Training tips to improve your padel skills
From padel novice to a padel pro, here are four ways that you can improve your padel skills and take your game to the next level.
Find a padel coach
The best place to start if you want to improve your overall padel game is to find and book a session with a coach at your nearest venue.
LTA qualified padel coaches can give you expert advice and training to help you develop your technique and understanding of how to play the game.
If you’re interested in getting involved we’d recommend speaking to your local padel venue about the different coaching options available.
Group coaching sessions are great for meeting and playing with new people, while an individual session will give you more one-to-one tutoring with the coach.
Padel drills you can practice with a partner
There are also plenty of different ways you can practice your padel skills on a court with a partner. Here’s three drills that you can try:
- Ladder rallies – with your partner, take half the court and start rallying. With each rally you have a target number of shots – start at two, then three, then four, etc. Any time you make a mistake or miss a shot, you go back down to the start. If you that’s too easy you can try it in different positions – for example, one player at the net and the other at the back of the court.
- Back glass – for this drill, you’ll both need to be on the same side of the court, one as a feeder and the other as a player. The feeder throws the ball a ball at the floor just in front of the back wall. Their partner waits for the ball to rebound and then softly hits it back to the feeder’s hands. To increase the difficulty, try it in the corner so it bounces off two walls.
- Yellow card / Red card – either in singles half court or as doubles on a full court, play normal padel match (games and sets). However, if either you or your partner make a mistake, you get a yellow card and if you make another in the same game, you get a red card and automatically lose the game. Padel is a game of consistency and this helps you build that.
For more training drills and exercises, try a coaching session or speak to a coach at your local padel venue.
Play in a padel competition
As with any sport or skill, playing and practicing more is only going to help you improve – and where better to hone your skills than at padel competitions.
Competing against other players will allow you to practice in-match scenarios and give you an opportunity to play more with a partner, or meet new people to hit with in the future.
Across Great Britain we have different padel competitions for all ages and abilities, so anyone can get involved. Most padel venues will also have their own competitions or ladders that you can compete in and get more match practice.