When we first start playing padel we are always told to play both sides of the court so that we can become a well-rounded padel players. As time goes by the question arises whether we are naturally right-court players or not. So I set about learning the factors that will determine who is naturally gifted at playing from the right-hand side of the court.
It is bio-mechanically difficult for right-handed padel players to play aggressive smashes from the right of the court. Therefore the player on the right is the strategist of the team. If your style of play uses a lot of set-up volleys and Bandejas instead of smashes, you should play on the right.
Let’s learn more about whether the way you currently play is best suited to the right-hand court or not.
Where Should Left Handed Padel Players Be?
Left-handed players should always play on the right-hand side of the court, although you should still play a bit on the left in case you need to switch sides during a point.
When a left-hand player plays on the right side of the court their attacking shots and smashes down the center will be on their forehand side. This is the same as how right-handed players can play in a more attacking way from the left side of the court.
I know that many novice players struggle with this concept because they will have a backhand return of service when the ball is near the glass. That is because the backhand return of service against the glass is a tricky shot to master for a beginner.
Luckily for you, I have a whole article here on World Padel Insider about how to play the return of service from tight against the glass.
Differences Between Left And Right Sides When Playing At The Back Of The Court
When it comes to the back of the court there is really very little difference between playing on the left vs playing on the right.
The only notable difference from my perspective is that on the right side of the court right-handed players have a forehand return of service when the ball is near the glass. This usually feels easier for beginners. It certainly did for me.
What Makes The Volley On The Right Side Of A Padel Court Different
To be able to fully understand the differences in playing volleys from the two sides we need to first discuss the difference between an open body position and a closed body position when playing padel.
I’ll speak from the perspective of a right-handed player. If you are left-handed the reverse will hold true.
When playing a shot in padel your stance should ideally be standing more or less side-on when hitting the ball. In other words, your one shoulder points to the back of the court while your other shoulder points across the net. In the case of playing a forehand, it will be your right shoulder pointing toward the back of the court and your left shoulder pointing over the net.
When you hit your forehand and the ball travels to the right of where your left shoulder is pointing it is referred to as an open stance. While if the ball travels to the left it is a closed stance. In a closed stance, your right arm and racket will tend to wrap around your torso on the follow-through which limits the amount of power you can produce in your shots.
When it comes to playing powerful overhead volleys in padel such as the Kicksmash and the Vibora you need to have an open stance so that you can generate enough power to make these shots work.
If you try and play these open stance shots from the right-hand side of the court you will have very little space to work with between you and the side fencing.
What’s more, when you are playing on the right side of the court most of the lobs that come to you will be coming to you diagonally over your left shoulder which can potentially put you off-balance if you try and play a powerful smash.
A better option for dealing with the lobs that come to you will be to play a controlled cross-body Bandeja or a high Bandeja aimed either into the far diagonal corner or cross-court to the left fence.
Tactical Padel Elements Of Playing Volleys On The Right Versus Playing On The Left
Because playing on the right doesn’t lend itself to playing aggressive and powerful shots, it is better sensible and consistent with your shot placement. Your job is to be the strategist of the team.
Play your shots with control and place the ball in ways that open up spaces on your opponents’ side of the court.
Play the kind of set-up volleys that force a weaker return from an opponent that your partner can attack with an aggressive shot. To learn more about using set-up volleys to win more points, here is the article that I wrote here on World Padel Insider that you can check out after finishing this article.
I’m not saying that you should never play an aggressive winner. If your set-up volleys result in an easy ball popping up to you, then by all means finish the point and play your winner.
Examples Of Right Court Players On The World Padel Tour
When it comes to players on the World Padel Tour that you can emulate as right-court players you can look at Alejandra Salezar, Matias Diaz, and Martin Di Neno. All three of these play the kind of strategic padel that creates opportunities for their opponents to finish, often with massive smashes.
There are two other right-court players best admired from afar, but best not to try and copy.
The first of these is Juan Lebron. Not only is Lebron really tall, but he is also flexible enough in his back to be able to bend far enough to still play a very powerful smash when the ball is above his left shoulder.
The other special right-court player is Sanyo Gutierrez. Sanyo is so immensely talented that he is able to produce shots from the right-hand side of the court that not even his fellow top-level professionals try to copy.
You Need To Adapt Your Padel Play To Each Side Differently
Working through this topic of playing on the right side of the court has highlighted just how much of a team sport padel is. It is harder to play aggressive shots from the right, so rather play the kind of set-up shots that will force weak returns from your opponents.
Even if you are usually a left-court player and are used to playing aggressively, it will be a good idea to play on the right from time to time in social games to get a feel for how to adapt to playing on the right.
By doing this, you will be able to adapt your play in a serious match should you and your partner be forced to switch sides in the midst of a point.
So the over-arching theme is to win more points as a team by playing more set-up shots from the right of the court.
If playing set-up shots and Bandejas is more your forte than playing power smashes out of the court and Viboras then perhaps your style of play is more suited to playing on the right of the court.
