Where to hit the padel return? - Padel Tactics!

Sports
Published on Apr 27, 2024
This is one of the most asked questions about the padel return.
"What should I be trying to do with the return?"

Much depends on the level of the player and their capability at dealing with the serve. But the principles are:
- If it is a good serve against the glass (and therefore a difficult return) you should keep the shot simple and aim to block the ball back to the server.
- If it is a good serve down the "T" then you often need to buy yourself time to get back into the point, so often the lob is the best option. Advanced players could also use the shot soft down to the feet of the server.
- If the serve is easier and more central, you can be a bit more aggressive with the return, either hitting down to the feet of the server or immediately going for the lob and trying to take the net position!

If you want to improve your defence and dealing with the glass, this course has helped many players: http://thepadelschool.com/courses/walls-course/

The point examples in this video show how a good return at a high level can mean you start the point in a neutral position. At an advanced level that could be all you can hope for with the return.

To play better matches you need to understand the tactical principles in padel, so in this course we breakdown all the tactics: https://thepadelschool.com/courses/tactics-course/

If you enjoy learning more about padel, The Padel School blog has plenty of articles discussing various parts of the game: https://thepadelschool.com/blog/

About the Coach
"The return in tennis was always the strongest part of my game and that has translated to padel nicely. Once I got the hang of the side glass, I have been able to get comfortable blocking the return back to the feet of the opponents."

Sandy focused his attention from tennis to padel in 2010, learning the game with several trips and courses in Spain. His education in Sports Biomechanics, combined with playing and coaching at an international level (both in tennis and now padel) puts him in a great position to share his insights in the sport, hopefully helping others learn in the process.