Many players say they are left-court players without knowing the characteristics of left-court play and what strengths you need. So I switched over to the left side of the court for a few weeks to get a better understanding of what it means to play on the left side of the padel court. This is what I learned.
In the game of padel, left-hand court players tend to be more aggressive in the shots that they play – including a wide variety of smashes. Players on the left also need to be faster and physically fitter than their partners as they need to cover a larger area of the court.
Let’s take a closer look at each of those characteristics to see if you indeed are a natural left-court player or not.
What Are The Patterns Of Play From The Back Of The Left Court In Padel
When it comes to playing from the back of the court in Padel, the general Patterns of play differ very little between the left and right-hand sides of the court. I’d say that the main difference between the two sides lies effectively in where on the court you will play your forehand or backhand.
When playing the return of service as a right-handed player and playing on the left-hand side of the court, a wide return of service from near the glass will always be on your backhand side.
The other difference is when the ball is coming down the center line of the court, left-court players will be able to play their shot on the forehand side where it is easier than if you’re playing on the right-hand side of the court. Right-court players have to play balls down the center with their backhand.
As regards the return of service from against the glass on the left-hand side of the court you obviously have the option of whether to play a single-handed backhand or a double-handed backhand. Sometimes I find that a double-handed backhand will be more effective especially when my opponents play a particularly strong service.
Are Left Court Players In Padel Responsible For Defending Against Smashes
If either you or your partner has played a lob that hasn’t gone high enough to be over the heads of your opponents, and your opponents are able to play a smash, almost always this smash will be traveling towards the left-hand side of the court. This is because most of the smashes will be originating from either in the center of the court or from the cross-court position on the far side of the net.
Therefore, if you are a left-court player smashes from your opponents will be coming in your direction – either straight towards you or they will rebound off the back glass towards your side of the Court.
As a left-court player, you must be prepared to run forward towards the net to be able to intercept the smash from your opponent as it rebounds off the back wall of the padel court.
How To Deal With Overhead Balls On The Left Side Of The Padel Court
As a left player nearly all of the lobs that your opponents play, whether cross-court or straighter down the center will be coming toward the open side of your body.
This means that you can be much more aggressive with the type of smash that you play as well as having a wider variety of different smashes you can possibly play.
For instance, you can use a vibora towards the cross-court corner of the court which will then have a side spin keeping the ball closer to the side glass on the rebound.
Another option will be a top spin kick-smash that you can either play down towards the fence or have it kick up off the back wall over the 3m side wall.
Additionally, you will have much more space in which to play a bandeja with more elbow extension creating a side spin on your ball similar to a vibora and being able to keep the ball much lower over the net.
You will hardly ever need to use the gancho smash, simply because you will only need it against a lob coming tight down the left-hand side of the court. This content was originally posted on worldpadelinsider.com. If it appears on padel-central.com, it is a violation of the copyright owned by Worldpadelinsider.com. Any other kind of lob won’t be far enough up over and behind your head to necessitate the gancho.
If you want to learn more about how to play the vibora then here is the article that I wrote on World Padel Insider that teaches you exactly how to play the vibora.
If you want to learn how to play the top spin kick smash then here is the article that I wrote on World Padel Insider that teaches you exactly how to play the top spin kick smash.
How To Master The Tactics Of Playing The Left Side Court In Padel
The first thing that you need to know about playing on the left-hand side of the court before you even get to the technicalities of tactics and strategy of being a left-court player, is that you need to be faster and physically fitter to play on the left-hand side of the court. This is simply because you need to cover much more of the court.
The reason that I’m saying this is because the center of the court is on your forehand side. It’ll be easier for you to play a stronger shot with your forehand and it will be for your partner to play a strong shot with their backhand. Therefore, it will be in your best interest to play much more of the balls that come down the center line as a forehand rather than leaving them for your partner to play a relatively weaker backhand.
If the ball is up in the air then it may sometimes be necessary for you to cross the center line into your partner’s side of the court in order to play your aggressive bandeja or vibora. So, because you’re covering a little way into your partner’s side of the court, plus all the balls coming down the center of the court and your entire side of the court, you obviously need to be able to move fast and keep moving fast throughout the game. This is why you need to be substantially physically fitter to be able to handle left-court play in padel.
Additionally, if you have crossed the center line into your partner’s side of the court to play your overhead smash, you need to be able to cross back to your side of the court quickly in order to be able to be ready for the next shot coming in your direction. After all, you don’t want to be leaving massive gaps on the left-hand side of the court for your opponents to be able to exploit.
Left-hand side court players have to do a large number of rapid sprints continually throughout the whole game, especially compared to what a right-hand side court player would need to do.
Who Are Good Left Court Padel Players To Emulate
When watching tournaments on the World Padel Tour, you’ll be able to see how much more aggressively the left-hand court players play throughout the match. Good examples of this on the men’s side will be Juan Tello, Agustin Tapia, Franco Stupaczuk, and last but by no means least Alejandro Galan. On the women’s side of the tour, two good examples of aggressive left-hand court play can be seen from the likes of Ariana Sanchez and Marta Marrero.
How To Choose If The Left Court In Padel Is Best For You
When it comes to making the correct decision about whether or not you are ideally a left-court player or right-court player, the process can be made somewhat easier but answering a couple of key questions about yourself.
The first question is: Do you have the kind of power needed to play aggressive viboras and smashes? The second question is: Are you fit enough to cover most of the court and be able to do so quickly while still being able to get back into position after each shot? The third question is: Do you have the speed to run to the net very quickly to be able to defend against smashes that come from your opponents?
If you review your own level of fitness and style of play, and your answers to these questions come out to be a resounding “no” then perhaps playing on the right-hand side of the court will be a better option for you.
Many beginner padel players make the mistake of assuming that they are left-court players without actually knowing what playing on the left-hand side of the court even entails. This content was originally posted on worldpadelinsider.com. If it appears on padel-central.com, it is a violation of the copyright owned by Worldpadelinsider.com. Now that you know exactly what is needed to be able to play on the left-hand side of the padel court, you will be in a far better position to make an informed decision.
However, if you are a beginner padel player then the best option for you will be to try both sides of the court so that you get a better understanding of how playing on the right-hand side of the court differs from playing on the left-hand side of the court, and that way you’ll become a more well-rounded padel player.
If you’re playing on the right-hand side of the court, during the course of a point it may become necessary for you and your partner to switch sides and if you’ve never played on the left you would have no idea whatsoever of what to do with the types of balls that come to you on the left-hand side of the court. It’s best to start by playing on both sides of the court as a way of gaining experience in the game of padel and enjoying yourself.