Right handers, which side is tougher to play?

Yes it's difficult but for very different reasons. A good right sided player should be great in defense, very consistent without making many unforced errors and be good with ball placement. All those things are way easier said than done. The best right sided players I've played with or against all just keep getting the ball back, over and over and over. I play on the left and if my partner has these attributes my game becomes waaay easier because I get so many easy shots to finish the point and don't need to take unnecessary risks.

I think the idea that the left-side player should always cover the middle is a bit of a misconception because it’s not 100% of the time. For instance, if the ball is with the opponent playing cross-court from your right-side partner “ so the ball in-front of left partner”, the right-side player actually has to step in and cover that middle gap. However, when it comes to overheads, that’s where the left side truly owns the middle, they need to be aggressive, comfortable with high-risk shots, and have that 'finisher' mentality. On the flip side, playing the right is more about control and defense. In my opinion, a right-side player needs to be a 'lob and bandeja master' whose job is to push the opponents back and set up the point so their partner can find a ball to finish. Let’s say if you are patient, defensive-minded, and master with your placement and low unforced errors, the right side is your home. But if you get an itch every time you see a high ball and just want to smash it or end the point quickly and aggressively, then you are naturally a left-side player. Ultimately, after trying both, I think most people just naturally gravitate toward the side where they feel the most flow, and that’s exactly how it happened for me.

Both sides are completely different. I rarely encountered a player that is evenly good on the left and on the right side. I'm an advanced player with >1000 matches playing on the right side and maybe 50 on the left. All the trainings that I followed were 90% of the time focused on playing on the right side. Lately I do play from time to time on the left. My difficulties are: 1. return of serve with the glass (not the easy ones, but those low ones with the perfect speed and slice). 2. Defending tricky balls in the corner/fence 3. Position and dealing with the angles/larger court All of those things are easily trainable, but I just never did that, so I'm paying some learning money when playing on the left against high level opponents. Also a lot of situations that an experienced left sided player already went through are basically a bit new for me. I'm learning quickly, but that does come at a cost here and there. I have no problems with the volley, vibora/bandeja/lob/rulo/bajada/chiquita. But I'm just not aggressive enough. My smash is decent, but not an asset when playing high level opponents while on the left. Also the BH down the line is something I will need some baskets of balls. In a nutshell; 1. during a point changing from right to left because of the situation -> no problem. I know what to do 2. a full match on the left side against high level opponents -> very challenging for me. I only see it work when playing with a leftie that is aggressive. 3. A full match against intermediate or (lower) advanced players -> No problem, I will manage on the left. Imo. playing left side is more difficult, but don't underestimate right sided play. I've seen too many great left sided players struggle on the right side.

I play both side but it’s tough for me to say which is harder. I am usually more aggressive the other people I play with or against when I’m on the left and will put most high balls away from the left side and have much better net presence than many other people at my level because of playing so much pickleball but I also struggle with really hard fast balls off the glass trying to land my backhand lobs especially on serves As a right sided player if I get paired with someone aggressive with a strong net presence I end up winning more games because I can really setup good balls for them and have a pretty good forehand lob and a great really aggressive forehand bajada. I think no side is harder than the other it just emphasizes different skills/strokes so whatever your strength is could make it harder/easier

For me, the left side is easier, just because the angles come more naturally, even though I am not an aggressive player. For example, I like the vibora down the middle and the quick angle to my own side wall. From the back court, I like the topspin flick down the line and the inside out topspin chiquita to the wall/backhand of the left-side player. From the right side, I have a harder time with effective smashes or chiquitas. I also have the bad habit of hitting mid-speed topspin smashes and it's much less dangerous if it ends up scraping along the fence than floating into the middle of the court.

It's hard to be good.

I disagree with putting less experienced players on the right. It's a recipe for disaster if the opponent is good. Right side takes lots of attacks and they need to defend very patiently and consistently in the back. They need to have a solid backhand to defend "their middle" when left side is not able to reach it. They need to play with "padel IQ" which comes with experience. Some "less experienced" players play right and they are trying to kill every point, leaving left side players very exposed to easy attacks. Then no one is setting the points up and the game gets chaotic real quick. I play both sides depending on my partner's and my strengths and weaknesses in order to achieve the best combined strength for the team.

I play mostly on the left, and I find the left side is slightly tougher to defend, but the right is much tougher to attack from. Since I tend to play best in attack, the right side is tougher for me.

I'm a bit stuck here as my mobility, reflexes and court coverage is better than most of the players I play with, so I tend to cover a lot of the court. Net play is the strongest part of my game, my vibora is decent (and improving), I have a rulo of sorts, my x4 is strong and in general I like being aggressive. However, my lobs are below average, my backhand return (from the left) is inconsistent and I don't have a kick smash at all. When playing with a player with a good smash (kick and flat) I'll happily scoot over to the right and typically this is a good partnership. When playing with a left sided player that can't put away the chances they get, I'll move to the left and typically we tend to struggle more. I guess getting unstuck requires finding a more regular playing partner and figuring out what works for us. Edit: I love playing the vibora and rulo, but I find them way underplayed when playing on the right.

Right side looks easier on paper but the consistency it demands is brutal. You don't get the flashy finishing shots to bail you out, every mistake just hands the left side player an easy put-away.

Right side is easier from the back. You have more angles with the forehand. Defending the corner and serve return is also easier from the right. Overheads is more effective from the left but also usually more advanced. You need the kick smash and rulo to be really effective from the left. Shots that are maybe the most difficult to learn. On the right you are usually fine without a huge kick smash. In general, left side is more difficult to master I would say.

I typically play on the right, and honestly it suits me more. I’d say my strengths are defensive; I’m comfortable with the glass and playing lobs, chiquitas, even the occasional back wall recovery if needed. Where I struggle is on the offensive side. My volleys are decent, gancho is okay, and my bandeja is solid enough… but I don’t have a smash. No flat smash, no kick smash, nothing coming out by 3 or 4 (and that’s a big limitation on the left side). Because of that, I feel like I can’t really fulfil the main role of a left-side player, which is to finish points. So even though the right might cover less ground, I don’t necessarily think it’s “easier”, it just fits my skill set better. Maybe part of it is physical too, I’m not exactly tall and explosive, which probably doesn’t help when it comes to developing a strong smash.

Started playing with my husband who is left handed, so by default, I was pushed to play and train on the left side and I love every bit of it. Lately I tried playing on the right with other girls and it was quite tough for me. My brain still functions like I am playing on the left, so I would always try to cover the middle when I wasn't supposed to (well, not all the time). Playing on the right requires such precision and patience. And my husband would agree I don't have both.

I played league last night and played on the right and very quickly realised how easy it is to largely remove the right sided (right handed) player from the game. Very frustrating, but unless your partner actively manages to involve you through how they're playing, the opponents can freeze you out quite easily.

Play both but slightly prefer right. In my humble opinion Corner defending is harder on the left. But usually when you are on a lot of pressure I think the right side might be a little harder. But at the end of the day both sides qualities should make each others life easier.

I'm padel noob playing with a regular partner, what does it mean to play more on left or right side? Usually we just adapt who goes to the net depending on where the ball is

It depends on your dominant eye, which dictates your stance and hitting pattern. youtube how to determine your dominant eye in tennis and you will see how it impacts how you play on both sides.

For me left side is harder. Return of surve up against the glass on the back hand is harder but also often more pressure receiving on advantages, set/match points or 40-30 serves. Plus there is an expectation to finish points and take a few more risks.