Padel Exercise Library
49 free padel drills organised by theme: tactical walkthroughs on positioning, net play, lobs and defense, showing you what to do and why it works on the court.
Be consistent
Don't take risks. Stick with moves you know will work, even if they're not the coolest. Avoid silly mistakes by giving yourself extra room to mess up.
Returning on the Move in Padel: Play It Parallel, Not CrosscourtWhen they push you to the fence and you are hitting on the run, the crosscourt is the risky ball. Go parallel: it is shorter, safer, and easier to cover afterwards.Take the Lob Out of the Air or Let It Bounce? Three RulesBoth opponents back means take it as a bandeja. Both at the net means let it bounce. And if the ball is already behind you, let it bounce every time.Every Point Is Worth the Same in Padel: Stop Paying Extra for ThemA spectacular winner scores exactly one point. So does their unforced error. If the reward is identical, the risk is the only thing you are choosing.Play More Neutral Balls in Padel: Make the Rally LongerNot every ball has to hurt them. Neutral balls keep the rally alive until an easy one appears, and then you lob it and take the net.Let the Wall Do the Work in Padel: Do Not Rush a Fast Deep BallA fast ball past your service line is going to reach the glass. Do not lob it early and send it out. Let it bounce, take the time the wall gives you, then lob.Stop Feeding Their Confidence in Padel: Miss on the Right SideA short lob and a high chiquita both hand your opponents a free hit. Aim long on the lob and low on the chiquita, so your misses cost you nothing but a point.
Respect the game phase
Attack when you see a clear chance and defend when you're under pressure.
How to Generate Easy Balls from Defense in PadelStop just surviving in padel defense. Aim high to the backhand, at the body, or lob. Force weak volleys and get easy balls you can attack.How to Defend the Crosscourt Ball Off the Back Wall in PadelWhere the ball meets the glass decides your footwork. Come closer for the middle glass, give yourself space next to it, and turn around in the corner.How to Answer a Lob in Padel: The 4 Zones and What to PlayYour answer to a lob depends on where you are when it goes up. Four zones, four different shots, from letting it bounce at the back to smashing it at the net.Do Not Go Forward Too Early in Padel: Respect the Defense AreaLeaving the defense area before you have earned it puts the ball at your feet and the glass out of reach. Hold your ground until the ball tells you to move.The Three Zones of a Padel Court and What to Do in EachDefense, transition, offense. Each zone has one job: be patient at the back, decide in the middle, apply pressure at the net. Know which zone you are standing in.Pulled Out Wide in Padel? Lob and Reset Instead of Forcing a PassStretched out wide, the passing shot is the shot they want you to hit. Play a high crosscourt lob, recover to the middle, and start the point again on level terms.
Effective positioning
Position yourself smartly around the ball, net, partner, and opponents. Good spots block their easy shots and force mistakes.
Why You Should Play More to the Middle in Padel: 4 ReasonsThe middle is the biggest gap in their defense, it causes confusion, the ball cannot go out off the side walls, and the net is lowest there. Four reasons to aim there.The Diagonal Gap in Padel: Why One Up and One Back Loses PointsWhen one partner is at the net and the other is at the back, you open a diagonal lane nobody can cover. Move as a pair: both up or both back, never split.Do Not Turn Your Back When Returning a Lob in PadelFacing the back wall and standing behind the ball leaves you with no control. Turn sideways to the side wall and stay beside the ball to play a proper lob back.Do Not Stand Too Close to the Fence in Padel: Stay Under 4 MetresHugging your side fence opens a gap in the middle nobody covers. Stay on the same line as the ball and keep under four metres between you and your partner.Do Not Defend From the Service Line in PadelThe service line is the worst place to defend from: they play at your feet and the glass is behind you. Drop back and you can take the ball before or after the wall.Where to Stand at the Net in Padel: Three Returns, Three PositionsYour net position should move with every return. Step to the central line on the crosscourt, pinch in on the middle ball, and slide to the line on the parallel.They Keep Returning to Your Partner? Change Where You ServeIf every return goes to your partner, your serve is choosing that. Serve to the side glass from one side and to the middle from the other to pull the return back to you.
Gain and keep the net
Whoever controls the net controls the point. Hold your spot up there and use shots that keep the pressure on so opponents can't push you back. If you lose the net, look for the right moment to take it back.
