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First Tournament Recap: How do you play with low ceilings ? Cramps and what to do if opponents only playing on you

Hi Guys i played my first tournament today and sadly the ceiling was just about 5.5-6meteres high. Where i normally play the ceilings are super high and you can easily hit lobs. I had do adapt quick because every lob was going to the ceiling. My groundstrikes are not really good, because in the past i really relied on lobs. Opponents started noticing and then only played to me. Which costed us the game. How do you deal with 1) the low ceilings ? and 2) with the opponent only playing on you (i got angry and made even more mistakes lol) On the the end of our third and final game my legs started to cramp really hard (i drank a lot of electrolyte drinks, so i dont know why. i even got a bit of a weird gut) Do you got any tipps on that ? And in general: How do you approach Tournament mindset wise ? I really got frustated with the things mentioned above.

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Comments (9)

u/bigmonkeyballs1231w ago

You either pick a padel partner that's worse than you or you become better lol. Its normal to play all balls on the worst player. Especially competitively.

u/nsm11w ago

I've played at the absolute lowest ceiling which was the top of the cage (4meter) with triangle girders in the way. So i know the frustration Fast lobs are mostly the only option. Have to control your strokes to land it effectively. Being in low ceiling makes it harder to land bandeja/vibora due to the short prep time. You can try compression sleeves to minimize future cramps, but still requires regular hydration. Footwork also plays a role If all else, find another club (edit: seriously, go to another club, if it's the only one in your area then hope a new one pops up) EDIT: Here are the photos of the absolute lowest ceiling padel club in my area * [Photo 1](https://i.imgur.com/ypue3yQ.png) * [Photo 2](https://i.imgur.com/zU21pen.png)

u/laeski1w ago

Damn the design with ventilation duct overlapping with the court is crazy. Even if it's right on the edge it still blocks parallel lobs. Also I think Coello could almost reach it with his racket when jumping for a smash haha! I also dislike playing on low ceiling courts, however sometimes it can be really useful when practicing your defense (keeping balls low and fast lobs).

u/cmc_9201w ago

Play at better clubs with high ceilings. I avoid these low ceiling places specifically for this.

u/CJBizzle1w ago

Cramp is often to do with muscles not being used to the length of exertion, rather than lack of electrolytes. Given your gut problems, sounds like you drank too much. The solution to your cramp problem is conditioning your muscles against fatigue.

u/Beneficial-West29396d ago

Embrace the fact that they play more to you. You are out of the freezer! I know it feels bad that they target you but you have % on your side. You have 2 opponents targeting you, while you can relax and focus on hitting your shots. A tip of you want to get some breathing space, hit to the player in front of you. (he will statistically most likely play a cross)

u/GlumEfficiency76061w ago

Instant magnesium sticks help against cramps. When your partner is put in the fridge, it helps to play the ball straight to the opponent in front of you. They will most likely play a cross ball to your partner. This also helps when you are under serious pressure, just play straight so your partner becomes involved.

u/Mysterious-Donut-1191w ago

6m ceiling?? Most apartments are 2.4m-2.7m lol that’s incredibly low.

u/Nervous_Flamingo4915OP1w ago

yeah its shit