Great video Sandy, I think in general people forget that a lot of points in padel are won by slowly building the point into a position where your pair can easily finish it. A lot of people are in a rush to finish the points and a lot of times make pretty bad unforced errors. If you have any more matches to show (yours or lower levels) that would be great. The match analyses are my favorites!
This is really, really useful and thought-provoking. Before moving to Spain and taking up padel, my main sport was badminton at a decent league level, and the backhand translates so well that I probably hit the smash on that side with more confidence than the forehand (too frequently over-hit into the base of the wall or the tape). I do, though, tend to direct it cross-court to the back corner, and you’ve explained why more come back than I would like! I’m playing a match in the morning, and look forward to trying a change of direction, given the opportunity. BTW a big thumbs up in general for your videos. I recommend them at every opportunity, not just to the occasional English player I meet here, but to the Spanish and Italians (I had not realised how big the game is there!) we usually come up against! They really do help enormously, thank you!
I would be interested to hear how you found the change of direction in your match, did it help? Thank you for recommending the videos! I feel very fortunate to have a supportive community here who are happy to suggest our content! It's huge in Italy (and obviously Spain)...just need to brush up my language skills ;)
The BH smash is indeed one of the most difficult shots for me. As soon as i started accepting that i wouldn't be able to hit a winner by hitting hard, i started improving. As you said "playing slowly to the gaps" is what works for me. I wonder if you could approach this shot as a backhand-bandeja? You could run back a bit further and play it as an aggressive backhand volley maybe? Wouldn't hurt to include a clip of a good example though.
That mindset is better for padel in general! Interesting point for the BH bandeja, but due to the restricted movement (as your take back takes your arm across your body), it is very difficult to be aggressive even moving back a bit! That is why WPT player hit high to the backhand so often...
While i play every time Im trying to use my backhand. It’s very good training. I feel better when it comes to backhand than my friends. Even tho my trainer says I have to only use forehand I think that’s wrong
The Padel School would love your take 😊 and to be specific, I believe these clips/plugs can be used with any racket. Here is Siouxs short 1min clip explaining them th-cam.com/video/1H9idmfn4mE/w-d-xo.html
Buena explicación. 💪🏼 Normalmente puedo seguirte bien en inglés, pero hoy me ha costado más. Puede que hablaras más rápido de lo habitual, o que yo esté más torpe 😉 En todo caso, gran vídeo 👍🏼
Great work explaining all the different factors at play here. I think I've watched it in its entirety, please forgive me if you've covered any of this, but ok so here are my 2 cents: 1. Many derecha players on the right would go for this shot (from the center) which almost always results in losing the point. This has become a plague, all the way from beginners to intermediate. 2. Problem with placement/direction of this shot (from the left) is that, if you go down the line, or the center, you will invariably meet your opponents' forehands (unless the derecha player is a leftie, in which case, it's much safer to send the ball down the line). Moreover, it will be a weak shot with no slice spin, which only makes things worse when faced with a counterattacking forehand. Last but not least, going down the line forces your partner to cover the newly formed gap in the center. So, what could be a solution to this very bad situation? Obviously, the first solution is to stop the opponents pulling off those great lobs! But, once you ARE lobbed and you cannot or don't want to let the ball pass you, this is what I've come up with: I shoot a "backhand bandeja" cross court to the side glass. I have found that giving the correct direction to the ball is quite easy, since the body is well positioned for the cross court angle, but speed is the real issue here. I´ve solved this inspired on how to get the ball out x3: grip it with a continental, and externally rotate the arm (not the wrist). Still requires a bit of practice, but I've found this "backhand bandeja" to be quite effective at defending the position at the net. Cheers, --mariano
Interesting - although hitting the "backhand bandeja" cross court to the side glass now gives your partner ALOT of court to cover (not just the middle), so you have to make sure you hit that side glass to give you both time to recover position...
