Basic Skills (Serve)

 Serve

We started with its basic rule:

·      The server will bounce the ball on the ground behind the baseline.

·      At the moment of impact you can not hit the ball above the waist or on the move.

·      You must serve behind the service line without touching the line or inside the box and the ball must bounce in the box bounded on the opposite side.

Preparation

·      We must place ourselves side ways respect to the service line.

·      We get the paddle ready back and up, placing the face of the paddle a little bit open to be able to put some slice on the ball.

·      Extend the hand that holds the ball at the shoulder height.

·      Later with the hand fully extended and holding the ball, we will drop the ball smoothly. The bounce of the ball will be slightly to the right and in front of the body.

Impact

·      After the bounce of the ball, we will hit it at the time when is in its higher point, without exceeding the waist. The moment of impact is in front of your body and in your right side.

·      You must hit the ball slicing the ball or hitting the ball high to low. With this effect we are trying to get a more difficult rebound for the opponent.

 Direction and Termination

·      With the same goal of trying to get a difficult returning of the ball, we will try to put the ball as close to the wall as possible.

·      The termination must be with the paddle pointing higher.

Tips

·      Its good to drive the ball down the line or to the body of the opponent at least occasionally that way you can surprise the opponent.

·      Its also important to emphasize with the slice instead of using power. Serve is a stroke where you need to be more accurate.

·      The most important thing when you serve is not to rush and be ready ahead of time.

 by JuanRa F Lastra 2013 (c) California Padel Association 

Basic Padel Skills (Grips)

Grips in Padel

In Padel, a grip is a way of holding the paddle in order to hit shots during a match. The three most commonly used conventional grips are: the Continental (or "Chopper"), the Eastern and the Western (more common in tennis). Most players change grips during a match depending on what shot they are hitting. In Padel the more common are the continental and the eastern grips.

Grip: Eastern Forehand

Players hold the padel racquets in front with their non-dominant hand. Place the palm of their dominant hand on the face of the padel and then slide down to the handle until “shaking hands” with the grip.

Checkpoints:

The knuckle of the index finger should be on the level of the grip that is parallel to the strings. The “V” formed by the thumb and forefinger is on top of the grip. A shift toward the right is acceptable.

Grip: Continental grip

The Continental grip, also called the Chopper grip or Hammer grip.  It is naturally obtained when holding the padel racquet as if it were an axe, hence the second name “Chopper grip”. The Continental is the one grip that you can use for every shot.

This results in a more explosive and versatile shot with the least amount of stress on the arm. It’s also the preferred grip on volleys since it provides a slightly open racquet face for underspin and control. Since you need quick hands at net, having the same grip for forehand and backhand volleys is also crucial. As mentioned, your grip affects the angle of the racquet face. The more closed the face, the higher and farther in front of your body your strike zone should be for proper contact. Since the racquet face is relatively square on a Continental grip, for ground strokes the strike zone is low and to the side of the body. That’s why it’s helpful for defensive shots, low balls, and wide balls that you’re late on.

Grip: Eastern Backhand

Approximately 1/8 to ¼ of a turn of the hand to the left from the forehand grip so that the writs is farther behind the grip at contact. “V” of thumb and forefinger should be on level behind the hitting side of the paddle (for a right handed player that means to the left of top level), “trigger finger up”.

Checkpoints:

The knuckle of the index finger should be on top of the paddle. For a two-handed grip, the dominant hand assumes a continental grip while the non-dominant hand is placed directly above the dominant hand in a forehand grip.

Teaching Tip: Place the paddle under your left arm (or right arm, if you’re a left handed player) with the grip facing forward. Reach over the paddle’s grip with your right hand and pull the paddle out from under your left arm like a warrior unsheathing a sword. The result is a backhand grip.

(c)Juanra F Lastra California Padel Association 2013