Foundations
Respect the game phase
Every ball in padel arrives in one of three states: you are attacking, you are defending, or you are in transition between them. Playing the wrong phase, attacking from the back or drifting passively at the net, is behind more lost points than any technical flaw. These drills cover reading which phase you are in, what each one asks of you, and the moments that let you move from one to the next.
#12Returning 2nd serve
#14Playing neutral ball
#15Easy ball
#18Overhead vs opponents at the net
#26Difficult ball for you
#34Opponents are at defense
#36Opponent’s at the net
#153Partner’s in defense
#1601st volley placement
#162Returning 2nd serve
#168Overhead vs opponents at the net
#176Hard ball in defense
#184Opponents at the back
#185Bajada’s spin
#186Short lob response
#222Partner’s at the net
#225Volley battle
#254Hard ball in the corner
#294Transition: difficult ball
#295Transition: difficult ball
Learn the tactics
Walkthroughs on respect the game phase, showing what to play and why it works.
- 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.