@@ThePadelSchool ok it took me some time to find an example of this shot and I've finally found it, in the APT Master Final's final th-cam.com/video/pS8L4cvTrBQ/w-d-xo.html Miguel Oliveira executes it perfectly and it allows them to win the point actually, 'cos Tolito has to return the ball with a forced lob.
@@marianobarcia interesting…in my opinion that’s extremely lucky that the ball finished there behind Tolito when actually he could’ve even potentially stepped in for a forehand volley to block it down the middle and Miguel would’ve been in trouble. It was effective, I just wonder out of 10 times how many that would’ve resulted like this??
@@ThePadelSchool I’ve searched for the octavos/round of 16 at Buenos Aires, but WPT took it down. Belluati (lefty) throws a fast lob down the line to Javi Ruiz left shoulder, Javi responds with a high backhand volley down the line… Belluati quickly counterattacks with his backhand (!) and Javi loses the point… Don’t know man, lucky or not, I’d go with Oliveira’s choice…
As a long time tennis doubles player, I don’t find the backhand smash particularly difficult. The hardest shot in padel by a mile is the service return. (Admittedly I do tend to overhit the bh smash as mentioned in video...)
Interesting...so with your BH smash you already control it down to the corners (as opposed to try and finish it like tennis)? That's great if you do that :) Getting used to the side glass can be tricky too!
MMM18092 yes, a ball floating high to the backhand of the right player should be taken by the left player most of the time (providing they’re in the correct positions!)...
Topic idea: What can I do if my partner has a bad day and our opponents play most balls, 70-80%, on his side. What can I do as a partner and what can we do together?
Good suggestion, this goes along similar lines to the "Fridge Tactic" video, which is here if you haven't seen it: th-cam.com/video/HstjKJn07rk/w-d-xo.html
@@ThePadelSchool Overgrips make a great different in the use of the wrist. I played with 4 overgrips, and feel very good in the net and in the backcourt, but was impossible to me to make a smash (forehand or backhand). Then try to put only 1 overgrip, and suddenly, I learn how to smash (but lost stability in the net and in the backcourt). Anyway, I prefer to play with only 1 overgrip, because smash is very important in this sport. Look all the pro players in the tour. The most of them have down the grip size because of it (and in tennis too, because the fast game of these days).
hamaja18 that sounds like a technical issue or potentially how you are holding the grip. As opposed to the overgrips making the difference... I find 1 or 4 overgrips makes no difference to the actual wrist mechanics.
@@ThePadelSchool Believe me, it matters a lot. It is not a technical issue. It was change to 4 overgrips to 1 overgrip and suddenly lear how to smash. I'm a tennis player since 15 years ago, and I have work hard on technique, and it was a problem of the big amount of overgrips I put. You can try it. Try to smash with 4 or 5 overgrips, and then try to smash with 1. You will feel the difference.
How about being a bit more friendly with your suggestion, Paolo? Constructive criticism is OK, being rude is not. If you don't like his videos, maybe go watch something else instead?
Great video Sandy, I think in general people forget that a lot of points in padel are won by slowly building the point into a position where your pair can easily finish it.
A lot of people are in a rush to finish the points and a lot of times make pretty bad unforced errors.
If you have any more matches to show (yours or lower levels) that would be great.
The match analyses are my favorites!
This is really, really useful and thought-provoking. Before moving to Spain and taking up padel, my main sport was badminton at a decent league level, and the backhand translates so well that I probably hit the smash on that side with more confidence than the forehand (too frequently over-hit into the base of the wall or the tape). I do, though, tend to direct it cross-court to the back corner, and you’ve explained why more come back than I would like! I’m playing a match in the morning, and look forward to trying a change of direction, given the opportunity. BTW a big thumbs up in general for your videos. I recommend them at every opportunity, not just to the occasional English player I meet here, but to the Spanish and Italians (I had not realised how big the game is there!) we usually come up against! They really do help enormously, thank you!
