One of the things that I struggled with as a new padel player has been how to return the ball when it has been lobbed at me. When should I hit a power smash and when is it more appropriate to be more subtle and play a carefully placed defensive smash or Bandeja.
When should you smash in padel? Play the attacking smash only when you have a clear chance at winning the point. Play the defensive smash only when you are sure that you can gain or regain the net position as follow-through from the shot.
Speaking from experience, both of these shots are fairly tricky to play as a novice padel player. So knowing when to play each of them will go a long way to improving your success rate. Let’s take a look at that in more detail.
You Need A Special Defensive Smash To Get Control Of The Point
When I started playing padel I thought that a defensive smash was just my normal tennis-style smash that you played more softly. The problem was that my opponents would crush me when I played these softer smashes.
This has been something that took a while to wrap my mind around. Then I remembered something from childhood hitting hundreds of balls against a wall. The lightbulb moment was remembering how topspin made the ball pop up into the air after hitting the wall.
If you are wondering what this has to do with playing a smash in padel, allow me a moment to explain.
Coming from a tennis background, my instinct is to play a smash with topspin as a way to get the ball down onto the court. This is especially true when moving backwards or connecting the ball behind me. This type of smash resembles the technique used in the tennis service which is also played with topspin.
So if you do what I used to do and play a soft defensive smash with topspin, the ball will bounce slowly off the back wall, popping up into the air. That gives your opponents the time and opportunity to get nicely into position and play the ball back aggressively.
Instead of playing your defensive smash as a soft overhead smash creating topspin, try to connect your defensive smash lower with the ball at around forehead level. This allows you to play the shot flat as a really high volley.
As you get more confident with this special defensive smash, you will be able to start to even play the shot with some slice. This is the classic Bandeja, a staple of padel at tournament level.
Aim Your Defensive Smash Into The Corners
Now that you understand how to avoid topspin on your defensive smash, the next is where you should aim these slower paced shots.
Often you will be at the net and your opponent plays a higher or deeper lob that forces you back a couple of paces.
By aiming your softer, defensive smash down into one of the corners you make it more difficult for your opponent to play aggressively as well as giving you the time to come back up into a net position.
The main purposes of the defensive smash is to push your opponents out of position and to regain your attacking net position.
When playing the ball down into the corner you will be able to get the double glass involved which changes how the ball reacts depending on whether the side or back glass is connected first.
When you watch the professionals play on the World Padel Tour you will see that they not only alternate which corner they play the ball down into but they also will alternate between playing the ball so it connects against the back or side glass first.
By using the double glass in the corner it not only makes it more difficult for the defensive smash to be returned in an aggressive manner but it also gives that little bit of extra time for the player to get back up into their attacking net position.
Do Not Attempt A Defensive Smash From Too Far Behind You
If the ball goes over your head and you can’t get into position where you can contact the ball and come forward again or if you are reaching too far back behind you, there will be two main problems with attempting a defensive smash.
The first of these is that your body weight is shifting back, falling away from the net position. This makes it near impossible for you to change direction and come back to the net before your opponent plays the ball. You will get caught in that position that is neither forward nor back and the returning ball will likely be at your feet.
The second problem is that when you play a defensive smash too far behind you it becomes impossible to play the ball flat, let alone with any slice. The ball will come off your racket softly and with topspin. This will be the easiest ball for your opponents to play aggressively and thereby gain control of the point.
Therefore if the ball is too far behind you it will often be more prudent to allow the ball to bounce and play a more controlled shot as it comes back to you off the back glass.
Only Play A Defensive Smash When You Can Regain Your Net Position
There is only one key factor to have in mind when making the choice to play a defensive smash of to let the ball bounce and play a normal shot and that is whether you will be able to regain your net position immediately after playing the shot.
If your body position and balance is such that you can play the defensive smash and almost in the follow through take the two or three steps back to your net position then do so. If you can be back at your net position by the time your opponent gets racket to ball all the better.
If you realize that you can’t regain your net position because your momentum or movement is back, away from the net then it will be wiser to let the ball bounce. When the ball bounces and comes off the back glass it gives you the time to get back in position to be behind the ball when you play it. Being behind the ball is what gives you the extra control over your shots.
Play The Attacking Smash Out Of The Court Against Low Short Lobs
If your opponents play a really weak lob that is neither high nor very deep, you can move forward and use a power smash where the ball impacts the court hard just beyond the net then goes up and out of the court giving your opponents no chance at getting anywhere near the ball.
If you watch players in the World Padel Tour play this kind of smash, you will often see them move right up to the net and extend their racket and arm over the net to play the smash. The professionals usually also jump high into the air to really get up over the top of the ball.
If you do try to play this type of smash there is one rule that you need to keep in mind. If your racket or any part of your body touches the net, you lose the point.
There is a variation of the power smash that you often see played is when you can’t get fully over the ball to hit it straight down to bounce out of the court.
In this instance you aim your smash straight up the court to bounce between the service line and the back glass. If you hit the ball well, and with a lot of power it will bounce, hit the back glass, come back high, and land back on your side of the court out of the reach of your opponents.
If you miss-hit this type of smash then the ball comes down on your opponent’s side of the net. That is why you see professional players rush up to the net when they see their opponent preparing to play a smash.
Play The Attacking Smash That Climbs Over The Side Wall Against High Short Lobs
When your opponent attempts a high lob that comes down between the net and service line, you have the chance to play a very padel-specific type of smash.
Unlike the previous kind of attacking smash, you can’t get over the ball to hit in down just beyond the net. Because the ball is coming down from high up, any shot you play will automatically have topspin so use this to your advantage.
There are a couple of specific points on the court that you need to aim at.
Look at the back glass opposite you. you will want the ball to hit the join between the first and second glass panels out from the corner at an angle. In other words, if you are on the left of the court you aim right and vice versa.
Next, you want the ball to connect high up on that seam. To do this you will want the ball to bounce slightly beyond the line that marks the end of the service box.
When you get this combination right, the topspin will kick the ball up and over the side fence and out of your opponents’ reach.
When you get a chance, go to a court with a basket of balls. Then do a series of tennis serves from just inside the service box, aiming at the two marks that I have just explained to you. By the time you get to the end of your basket of balls, you should be consistently putting balls up and over the side fence.
These are the key types of smash and when to use them in padel. Feel free to share this post with friends that are over two meters tall who feel that they can play a power smash from anywhere on the court because it is not always the wisest decision and can end up losing more points than you win.