💡 Tactics and Technique 💡
padel kicksmash technique
Hey everyone, I’m currently trying to improve my kick smash and was experimenting at home because court time in Munich is pretty expensive and hard to book. I got bored training alone and started working on this exercise to practice the smash movement and spin indoors.
I know it’s not the same as being on court since I’m limited in movement (I’m on my knees and can’t use my legs), but I wanted to focus on the racket path and spin generation.
My goal is to develop a kick smash similar to Tapia’s, where the ball kicks strongly off the glass and exits the side of the court. I recorded this in slow motion to analyze my technique.
Do you think my mechanics are going in the right direction for a kick smash? What should I improve?
https://v.redd.it/0g51s6ngvphg1Comments (29)
u/Just_Robby925w ago
I can’t comment on your technique because every smash I go for goes directly into the glass 😂 but I will I say is that racket is such a sick colour!
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u/kenigmalive5w ago
For kick smash I would even argue that hitting into the glass is a much better progress than going into the net.
Looking at the pros, the only time they messed up a kick smash (like Tapia sometimes), it either flies out of the court or into the glass, but rarely into the net.
6
well that was me some months ago , always keep practicing , and yes it’s the racket from lebron
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u/Ok-Physics47255w ago
Pretty good idea to practice like this actually. I think after you perfect the “kick” on the ball then start to implement the bend of the legs with it, you’ll be able to generate a lot of power. I’d say also to check the path of the follow through at the end after hitting the ball.
Let me know if you want ever visit Berlin and want to play haha i’m always open to making new padel friends💪🏽
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Thank you. Somehow, I can’t figure out what’s missing from my Smash. I know it’s winter, but with the new fast balls, only about 5 out of 15-20 smashes are going out or coming back to my side. At the level I want to play, that’s simply not enough. The strong left players kick it out of the service line 60% of the time, and a good Vibora doesn’t win many points if the defense is good.
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u/st1dge5w ago
If it's close to 0C then that's absolutely normal. It's really difficult. Keep practicing and wait for a 20C day and try again. A proper kick smash requires like 30% of your power.
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u/GnarlyBear5w ago
That wiggle you do before the flexion to impact will cause injury and is wasted output. Watch your racket face before the motion to just before flexion into impact. They're the same.
Keep movement simple and purposeful for easier repetition and results.
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what movement do you mean
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u/GnarlyBear5w ago
You do like a 360/twist with your wrist. You just need to drop it back, flex the wrist forward into impact. Flexion of the wrist back - movement of the wrist back, closer to the top of forearm and flexion of the wrist forward - accelerating the racket through the ball by closing the angle and moving wrist to underside of forearm
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u/zemvpferreira5w ago
I applaud the inventiveness but I don't think there's much value in this sort of exercise: You can't accelerate, you have no feedback on the ball path...at most you could work on your contact point I guess. You might actually pattern the wrong mechanics and hinder your progress. If court time is limited two things I can suggest that will have a much bigger impact:
\-Get on a tennis court and practice a tennis kick serve. If you can get access to a cheap/free tennis court, this translates almost 1-to-1 to your smash.
\-Get a practice softball and do a baseball throwing program. You can improve your shoulder tendon strength massively, which is what actually makes Tapia's kick so much better than everyone's. It's all in the shoulder tendons and their capacity to accelerate the racket.
2
I get where you’re coming from. Even though I might not be able to go super fast, the ball seems to be heading in the right direction. My smashes are pretty accurate, and if you do the math, you can figure out the angle the ball’s going to take. I think this is still a great way to get a feel for the kick motion, especially since i can see if my wrist is loose, so I can just use the motion to brush the ball without trying to force it. About the throwing exercises, I agree that it’s amazing how much tapia can drop the racket and how his shoulder, arm, and wrist move when he charges at the ball.
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u/zemvpferreira5w ago
I'm sure you can brush the ball better than Rapunzel brushed her hair, I'm just skeptical it will translate at all on-court. I say this as someone who wasted a lot of hours on smash-related exercises that went nowhere. If you're not practicing at full speed, it's a beginner exercise, and you're no beginner. You need intensity to see improvements in your structure and coordination.
Cheeky edit: In another comment you mentioned you lack explosiveness, which really adds to the point I'm trying to make. You need to find ways to practice at 100% intensity or above, not gentle pattings of the ball. Something like this if you can't get on court: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w3xwYIx17s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w3xwYIx17s)
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u/Active_Feedback7055w ago
The racket drop seems forced rather than coming from the acceleration of the elbow
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u/Pretty-General67535w ago
As from amateurs perspective who cant properly kicksmash: Is the timing correct?
When you look at the smash, the racket movement seems to be mostly from side to side at the point of contact. It seems like the ball will have a lot of sidespin, but almost no topspin with that contact. Its hard to judge without seeing the outcome but could this be one issue?
1
u/AlterEgo_805w ago
What a stupid idea to train like this at home... now i want to do it too, damn you!
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u/HairyCallahan5w ago
You are still in backwards momentum while hitting. You can't generate much power like this
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u/ComprehensivePen59865w ago
There is no racket drop, don’t know if this is a problem you always have or it is because of your setup
0
https://preview.redd.it/uwfoyymi1qhg1.jpeg?width=1206&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c1156c22cd6fd26879fe586aebdb3b85574948f
this is a foto of my racket drop from a real match
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it’s kinda the problem of the setup because i’m missing time and can’t take a big swing to prepare , but my racket drop isn’t that great even when i have time
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