How to Attack a Weak Backhand in Padel: Open It First

Two games in and you have already worked it out. One of them cannot hit a backhand. It floats, it sits up, it goes short. So you start aiming at it.

And for a while it works. Then it stops working. They start reaching those balls, and the free points dry up. The problem is not your read. The problem is your timing.

Padel court diagram showing two defenders facing opponents at the back, with one opponent's backhand side identified as the weak side — You spotted the weak backhand. Now the question is when to use it.

The mistake: going there straight away

Most players attack a weak backhand the moment they find it. Same target, over and over, from every position on the court.

It is the most predictable thing you can do. And predictable is exactly what a weaker player needs in order to cope.

Padel court diagram showing a ball played directly at the opponent's weak backhand side — Straight at the backhand, every time. They will be waiting for it.

Why it stops working: they cover it

Nobody knows about a weak backhand more than the person who owns it. They have been hiding it for years.

So they cheat across. They stand a step to that side, they turn early, they run around it when they can. You are hitting into the part of the court they are most ready for. Your best target has quietly become their best-covered one.

Padel court diagram showing the opponent shifted across to cover the weak backhand side — They are already leaning that way. The gift is not a gift any more.

The fix: play the middle first

Do not open with the backhand. Open with the middle.

A ball down the middle takes their angles away, so nothing dangerous comes back. More importantly it drags the weak player toward the centre of the court. They have to come and take it, or leave it to a partner who is not set up for it either.

Padel court diagram showing the ball played down the middle instead of at the backhand — Middle ball. Safe for you, awkward for them, and it moves them.

Now the weak side is open

The moment they step across to cover the middle, the side they were protecting is empty. The court you actually wanted is now available.

You did not have to hit harder or find a finer line. You just asked them to move first.

Padel court diagram showing the opponent pulled to the middle leaving the weak backhand side open — They came to the middle. The weak side is now wide open.

And they answer on the move

There is a second gain here. A player taking a ball while still moving cannot set their feet, cannot turn properly, and cannot control depth.

So the middle ball does two jobs at once. It opens the space, and it makes their reply worse. That weak reply is the ball you attack.

Padel court diagram showing the opponent forced to return a ball while moving across the court — Hitting on the move. Nothing good comes back from here.

Open first, then attack

Think of it as two balls, not one. The first ball moves them. The second ball punishes them.

The weak backhand is still your target. You just stopped announcing it. Open their weak side first, then attack it.

Padel court diagram showing the attack into the now open weak backhand side — Two balls. Move them, then hit the space they left.

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