Biggest tips that helped your overheads?

Start throwing baseballs in your free time. Eventually going as far as you can. Dynamics of throwing a ball are very similar to your overhead motion. Focus on creating force from your back leg and lagging a bit behind with your arm before you throw (hip opens first and then your arm reacts like a sling shot).

For me the things to keep in mind for bandeja/vibora are: - side distance to the ball, dont be too close - hit at head height, not higher - take enough steps back to get behind the ball Often I forget to do 1-3 of them :)

My overheads improved massively when I stopped obsessing over technique and shot selection and whether I was hitting a vibora or bandeja or something else. I now play more instinctively and just focus on what I want the ball to do and the results are much better. I see a lot of players who suffer from over analysing everything. You can't hit good shots whilst scrutinising every little bit of your technique

Relax your arm and do a fast swing rather than tense up and go for a smash

Don't force all overheads to be an aggressive shot. Wait for a better setup to hit that vibora or smash.

Lots of good advice here already One that I often forget but immediately see an improvement when I do, is bending your legs. I think this can be applied to almost all shots in padel. Having a good strong base, stop moving before you hit and have some bend in your knees. Standing too straight makes you rigid and more stiff.

Practice :) For smashes, being loose until the last moment and shortly before impact with the ball build tension. The movement is more natural, makes the ball jump higher and is better for your arm. For other overheads, bandeja, vibora, bajada, I suggest getting a coach, who can show you the proper technic. From youtube videos it is very hard to see and feel exactly what the right technic is. And above all practice and experience :)I hope thid makes sense :)

Lots of nice tips but there’s one universal that helps every single overhead and I haven’t seen here: stand further back. If you aren’t being pressured by balls to your feet, being at the second post or further back will do wonders for your effectiveness overhead.

Loose arm, focus on really following through the ball and not on hitting hard.

There’s two video that I feel do great job for me but as beginner. I would think the fundamentals are the same regardless though: - Hello Padel / 4 Set [https://youtu.be/JkrQRgjWi3w?si=3RMO7r4l0w-AbHY2](https://youtu.be/JkrQRgjWi3w?si=3RMO7r4l0w-AbHY2) [Padelactico - how to hit perfect bandeja](https://youtu.be/oz9nfN0vlY4?si=lAyNPD1JcrEpdw9v)

Timing beats power. Go for a clean strike over trying to absolutely blam it.

Move your feet. If you're not under the ball for smashes or hitting the ball in front of you for (most) bandejas and viboras, it does not matter how good your technique is.

Don’t think just swing

How about changing the grip, depending on the overhead shot? This is also something I notice that is overlooked

First... Ctfd ( if you have kids, you will know what this means). Once calm, I have focussed on a loose wrist, and using less arm (I am a tennis player). Focussing more on a loose wrist has dramatically altered.my padel smash, and I can now confidentially pop out, and even hit from relatively deep positions. Only trouble is, forgetting the tensing up feeling is quite a challenge.....

Question : with the top spin kick smash does the ball always move down from point of impact or does it go straight / up for a short time before dipping. Watching this clip and others it seems it loops up a tiny bit before the dip so they are hitting up on it? https://youtube.com/shorts/O8wXl1JuOvc?si=h2YwfT3J7CSI-IeM

Changing to an eastern backhand grip worked well for me!

Thanks so much for all the tips so far everyone. It’s mentioned but the loose arm isn’t something I’ve really seen as one of the main things when watching videos. Will definitely focus on this. Will be getting some lessons soon too

Side position Elbow up Rotate body let arm follow Focus on contact point, not power