The biggest padel smash with Saska Huttunen

In this video we are with Saska Huttunen from the Finish padel team, who talks us through the best ways to improve your topspin smash. The topspin smash can be a risk, because if you do not hit it well enough, you can often give your opponents an easy ball to attack back! There are a few considerations when it comes to these smashes, including court positions of you and your opponents. Sandy and Saska explain everything to you about the topspin smash.

When to use

You need to use the topspin smash when you get given a high lob. When you get a high lob, you have the time to go under the ball and load the shot. When you are a recreational or beginning player, you use the topspin smash when you get an easy ball and you are close to the net

The position of your opponents is most of the time not important, because you want the ball to come back to your side of the court. Otherwise you can play the topspin smash when the opponents are at the back of the court, so they do not have enough time to run out the cage.

Technique

The technique for a good topspin smash is:

• ‘Brush’ the ball by throwing the racket upwards
• Make contact with the ball slightly behind your head
• Load the shot with your full body (use the legs!)
• Get into position as soon as possible

Where to aim

The aim of the topspin smash depends where you are hitting it from. When you are close to the net, you do not have to hit the ball so deep. You want the ball to go higher into the glass and then come back to your side.

If you hit it further back, like close to the line, you should aim more close to the glass. It really gets the spin, so it is going to bring the ball up. A World Padel Tour player that does this well is Lebrón.