When I started playing padel the easy-to-learn service was just a means to get a point started so that I could enjoy a game of padel with my friends. As I started gaining experience and watched stronger players in action I realized that there was more complexity to playing a service point well, so I set about learning more about where to stand when playing a service and where to move immediately after my service.
When playing padel it is advisable to move to the net immediately when you play your service. From the standard service formation, follow the direction of your service as you move to the net. From the Australian service formation, move across the court to cover a return of service down the line.
Let’s take a closer look at how the two types of service formations work, where to stand and how to move after the service. At the end of the article, we’ll look at the common mistakes that I have made and what can be done to overcome them.
The Standard Service Formation
The standard service formation in padel is where you play your service from one side of the court while your partner has an at-net position on the opposite side of the court. For instance, if you are serving from the right side of the court, your partner will be at-net on the left. Conversely, if you are serving from the left, then your partner will be at the net on the right.
The Australian Service Formation
The Australian service formation is where both you and your partner are standing on the same side of the court when you are playing your service. By that I mean when you are serving from the right, your partner has a net position also on the right of the court. Or, when you are serving from the left, your partner will be standing at the net on the left side of the court as well.
There is a detailed article about the Australian formation for the service in padel here on World Padel Insider. Check it out when you have finished this article.
As you can imagine, when you use the Australian formation, you are leaving an entire side of the court open as a prime target for your opponents.
Where To Stand When Serving
When you are playing in the standard service formation you should ideally be serving from midway between the side of the court and the centerline.
When I was a novice padel player I would usually play my service from really wide so that I could hit my service harder and the ball had space to drop down over the net. The problem with that idea was that I was leaving a massive gap down the center of the court. I would need to run across after my serve and my momentum would, in turn, create another gap for a cross-court return of service coming back behind me.
When you play in the Australian service formation, you want to stand much closer to the centerline for two reasons. The first is, if you stand wider your partner will be in the way, blocking your service. The second is that you will be nearer the open side of the court so that you can cover the empty space more easily.
There is an obscure rule in the padel service that can be exploited when standing in the Australian service formation and you are serving from near the centerline.
The rules of the service in padel state that the ball must bounce to the side of the centerline you are serving from. The rules also state that your feet must be to the same side of the centerline when your racket contacts the ball. However, after bouncing the ball is allowed to cross the center line before it is hit. So, if you are playing a service down the center, it gives you an even tighter angle that you can play your service and pull your opponent even further into the center than normal.
Where To Stand When Your Partner Is Serving
If you and your partner are using the standard service formation, your position will be at the net when your partner is serving. Position yourself slightly behind level with the first fence post back from the net. Your task will be to cover a return of service down the line. Therefore you should stand fairly wide to cover the down-the-line return. Your partner will be covering the center after playing their service.
If your partner plays their service down the center then you should move slightly toward the center to cover more of your side of the court as your opponent won’t be able to play a return tight down the line.
Where To Move After You Have Played A Service
When playing padel the most dominant court position is when both you and your partner are at the net. Therefore you should move up to the net and take up a position alongside your partner after every service.
Most of the time the rule of thumb is that you move to the net following the same line as the service you have just played if you are using the standard formation. That way if the return of service comes back in your direction you will almost always be within one step of getting to the ball.
You will notice if you do this that you will be slightly toward the centerline. That’s good because your partner is covering their line in case the return of service comes tight down the line. Your task will be to cover the center of the court.
When playing the Australian formation for the service, it is your responsibility to move into the open side of the court after playing your service. You need to get into position to cover the line in case the return of service comes tight down the line, while your partner will move across slightly to cover the center.
The Importance Of Moving Without Hesitation
A big mistake that many novice padel players make is to hesitate after playing their service before moving to the net. As a result, they end up in the dreaded no-mans-land of the padel court which is the first two meters (6ft) beyond the service line as you move closer to the net.
The way you can make sure that you move to the net without hesitation every time is to use the follow-through from your service to take your first steps to the net.
Most of the time as beginners we use the standard formation when playing the service. This makes it even easier to use the follow-through from your service to take your first steps to the net. As I mentioned earlier the idea is to move toward the net along the same line as your ball. Your momentum from your service follow-through will be on the same line as your service so just use that momentum to move to the net.
Why Beginners Should Rather Use The Standard Formation Most Often
As beginners and novice players it is important that we learn to play both sides of the court.
The way to do that is by playing the standard formation during your service games. That way you get to swap between playing left and playing right on each point.
We might develop into a naturally left or right court player but that experience of playing both sides will stand us in good stead. We’ll gain an understanding of how our partner is likely to move on the court and we will not get thrown off our game if we are forced to switch sides during a point.
I would rate the skill level of both my usual padel partner and me as between novice to social. We nearly always play the standard formation when we have the service, although we do switch to the Australian formation once or twice during the game just to mix things up and get a feel for what it’s like playing padel using the Australian service formation.