I would be interested to hear how you found the change of direction in your match, did it help? Thank you for recommending the videos! I feel very fortunate to have a supportive community here who are happy to suggest our content! It's huge in Italy (and obviously Spain)...just need to brush up my language skills ;)
Great as always, you explain in an easy way. Keep it up Sandy. Vamos padel
Thanks Joacim!! Appreciate it! :)
This video....worth gold!
Thanks Stefan! I appreciate that!! :)
Thanks Sandy! Great work!
Thank you !!
Great Sandy!!! Thanks from BCN!!!!
Thank you!!
The BH smash is indeed one of the most difficult shots for me. As soon as i started accepting that i wouldn't be able to hit a winner by hitting hard, i started improving. As you said "playing slowly to the gaps" is what works for me. I wonder if you could approach this shot as a backhand-bandeja? You could run back a bit further and play it as an aggressive backhand volley maybe? Wouldn't hurt to include a clip of a good example though.
That mindset is better for padel in general! Interesting point for the BH bandeja, but due to the restricted movement (as your take back takes your arm across your body), it is very difficult to be aggressive even moving back a bit! That is why WPT player hit high to the backhand so often...
While i play every time Im trying to use my backhand. It’s very good training. I feel better when it comes to backhand than my friends. Even tho my trainer says I have to only use forehand I think that’s wrong
I want more video clips inserted of the shots you describe in your videos
Noted..I will try to add more!
Hi Sandy, great stuff again! 🙏 What are your thoughts on anti-vibration clips, like Sioux? A short video on the topic would be great 😊🙏
I don't actually have any Siux rackets and I couldn't tell you about whether those work or not...but that's a good reason to try and find out!
The Padel School would love your take 😊 and to be specific, I believe these clips/plugs can be used with any racket. Here is Siouxs short 1min clip explaining them th-cam.com/video/1H9idmfn4mE/w-d-xo.html
Iivari Lappalainen interesting. I’ll try to get hold of some, would be amazed if they work...but you never know until you’ve tried!
The Padel School fantastic! Looking forward to your take on them. And keep up the great work, love your videos 😊
Buena explicación. 💪🏼
Normalmente puedo seguirte bien en inglés, pero hoy me ha costado más. Puede que hablaras más rápido de lo habitual, o que yo esté más torpe 😉
En todo caso, gran vídeo 👍🏼
Gracias...Lo siento! ¡Necesito recordar hablar un poco más claro! ...tal vez estaba emocionado haha
@@ThePadelSchool al contrario, gracias a ti: aprendo pádel y mejoro mi "oído" en inglés...👍🏼😅
Miguel A.D. haha dos cosas buenas en un vídeo Haha 💪
Great work explaining all the different factors at play here. I think I've watched it in its entirety, please forgive me if you've covered any of this, but ok so here are my 2 cents:
1. Many derecha players on the right would go for this shot (from the center) which almost always results in losing the point. This has become a plague, all the way from beginners to intermediate.
2. Problem with placement/direction of this shot (from the left) is that, if you go down the line, or the center, you will invariably meet your opponents' forehands (unless the derecha player is a leftie, in which case, it's much safer to send the ball down the line). Moreover, it will be a weak shot with no slice spin, which only makes things worse when faced with a counterattacking forehand. Last but not least, going down the line forces your partner to cover the newly formed gap in the center. So, what could be a solution to this very bad situation? Obviously, the first solution is to stop the opponents pulling off those great lobs! But, once you ARE lobbed and you cannot or don't want to let the ball pass you, this is what I've come up with: I shoot a "backhand bandeja" cross court to the side glass. I have found that giving the correct direction to the ball is quite easy, since the body is well positioned for the cross court angle, but speed is the real issue here. I´ve solved this inspired on how to get the ball out x3: grip it with a continental, and externally rotate the arm (not the wrist). Still requires a bit of practice, but I've found this "backhand bandeja" to be quite effective at defending the position at the net. Cheers,
--mariano
Interesting - although hitting the "backhand bandeja" cross court to the side glass now gives your partner ALOT of court to cover (not just the middle), so you have to make sure you hit that side glass to give you both time to recover position...
