As a recreational padel player, something that I see a lot of is that my fellow players try and play a service with massive spin to try and trick their opponents. A far better option will be to have a service that is accurate and the ball stays low on a consistent basis.
How to improve your padel service? Use a higher than normal backswing so that you can generate some slice as you hit down and through the ball. Only use enough slice to keep the ball low. Focus on accuracy rather than trying to generate too much spin. Use the same technique for both first and second services.
Instead of looking at those trick shot services that we get right just ten percent of the time, let’s instead cover the key ingredients that you will need for a service that is consistently good.
Padel Rackets Produce Relatively Little Spin
As you know, padel is a sport that uses solid-face rackets and not stringed rackets. This means that a padel racket cannot produce anywhere near the amount of spin that a stringed racket can.
This means that if your only focus is on producing as much spin as possible, then you will compromise both speed and accuracy.
Only Use Enough Spin To Keep The Padel Ball Low
Now that you are aware that your padel racket produces relatively little spin and that there are risks associated with trying to force extra spin, the question arises of how much you should try to use.
The simple answer is to only use enough spin to keep the ball low after the bounce and when it rebounds off the side or back walls of the court.
By keeping the amount of spin to a minimum you can keep your focus on where you place the ball as well as increasing the pace of your service.
Generate Slice Spin On Your Service By Using A Higher Than Usual Backswing
What I have found is the easiest way for me to generate a slice spin on my padel service is extending my backswing to shoulder height or slightly higher.
That way I can still play a service that has pace, but with more or less enough spin.
As you know, when you play the service in padel your padel racket has to contact the ball at waist height or below.
So by starting with a high backswing your racket head will be moving downward as you play through the ball on your service. This will generate the slice spin without compromising speed or accuracy.
Don’t Try And Trick Your Opponent With Spin
This is something that I have been guilty of in the past. On every single service, I would try to put a lot of sidespin on the ball so that it would bounce in an unexpected way. The trouble was that it came at the expense of accuracy.
It took me ages to get even a little accurate with my side-spin service. By that time my opponents all knew how the ball would bounce, making my “new” trick service worthless.
If I had known then what I know now then I would have made a simple and accurate service with a little slice-spin my focus and become a better padel player by now.
A Simpler The Service Action In Padel Is More Consistent And Accurate
By using this simpler service action of your higher backswing to produce the slice you can start getting more consistently accurate.
Being consistently accurate with your service builds confidence in both your first and second service.
A Flat Padel Serve Will Pop Up Off The Glass
When I first started out playing padel I used to play my service flat, in other words without any spin.
It helped me to be more accurate with my service and get to thoroughly enjoy a game of padel on my very first day.
However, by playing a flat service it would “pop up off the side glass, making for an easy return. Likewise, when I played a flat service down the center the ball would carry to the back glass bouncing up gently for my opponent.
It was only when I started playing my service with slice-spin that I realized that the ball can drop so low off the glass, making life much more difficult for my opponent.
Improve The Slice On Your Padel Service Before Adding Speed
This is yet another aspect of the padel service where I failed miserably when I first started out.
Like so many other beginners I used to try and smash a winner with my first service. Nine times out of ten that would fail. Then, because of my lack of consistency, I would plop a second service over the net and get crushed in the point.
What I should have done is work on my slice service with accuracy and then allow the speed to come as I got more confident. That would have given me not only a good first service but a really solid second service as well.
Having Two Serves Allows You To Play A More Aggressive Service
As recreational padel players, having two serves allows us to be a lot more aggressive with our first service. However, we should avoid the habit of playing a wild first service that almost never goes in and a second service that is so weak that it just plops over the net completely flat.
If we build a solid service played with just enough slice to keep the ball low after the bounce then all we need to scrub some speed off our service for greater accuracy to have a more than adequate second service.
The Two Key Areas To Aim A Padel Service
The two best areas to aim your padel services are either down the centerline or wide so that the ball bounces near the glass panel of the sidewall.
These are the areas where you can pull your opponents most out of position. Be sure to communicate with your partner where you intend you play your service so that the two of you can better cover the areas at the net where the ball can be returned.
Add Speed To Your Service Once You Are More Confident With Your Accuracy
The more you play your slice service and gain more accuracy, your confidence will allow you to start gradually adding pace to the service.
As your confidence increases, so will the speed of both your first and second service.