I remember when I first learned how to play the bandeja in padel. I was convinced that I was on the cusp of winning many more points with my new semi-secret weapon. The truth was that my bandeja was full of errors that resulted in more unforced errors than won points. In fact, my opponents would deliberately give me bandejas to play as it seemed to be a weakness in my game.
These are the most common errors when playing the bandeja in padel:
- Playing a bandeja with an elbow that is too low
- Dropping the racket head on the bandeja backswing
- Playing your bandeja too hard
- Playing a bandeja with a racket head too open
- Playing a bandeja with a backswing that is too big
- Having a stance that is too wide
- Getting the racket into position too late
- Hitting the ball too late
- Hitting the ball too low
It was only when I started eliminating the most common errors from my bandeja that I started to reduce my unforced errors and actually start winning more points. Let’s look at those common errors so that you don’t have to learn about them via trial and error.
Error: Playing A Bandeja With An Elbow That Is Too Low
If you play your bandeja from a start position where your elbow is low it is almost impossible to generate any slice-spin without hitting the ball up into the air. Hitting the ball up into the air gives your opponent a much easier ball to return.
When you start with your elbow at least at shoulder height you are able to play your racket head from high to low through the ball and generate slice-spin while still playing the ball downwards. When you are hitting the ball downwards you can play the ball a lot deeper without the risk of hitting the ball out/long.
Error: Dropping The Racket Head On The Bandeja Backswing
This is a very common error for those who come from a tennis background. When you play a tennis smash or tennis serve you will drop the racket head lower than your wrist. This is so that you can generate the topspin that you need for tennis shots.
The trouble with top spin in padel is it causes the ball to bounce up high off the glass, making it easier to return.
So, make the starting position of your racket with the racket head higher than your wrist so that you can play down through the ball with the slice spin that will keep the ball low after the bounce.
Error: Playing Your Bandeja Too Hard
The bandeja is not a power smash or a kick smash. The bandeja is a defensive shot. If you play your bandeja too hard the ball will rebound further off the glass and make it easier for your opponent to return.
If you play your bandeja softer, the ball will drop down off the back glass making it much more difficult for your opponent.
Error: Playing A Bandeja With A Racket Head Too Open
This is something that I see often and used to do myself. In order to try and generate slice-spin, I would play the shot with such an open racket head that the racket face would be just about pointing up at the sky.
This makes it almost impossible to control the direction of the ball and just plops the ball up and over the net, ready to be punished by your opponent.
Error: Playing A Bandeja With A Backswing That Is Too Big
When your backswing is too big you will have more racket head speed through the point of contact with the ball and you will end up playing your bandeja too hard, making it less effective.
Also, if your backswing is big it will be much more difficult to control the slice spin. An excellent drill to trail short backswing shots like the bandeja and the vibora is to stand close to the back glass so that the back glass is in the way and prevents you from using a bigger backswing.
Error: Having A Stance That Is Too Wide
When your stance is too wide it is impossible to make the little micro-adjustments to get your body into the perfect position to play your bandeja.
Many beginner players who stand with a wide stance will stay facing directly up the court rather than pivoting sideways so that your non-racket shoulder points in the direction you want the ball to go when you play the bandeja.
When you eliminate this wide and flat stance from your game you will improve all of your padel shots. A coach once said something to me that made it stick in my mind. He said that we are padel players, not sumo wrestlers.
Error: Getting The Racket Into Position Too Late
When you are too slow in getting your racket into the position you will end up rushing your bandeja and losing all control over the speed, spin, and direction of your shot. The moment your opponent has hit the ball you must start to prepare how you want to play.
Get both your body and racket into position to play your shot before the ball gets to you. If you are playing rushed, out-of-control shots the chances of having unforced errors increases exponentially.
Error: Hitting The Ball Too Late
If you are hitting the ball late your contact point will be somewhere between the position of your feet. This makes your bandeja much more difficult.
You might even hit yourself in the ribs on your follow through because your weight will be on your back foot.
You want your contact point to be ahead of your front shoulder so that you can step forward on your follow through.
Error: Hitting The Ball Too Low
Many beginners think that you must play the bandeja from nose or chin height. When you do this your bandeja will be flatter making it a riskier shot both in terms of the net and hitting the ball out.
If you connect the ball in line with the top of your head or higher you can angle your bandeja down yet still easily clear the net. If you can connect your bandeja high enough you even have the option to play your bandeja down to the fence, making it even more difficult for your opponent.
Next time you watch the professionals play on the World Padel Tour, notice how they often jump into the air when playing a bandeja so that they can play the shot from as high as possible. I’m not saying that jumping for a bandeja is something that you should be doing before your padel level is advanced enough. It is merely to illustrate the advantage of playing your bandeja from as high as possible.
Now that you know the most common mistakes that happen in the bandeja you will be able to eliminate them from your game and win more points.