Many times when we miss a shot or play bad in a mtch, in general, we ask ourselves why. There are days when it simply feels like nothing works and no matter how much we try, it does not change things. Other times, and more often than none in amateur level padel, we make mistakes that we are not even aware of and that can be fixed if we only know that we we just did, it is indeed a mistake.
A few common mistakes we make in padel
Skip the warm up
To properly get into a match, you have to do dynamic stretching before (and after) the match and, once that is over, we have to do a good warm-up on the court. If we don’t do this well, we’ll go into the game cold and it’ll be hard for us to get into it.
Take your time, avoid injuries and prepare well for the game. All of this helps not only to avoid injuries and prepare our bodies in a physical way, but also to enter already focused and with more confidence to face the match.
Abusing the slice
The slice shot is normally used on the serve and when we are close to the net when volleying, for example. But there are many people who abuse this shot, especially at the back of the court. Sometimes it seems like the only shot a player is the slice and they use it all the time.
You have to learn to know when to use each shot and the slice from the back of the court is not the most ideal shot.
If we are at the net, for example, you can slice the backhand volley quite a bit, but try to hit the forehand flat. This already depends on the situation, the conditions of the court, the position of the rival or how comfortable you feel volleying.
Underestimate the opponent
You are rallying with your rival and they are unable to return a bowl to you properly, “easy match”, you relax… and screw up. The games must be played point by point and never give it up before time.
There are games where you see your rival and you think it’s very bad, but if you get carried away and fall into their game, it’s very possible that you end up losing. There are people who simply don’t know how to rally in parallel, others are a bunch of jerks, others will make your fridge and others will fry you with balloons. Try to impose your rhythm, stay focused and don’t think beyond the next point.
abuse the auction
Sometimes we forget that in paddle tennis there are more blows than the smash. We want to win the point quickly and the first time that comes we play it. In the long run playing like this we will fail more than points we will have won. The points must be worked on, only playing it when we have a free shot left.
It is very sweet every time they throw a balloon at us to burst the ball but we must be clear about the areas where one hit or another should be made. If the balloon falls short, yes, do a smash or use the viper, but the longer it is, use the tray or let it bounce off the wall and do a wall drop.
Poor body positioning when hitting the ball
This is very common among amateur players. We all know it, but when we are playing we forget and end up hitting the ball with our body facing straight ahead.
When hitting the ball we must position ourselves on the side to be able to direct the ball where we want and give speed and strength to the hit.
And I leave you a sixth as a bonus:
Do not carry a can of balls
The fact of being the only one who has a boat in the paletero touches my morale a lot. Getting to the track and there being three people and none of them carrying a sad boat… Gentlemen, you don’t play without balls!