💡 Tactics and Technique 💡
Right player looking for advice
I've been playing padel for a few years and I'm trying to improve. I've played on both sides, but defending is my best attribute, returning balls that are hard to get to. I've been forcing myself to play more on the left side to improve my offensive game recently. From the left, I've been able to start putting more pressure on my opponent by reading their next ball and finish points, but from the right, I feel stucked.
Overall, I'm happy with my lobs (I usually try to hit them to the T) and I alternate between slow and fast lobs. Generally high lobs work well for me unless the opponents have a good bajada, but most of the time they're making mistakes trying to put pressure on difficult overheads, and many times it becomes more of a back-and-forth of lobbing until someone gets tired and makes a mistake or manages to finish the point.
I tend to receive a lot of lobs and I'm trying to alternate between lobs, a cross-court and parallel bajadas (not very powerful but functional), chiquitas (in general I'm happy with this shot) and bandejas. I end up aiming mainly to the middle with my bandejas but I am also trying to put them in the cross-court corner. My viboras are not existent. The issue with many of my balls is that they bounce high (above knee height) and give away an easy lob for my opponents.
How can I make my balls stay lower to avoid getting lobs? What do you usually do as a right side player when they play a lob ?
Any advice is welcomed! Thank you
Comments (17)
u/Some_Combination69142w ago
I'm 190cm right side player and i used to hit my bandeja/vibora too high (above my head) so even if my technique was correct, my ball bounced too much. Within a coaching session, the coach just revised my contact point (at shoulder level) and with the same technique my ball got more depth and the rebound was really low.
I suggest you to try it especially for the one to the corner.
For the middle, you can hit even lower.
If you aim for the 1st panel or fence, you have to take it on the right and above your head + soft touch with effect (vibora) or gancho.
Be sure to move fast to get in position, otherwise you will not have the time to prepare
And if the ball is high enough in reach in front of you with your feet well planted, just go for it parralel. Even if you don't finish the point, it show that you can do it and give some variation/uncertainties to your opponent
Last tip : relax your wrist and your hand, that's how you get speed/effect. The more tense i am, the less effective the overhead
3
u/pancoste2w ago
How are your volleys? Are you able to generate backspin on them when they can be attacked?
I've read your post carefully and noticed that even though your lobs and chiquitas are good, you don't mention going to applying pressure at the net, is that correct? A good right side player defends well, then takes over the net, AND uses proper volleys and overheads to set up a point for the left side player to attack whenever the opportunity arises. Viboras are in that sense pretty important to know.
3
u/Secure-Night-45861w ago
I feel my volleys are bad, I dont generate much backspin unless I really have a lot of time/it's floating. I try to play them in the space or towards lateral glass/fence, but that's it. Often the volley is not that good and would end up in an easy lob.
I forgot to mention but I do go to the net and try to be offensive, I usually get there in time, so winning the net is not the issue but keeping it. I think that my offensive game sucks. In the left I managed to play the flat smash and once in a blue moon from the right.
I manage to setup many points for the left side player, but I've noticed that against more advance players they manage to push us back way more often and most of the time I feel it's my fault because I'm not able to make proper pressure.
1
u/Stup2plending1w ago
You absolutely need a vibora, a good volley and the ability to play soft shots so when you are at the net the ball will die before it gets to the player's defensive position just behind the T. I play on the right and I happen to play against a lot of young guys who try to be smashers so I am always looking for ways to both add spin and take pace off the ball. Mix up your speeds more until your vibora improves.
2
u/pancoste1w ago
I see, then it makes sense from your OP (with a different account I assume).
You should look into how to generate backspin with your volleys. It comes down to early preparation, opening the racket a bit, with proper amount of power. It's difficult to explain it properly here, so I would check out some videos on the internet and then practice practice practice. Aside from the lob, a good volley is the bread and butter for right side players. Needless to say, you need backspin to make your balls less bouncy, but what you shouldn't do is add soo much backspin that it stops and bounces up. It needs both backspin AND decent speed.
If you don't add backspin in your volleys, then players at a higher level will have little trouble to return flat volleys, so this definitely checks out.
Same thing with bandejas, add a little backspin and they'll become a lot more difficult to read and return.
2
u/HairyCallahan2w ago
I get the impression there is too much lobbing going on in your games. Try to avoid lobbing as much as you can, unless you get fed easy balls. If you learn to play more difficult, deep balls, the opponent will not be able to lob you. They can try, but lobbing a difficult ball results in a lot of easy smashes for you.
2
u/Aizpunr2w ago
Two possible very normal problems:
1st your bandeja is too strong with an early bounce. Try a softer bandeja that bounces around their non dominant feet (ideal, but anywhere between your opponent and the service line is always good)
2nd. If your soft bandeja bounces there and still goes up, it’s a technical problem. Just have a friend film hou a bit to see it (that will immediately reveal a lot).
Search for your contact point being high your follow through being on your pocket or racket face facing down after shot. All three can make ball bounce extra.
2
u/Electronic-Pea74002w ago
Focus on making your volleys die at the glass. If your volley bounces high, they can lob you all day. Deep slice volleys with backspin keep the ball low and force them to hit up, which gives you easier balls to finish with.
2
u/bachaterol2w ago
If your balls are bouncing high, you need to improve your volleys.
Deep sliced volleys are important to have the ball die at the glass, so that the opponents cannot lob you easily. On the right side, your goal should be sending difficult volleys and overheads to the opponents so that they send weak returns for you or mostly for your partner on the left to punish and end the point.
Lob is an offensive shot and should only be used for taking the net. It won't win you points directly unless the opponent sucks at the back.
2
u/Adept_Deer_59762w ago
Do you play a lot of competitive Playtomic games? I’ve noticed that people play loads of lobs because they’re trying not to lose the point, rather than to win it. However, as you go up in levels, you’ll meet more people with solid overheads, who can kick out balls or punish with viboras.
Try to develop a gancho and a vibora. They’re both very effective from the right
1
u/Just_Housing80412w ago
If your ball bounces in the middle of the feet above knee, getting lobbed is a minor Problem.
Usually you get a good Chiquita and then your opponents volley from top to down and start working on your lifebar.
What i also not understand if you have a decent bandega, really turn your body to the glass, the vibora is not that far different. You should be able to play it.
On top, how is your kick smash and flat smash?
1
u/Secure-Night-45861w ago
Thanks for your answer. My flat smash is okay, I can get the ball back to the net, but I'm not able to play the kick smash.
1
u/Just_Housing80411w ago
You dont need to get it back to the net, you need it high Back over the net...
If you just get it to the net, you better not use it, as it will backfire
2