Pronation – Padel

What is pronation?

Before explaining what pronation is, it is important to have the right grip. The right grip is called the continental grip. This grip is also known as the “chopping” grip or as shaking hands. You should also have a slight triggerfinger, which means that your index finger is a bit higher on your racket.

Pronation is a movement with your wrist. If you’re closing your palm to point downwards it’s called pronation and if you’re opening your palm it is called supination. The smash is a pronation because your palm is pointing down. The lob is a supination because your palm is pointing up.

When to use it?

The main shot to pronate is when you’re smashing. You shouldn’t change your grip but change your wrist action. The continental grip gives you control over the angle and you can generate more speed.

How to practice?

You can practice pronation on a padel court but also at home. If you can find a wall where you can trap the ball between the wall and your racket, you can practice the movement of pronation. You can also practice on the court by hitting smashes against the wall.

Biggest mistakes

One of the biggest mistakes is that people change their grip. When the ball is approaching them, they change their grips because they feel more confident with the flat smash. Sometimes they don’t even notice that they’re changing grips and you have to film it to prove it to them.

The other mistake is that they are not persevering with the change. They give up because they make too many errors and go back to the ‘save’ smash.