Who to Play to in Padel: Pick the Opponent Further From the NetWhen one opponent is at the net and the other is behind, play at the one further back. It buys you the time you need to take the net yourself.Volley Deep, Not Short: Where to Place Your Volley in PadelA short volley lands in the transition zone and invites them forward. A deep sliced volley near the back glass pins them at the back and keeps you the net.Net Positioning in Padel: You Can Only Cover Two of Three AreasAt the net you cannot cover everything. Protect the middle and the parallel, deliberately leave the crosscourt, and make their only opening the riskiest shot on the court.When to Rush the Net After a Lob in Padel (and When Not To)A lob is not automatically a ticket forward. Go when they turn their backs, hold when they are still facing you, and go to block when your lob is good but short.What to Play After a Good Volley in PadelA deep sliced volley forces a low reply. Step in and finish it: crosscourt to the fence off your backhand side, or a short drop shot off your forehand.Where to Run After Your Serve in Padel: Follow the Ball's PathDo not run straight up the middle after serving. Follow the line your serve travelled, and you arrive standing inside the returner's angles instead of beside them.The Net Cord in Padel: The Free Point Most Beginners WasteWhen the ball clips the net it drops short and slow on their side. Do not stand and watch. Move in immediately and the weak reply is a free winner.The Serve Is a One-Way Ticket to the Net in PadelServing and staying back wastes the one free approach padel gives you, and it strands your partner alone at the net. Serve, then go up together.Step In or Hold at the Net in Padel: How to Read the BallDo not step in because you feel aggressive. Step in when their ball is genuinely tough, hold when it is comfortable, because a comfortable opponent can still lob you.The Chiquita Is Not the Weapon in Padel: Moving With It IsGo while the chiquita is still in the air. Once it bounces you are too late, and you arrive in mid-court just in time to have the ball played at your feet.Poaching in Padel Is Not Stealing: Take It, but Play It CrosscourtPoach when you are genuinely closer to the ball. Just do not go parallel: your side is now open and your partner is too far away to cover it. Go crosscourt instead.Move Up Together in Padel: Why One Player Forward Loses the NetAfter a good lob, go forward as a pair. One player advancing alone leaves open space behind them, and the ball goes straight into it.Where to Stand After You Lob in Padel: Get Into the Net ZoneA good lob buys you the front of the court, but only if you actually occupy it. Move into the net zone rather than stopping in mid-court, where you can neither attack nor defend.
Communication
Keep messages short and clear, with words or signals. Good communication helps you both make better decisions during points and stay on the same page during breaks.
Who Calls In or Out in Padel? Let the Receiving Pair DecideThe call belongs to the pair receiving the ball, because they have the view. Never stop the point on your own guess. Play on, and only stop if you hear them call it.Switching Sides in Padel: Shout Switch When Your Poach FailsA failed poach leaves you both on the same side with half the court empty. One word fixes it: shout switch, and your partner takes the side you left.
Time management
Changing pace, playing faster or slower at the right time. In defense, it helps you recover your position. In attack, it can confuse your opponents and make them give you an easier ball. Good tactical players know when to speed up, slow down, or change rhythm, so they become harder to predict.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Figure out what you and your partner do best and use it as much as possible. At the same time, avoid hitting to the spots or shots where your opponents are most dangerous. Win with what works for you, not what works for them.
Make them hit uncomfortably
Make your opponents hit from bad or awkward positions. When they feel rushed, blocked, or uncomfortable, they are more likely to make mistakes or give you an easy ball. You can do this by playing fast at their body or making them hit from difficult spots.
How to Attack a Weak Backhand in Padel: Open It FirstHitting straight at their weak backhand rarely works, because they already cover it. Play the middle first, pull them across, then attack the side that opens.Where to Play the Bajada in Padel: Parallel, Crosscourt or at the Deep OneYour bajada target depends on their position. Easy ball with both back, go parallel. Difficult ball, go crosscourt for margin. One up and one back, hit at the deep one.How to Block a Bajada in Padel: Move Closer to the NetStanding three metres back makes their court huge and your block impossible. Step in to about two metres, shrink their angles and you will reach far more of them.How to Return a Big Smash in Padel: Run Forward, Not BackA hard smash off the back glass bounces away faster than you can retreat. Run forward along the side fence instead and meet the ball where it is still reachable.Do Not Set Your Partner Up to Lose the Point in PadelA soft ball from the back while your partner is at the net gets played straight at their feet. Hit fast at the body instead and the block comes back as an easy ball.Where to Play the Flat Smash in Padel: Parallel, Not CrosscourtThe flat smash wins on speed, and speed comes from distance. Play it parallel down the short side so the ball arrives before they can cover it.Make Them Move: Why Movement Beats Power in PadelCount the metres you make your opponents run, not the winners you attempt. A tired, moving opponent makes the mistake for you without you risking anything.How to Create Open Space in Padel: Lob, Middle Volley, Drop ShotYou cannot hit into space that is not there. Three shots that manufacture it: the lob opens the front, the middle volley opens the corners, the drop shot opens the back.
Anticipation
Guessing what your opponents will do next. You watch their patterns, read the game, and prepare early. This helps you move to the right place faster, make better decisions, and win more important points.
The Split Step in Padel: Why You Are Always Late to the BallStanding still while your opponent hits means you start late and answer on the move. Time a small split step to their contact and your legs are loaded to go anywhere.The Anti-Lob Cheat Code in Padel: Prepare Early, Let It BounceTurn and prepare the moment the lob goes up, move back ready rather than scrambling, and let it bounce. They stay pinned and you play their feet.At the Net in Padel, Prepare for the Worst Ball, Not the BestSet up expecting the fast uncomfortable ball. You will still have time to attack an easy one, but preparing to attack leaves no time to block the hard one.Anticipation in Padel: Position Yourself for the Ball They Always PlayIf they lob you back every time you lob them, stop standing tight to the net. Sit slightly deeper, take the lob as a bandeja and keep the net instead of losing it.
Hide your intentions
Make opponents unsure what you will do next.
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