Most Used Stroke Techniques in Padel Tennis

1. Forehand

One of the most commonly used strokes in padel is the forehand. Most players who play a racket sport find this one of the easiest strokes. You have a lot of control and so little opportunity to hit wrong shots. In padel there are three different ways to hit the forehand.

• The flat forehand

With the flat forehand, it’s basically what you read. Your racket is flat and you give no effect to the ball. Turn-in and shift your weight from the back foot to the front foot when striking.

• The slice forehand

You hit this ball if you have the time and you want to land the ball low to the opponent. You start high at your shoulder with your racket, you hit down and ‘slice’ the ball. The point of contact is between the shoulders and hip. With this ball you briefly regain the peace in the game, at the same time you make it difficult for your opponent with a low ball.

• Open hand forehand

During a rally you sometimes have little time to return the ball. This technique is very nice to use here. You hit the ball with a straight racket. You start low and finish high with your racket. You stand with your feet shoulder-width apart while hitting this ball.

2. Backhand

The back hand is a technique in which the confidence of many paddlers decreases slightly. It is a little more difficult to hit well and there are many players who do not like this way of hitting. Just like with the forehand, you have three different ways of a backhand.

• The flat backhand

You use this way of hitting if, for example, you have to return a serve or a fast volley is coming your way. You keep your racket straight and your racket moves upwards while hitting. You step forward and turn with the ball.

• The backhand slice

You use this ball when you have a little longer time to hit back. You start with your racket at your shoulder, while hitting the ball you move downwards, which creates backspin. You get a low ball that if done right will go right over the net. The ball remains low even after landing.

• The open stance backhand

You stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. You start at your hips and hit the ball upwards with a flat racket. You use this technique when you have little time to hit back.

3. The Smash

If you want to perform a smash, the ball must fly high. This often happens when the opponent, for example, hits his lob too short. Smashing is a good way to make it very difficult for your opponent. You can also do this in different ways.

• A flat smash

You use this smash when your opponent is having a hard time. You should use this smash if you are sure that you will hit it well and are almost certain that you can score a point. You make small steps so that you get under the ball perfectly. When the ball is above you, point your hand where you don’t have a racket in to the ball. Then your racket comes up and you hit the ball as high as possible. If you do this you should try to give the ball as much speed as possible to possibly knock it out of the course.

• The topspin smash

This is a nice variant of a smash to use to surprise your opponents with a new type of ball. In this smash you aim at the fence diagonal from where you are standing to make it very difficult for your opponent. You try to hit the ball over the top of the ball and spin the ball forward. You hit the ball high again and hit it down over the ball.

4. The volley

What is very important if you are going to play or already play padel is that you have mastered this technique. This is one of the most used strokes when you have the net position. In padel, the net position is the position where the most points are scored. If you have the net position, this means that balls will come at you quickly and sometimes difficult to hit back. Once you have mastered the volley you will master one of the most important techniques of padel.

How do you perform the volley?

The volley is a stroke where the ball does not touch the ground. You are at the net position and immediately play the ball back. You hit the ball slightly in front of your body and step forward while hitting it. What is important is that you do not hit the ball but just block it. The speed that the ball has is used to bounce off your racket again. The keep your wrist and forearm stable so that the ball bounces, as it were, against your racket and returns to the opponent.

5. the service

Everyone knows the service of tennis. The hard ball at the start of the rally. In tennis this is a very important moment of your match. Well that is also the case with padel, only it is not as fast as with tennis. With padel, the service has to be underhand. You let the ball bounce and then hit the ball underhand to your opponent. A good service is important, after a good ball you can immediately start the attack. If this goes a little less, there is a good chance that the opponent does this. In tennis speed is very important, in padel placing and the spin is most important. I would recommend hitting the ball with a slice which makes it even harder for the opponents. When you serve, aim so that the ball bounces just in front of the glass.