@@ThePadelSchool ok it took me some time to find an example of this shot and I've finally found it, in the APT Master Final's final th-cam.com/video/pS8L4cvTrBQ/w-d-xo.html Miguel Oliveira executes it perfectly and it allows them to win the point actually, 'cos Tolito has to return the ball with a forced lob.
@@marianobarcia interesting…in my opinion that’s extremely lucky that the ball finished there behind Tolito when actually he could’ve even potentially stepped in for a forehand volley to block it down the middle and Miguel would’ve been in trouble. It was effective, I just wonder out of 10 times how many that would’ve resulted like this??
@@ThePadelSchool I’ve searched for the octavos/round of 16 at Buenos Aires, but WPT took it down. Belluati (lefty) throws a fast lob down the line to Javi Ruiz left shoulder, Javi responds with a high backhand volley down the line… Belluati quickly counterattacks with his backhand (!) and Javi loses the point… Don’t know man, lucky or not, I’d go with Oliveira’s choice…
@@ThePadelSchool here's me playing this shot this week ;-) th-cam.com/video/s_3yH8OtPwc/w-d-xo.html
As a long time tennis doubles player, I don’t find the backhand smash particularly difficult. The hardest shot in padel by a mile is the service return. (Admittedly I do tend to overhit the bh smash as mentioned in video...)
Interesting...so with your BH smash you already control it down to the corners (as opposed to try and finish it like tennis)? That's great if you do that :) Getting used to the side glass can be tricky too!
The Padel School I used to go for hard angled bh smashes (like in tennis), trying to play smarter now just like you advised in the video,
The Padel School If the player on the left is fast enough, I think that player should cover at least 55% of the court on high balls. Or even more?
MMM18092 yes, a ball floating high to the backhand of the right player should be taken by the left player most of the time (providing they’re in the correct positions!)...
Thanks for this video. One comment: it is all theory; it would be helpfull if you demonstrate what you have told.
Thanks Paul...noted! :)
Topic idea: What can I do if my partner has a bad day and our opponents play most balls, 70-80%, on his side. What can I do as a partner and what can we do together?
Good suggestion, this goes along similar lines to the "Fridge Tactic" video, which is here if you haven't seen it: th-cam.com/video/HstjKJn07rk/w-d-xo.html
Because you put so much overgrips in the racquet and you can't use your wrist properly.
Who does? Overgrips don't make a difference on using the wrist unless you are talking extreme amounts...
@@ThePadelSchool Overgrips make a great different in the use of the wrist.
I played with 4 overgrips, and feel very good in the net and in the backcourt, but was impossible to me to make a smash (forehand or backhand).
Then try to put only 1 overgrip, and suddenly, I learn how to smash (but lost stability in the net and in the backcourt).
Anyway, I prefer to play with only 1 overgrip, because smash is very important in this sport.
Look all the pro players in the tour. The most of them have down the grip size because of it (and in tennis too, because the fast game of these days).
hamaja18 that sounds like a technical issue or potentially how you are holding the grip. As opposed to the overgrips making the difference...
I find 1 or 4 overgrips makes no difference to the actual wrist mechanics.
@@ThePadelSchool Believe me, it matters a lot.
It is not a technical issue. It was change to 4 overgrips to 1 overgrip and suddenly lear how to smash.
I'm a tennis player since 15 years ago, and I have work hard on technique, and it was a problem of the big amount of overgrips I put.
You can try it. Try to smash with 4 or 5 overgrips, and then try to smash with 1.
You will feel the difference.
hamaja18 I have tried it. Are you sure it’s not the weight balance being shifted to the handle?
Talk less, do more
Paolo Menna fair enough. Felt this shot needed explaining.
@@ThePadelSchool certainly, but for people who are not English it is easier to understand by looking some clips and videos than listening
How about being a bit more friendly with your suggestion, Paolo? Constructive criticism is OK, being rude is not. If you don't like his videos, maybe go watch something else instead?