I first stepped onto a padel court in 2015. Since then I have only played padel on outside courts. As a result, I have adapted my way of playing padel to the types of conditions we get outside. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago when I was randomly paired with a player that had only played indoors that I realized how much my playing style was adapted to outside courts.
Wind, temperature, and moisture affect how a padel ball flies through the air and bounces. The position of the sun during the day and the darkness at night both make it more difficult to see the ball. You can tactically use all of these to win more points when playing padel outside.
Let’s take a closer look at the specific tactics you can use when playing outside to win more points and games
Consider The Setting Of The Court
The first thing that your outdoor padel court may have that you won’t find next to an indoor padel court is a car park. Depending on the time of day, the sun reflecting off car windows can be quite a distraction especially the first couple of times that it happens.
When you play padel indoors the only other people you are likely to see while you are playing might be players on their way to or from their own court before/after their game. Outside courts tend to have a lot more movement around them. Our local court in our village is at the community sports center, flanked by a children’s play park, an astroturf putting green, and a basketball court. All of that movement beyond the glass walls of a padel court can be distracting.
Depending on the time of day that you play padel, outside courts often have shadows across the court that may require getting used to. One nearby village decided to build its court on an East/West axis to reduce shadows. That created a new challenge where the court is near unplayable at sunset. You look down-court straight into the setting sun. I couldn’t even see where my opponents were on the court, let alone the ball.
Spend Some Time At The Court Ahead Of Your Game
If this is your first time playing on an outdoor court and you are accustomed to playing indoors, then get to the court a bit early so that you can hit a few balls to start getting accustomed to the setting.
Even if the court is occupied you can use your warmup courtside to help you zone out any distractions. At our local court, we have a wall nearby where you can hit a few practice balls before a game to get used to the outside conditions on that day.
Consider Weather Conditions
The good part about weather conditions is that they will be the same inside and outside the court.
This means that you have the time to check the position of the sun and the wind direction before getting onto the court.
Another factor that impact your play will be the temperature. I know that temperature is a factor indoors too, but outside temperatures tend to fluctuate more thanks to full direct sun on the court surface. Higher temperatures make the ball bounce a lot more than in colder conditions.
It is a similar situation in humid or wet conditions where the ball will be heavier. One thing that I have noticed when playing in the evening when the humidity is high is the amount of condensation that collects on the glass walls of the court – leading to a damp ball.
Taking Advantage Of Conditions
Getting to know the different kinds of conditions you can have on an outside court means that you can use them to your advantage. Some of these tactics are those which you should constantly use while others are of the type that I would only employ on key points so that my opponents don’t easily adapt to the changed style of play.
The Sun Position
When playing on a bright sunny day, at some stage one of the 4 quarters of the court will be having the sun at an uncomfortable angle.
This means that at some stage you will be able to play a lob that will be right into the sun for your opponent. The sun position will determine whether the nasty lob will be a high lob or one at bandeja height.
Direction And Speed Of The Wind
As you can well imagine the speed and direction of the wind will affect how the ball flies through the air. The stronger the wind, the greater the effect the wind will have on the ball.
If you are playing downwind you need to take care that you hit your lobs softer or they will go out. The same applies to your general shots as well as your service. The ball will tend to carry further when you play downwind.
In general, playing upwind is a lot harder as the wind takes so much speed off the ball, making things easier for your opponents.
This is especially true when you try to hit a lob over your opponents into the wind as the ball will tend to fall short and you get punished by a returning smash. Your solution will be to play your lob a lot harder when hitting into the wind to give the ball a better chance of carrying beyond your opponents.
In general, I find it easier to play the ball lower when hitting into the wind as the back glass on the far side of the court offers some shelter from the wind. This means that the ball moves in a way that is more consistent with normal days and I don’t have to vary my shots as much.
As a recreational player, I am still trying to make fewer errors on good days, let alone in the howling wind.
Wet Court And Glass Changes The Bounce Of The Ball
If the glass is wet then the ball will tend to slide down the glass rather than bounce away. In this situation, it is better to step closer to the glass to get at the ball before it hits the ground. I find that a new padel ball comes off damp glass in a similar way to an old ball that has gone a bit “flat” and I sometimes have to get close to the glass in order to be behind the ball when I hit it.
If the court surface is wet then the ball will get heavier and bounce lower. A wet court is also more slippery so watch your footing. I have twice got a calf strain injury slipping on a damp court, the second time put me out of the game for months.
Wet/damp conditions transfer to the ball making it slower and not responsive to any spin you try to play. This is because the damp ball will slide on your racket rather than gripping enough to create spin.
Adjusting Your Game To The Temperature
This is something that I have noticed when playing in a hot climate such as the south of Spain. Hot weather heats up the ball, increasing the internal pressure within the ball making it much bouncier. The ball will come off the racket faster, bounce further off the walls, and also higher.
The converse is true on really cold days when the cold temperatures reduce the amount of bounce in the ball. This fluctuation in bounce is similar to what happens when going from altitude to sea level or vice versa.
You will find that cheaper balls are more susceptible to temperature changes than higher-quality padel balls. This has to do with the type of gas that fills padel balls of different grades. I cover this in detail in the article I wrote about what gas fills padel balls.
In cold weather (or low altitude) it is much more difficult to play your power smash where the ball comes all the way back to your side of the net or can clear the three-meter high side fence. I have seen numerous professionals struggle to get enough power on a smash in cold conditions to know that I should best avoid those shots.
The local courts in my village are only open after siesta, so from 5 pm onward. This means that other than mid-summer there is almost always a steep drop in temperature during the two hours that we are on the court. I have noticed the balls losing their bounce over the course of a single session on the court fairly often.
Adjust Your Footwork
Even if there is just a little bit of wind swirling about it will change how the ball flies through the air as it comes to you. If you are new to outdoor play you need to be aware that you will need to make additional small adjusting steps to ensure you are in a better position to play your shot.
Have Patience And Wait For Opportunities
When you play indoors it is easier to confidently try and play a winner early in a rally as the ball moves more predictably.
When you step outside that little bit of wind you may have will make premature winners far riskier and result in more unforced errors.
When you play outside, be prepared to play longer rallies so that you can try to get your opponents out of position so that you can play a low-risk winner. These longer rallies with a slower build-up mean that we need to be patient which is something that I know I struggle with.
Playing At Night
This is a big difference between indoor and outdoor courts, irrespective of the weather. The design of padel courts is that the floodlights for the court are six meters above the court surface. However indoor courts also have the lights of the sports hall that are much higher than that.
When you play outside at night any really high lob that an opponent plays can literally disappear into the darkness above the floodlights and you will only see the ball when it is dropping down on your side of the court.
You can sometimes get a rough idea of where the ball might come down based on the speed and angle that your opponent plays their lob.
As you can see, really high lobs can be a tactical weapon to use late at night.