The exciting thing about padel is that the higher your level the more strategic the game gets. At the professional level players can attack with impressive power and precision, but they can also defend with incredible speed so that the rallies often have 20+ shots. Like in many sports, points and matches are usually decided by the number of errors. This is even more apparent at the amateur level, where players fall into the trap of trying to finish the point too soon. The beauty of playing within the glass walls is that players are given more chances to retrieve the ball and finishing the point can be even more difficult.

Here are 3 reasons why consistency is so important:

Allows you the chance to get into an advantageous position without unnecessary risk

You know which parts of your game are your strengths, so if you can be patient during the point it gives you the opportunity to get into that position. Trying to finish the point too early often means you are not giving yourself the chance to use your strengths.

Gives your opponent the chance to miss

Quite often recreational players go for a shot that half the time is a winner and half the time goes out. If your focus is purely on finishing the point, you often do not even give your opponents the chance to make an error.

Mental advantage

There are few things as frustrating as playing opponents that rarely miss. If you make your opponents work hard for every single point it can give you a psychological advantageous during the match. Your opponents can feel the pressure of trying to finish the point, which can lead to uncharacteristic mistakes. This can be the difference between winning and losing a 3rd set tiebreak, when your opponents are tired and get desperate trying to force a winning shot.

There is a reason that Bela was world number 1 for so many years. It is not because he had the biggest smash or the most aggressive volleys, he was (and is) a master tactician, defends every single ball and crucially, HE DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES!