Volley tips and techniques to dominate the net

Most points in padel are won at the net, so being comfortable playing volleys will set you up for success. 

The padel court is a small space, especially when you’re alongside a doubles partner, and getting into the net reduces your opponents’ space to hit into and time to react to shots – which means more points for you. 

It’s no secret then that volleys are a big part of any padel player’s game – that’s why LTA expert coaches have created this essential guide to improving your padel volleys. 

Get your padel racket in the ready position 

Here's your guide to the racket ready position for padel volleys:

• You want the racket ready at the height where you’re going to make contact with the ball
• This should be higher than net height, so you don’t have to pick the racket up every time you play a shot
• This means that you can react quicker your opponents' shots and the racket has less distance to travel  

What are the different types of padel volleys?

Padel volleys are all about short sharp reactions and therefore you’re looking to push the ball with a much shorter racket path rather than taking a full swing. 

You want to step in to the shot with your opposite foot and make contact with the ball out in front of your body. 

Different types of padel volleys can be associated with the feeling you get when you hit the ball. Here is a guide to the three types of padel volley and when to use them: 

1. Block: these are often more defensive padel shots, aimed at blocking the ball back to your opponents. You might use this when you are returning a fast shot
   
   
2. Push: the aim is to push the ball back deep onto your opponents’ side of the court to put them under pressure and give you more time. You would use this padel shot during rallies when you have a slightly easier ball to return 
   
   
3. Fizz: these are more attacking padel shots. The ‘fizz’ feeling comes from spin, like slice. You would use this when you receive a slower shot 

Using slice on your padel volleys 

As you start to improve padel volleys, you may want to think about introducing more spin onto your shots – particularly slice – which puts back spin on the ball. 

Slice is effective in padel because it reduces the height of the bounce, which limits your opponents in what shots they can play and makes it more difficult to return off the wall. 

When hitting a slice volley, you’re trying to cut underneath the ball to try and generate the spin. This is what gives these volleys that ‘fizz’ feeling.