control of the net

If you're at the net, you're like a football goalkeeper coming off his line - you intimidate the opposition and look really big.

Being at the net also gives you a broader range of options for where to put the ball, because you can see all of the court. You can choose a drop shot, down the middle, hitting it at the body or go for the corners. At the back of the court, you're in a defensive position and your options are more limited.

Good padel players are always looking for opportunities to get to the net. That's why the lob is such a common shot in competitive padel, because it gives both players time to get into an attacking forward position.

Obviously, being at the net means volleying. Effective volleying is a skill learned through practice. For tennis and badminton players, it's second nature. For others, it's worth learning as it will win you more rallies and matches.

Learn to hit off the glass

This is the biggest learning curve when taking up padel - getting comfortable with allowing the ball to go past you and hit the glass, then hitting it back over the net.

In many other sports (tennis, badminton, cricket) hitting the ball is a matter of re-directing: it comes towards you, you hit it away. But when a padel ball has bounced off the glass you're hitting it in the direction it's already travelling.

It's a question of the brain working out the path of the ball. The key principle is to stand facing the side wall, get your racket up, point your shoulder, wait for the ball to be in front of your leading foot and help it on its way.

Hitting off the glass is a journey. You won't succeed every time, but your brain will improve at executing these shots. Sessions with a coach will help enormously.

Communicate with your partner

Get into the habit of talking to your partner, probably more often than you need to!

Communicate in the middle of the point by calling either ‘yours’ or ‘mine.’ The next level will be starting to communicate information – telling your partner where the opposition are positioned before they play their shot, telling them where you're about to hit your shot, and so on.

Get into the habit of building your partner's confidence and making them feel good about themselves and their skills, rather than critiquing them for errors. Building a positive relationship is vital. Teamwork and tactics win matches.