What is the best way to move together in padel?
The movements you make as a pair are very important in padel. By reading this article, you’ve probably already seen the video of the padel basic positions, this article goes a little deeper into the movements you can make in relation to your partner’s movements.
Forward/ backwards
The goal within padel is to get close at the net as many times as possible. In this position you’ve a higher chance to make a point. In the back of the court you’re more likely to have a defending role. Whenever you play a return, you’re in the back of the court and you want to force your opponents back into their court. If you succeed, you want to get into net position together with your partner. If you don’t do this together, you’ll probably give away major spaces on the field and your opponents can benefit from this.
If you have taken the net position, you want to keep this as long as possible. If you’re opponents is playing a lob, but your partner is able to hit the ball back instead of getting fully lobbed, you just keep the net position instead of going to the back of the court. But whenever you’re getting a full lob and you have to get to the back of the court, you always go together with your partner. In the World Padel Tour you see some players standing in front or on the back of the court almost all the time, this has to do with personal preference. It is also important to understand that in padel you defend your own side almost all the time. If you’re on the left side, you play all the balls that come in that side of the field.
Communication between you and your partner is crucial in deciding which shot you’re going to play. If the ball is coming back from the back glass, you want to hear from partner where your opponents are positioned. If you don’t know where they are, you have to guess where they are and the chances are bigger that they get an easy ball to make a point.
Side movements
In the back of the field, when the ball is going into one of the corners and you hit the ball close to the glass, your partner should be proactive and come to the centre of the field. In the back of the field you’re more likely to get away with bad position if you’re able to react quick. However, if you’re at the net and you have to get a ball on the side of the field, your partner should always come to the centre of the field in order to close the gap. This is something you always want to do, you want to move as a team and not as two solo players. If you keep this in mind, you’ll win more points because you and your partner are able to fill the gaps on the field.
