When I first started watching professional tournaments on the World Padel Tour, I was struck by the weird position that the players would take up on some of the points in their service games. Coming from my background playing tennis and some casual games of padel it was something that I’d never seen or experienced before so I set about finding out more.
The Australian formation is a position taken up at the beginning of the point where both players of the team with service are on the same side of the court, leaving the other side of the court empty. The Australian formation is more commonly used in padel than in tennis where it originated.
Let’s analyse the Australian position in greater detail so that you can see how to incorporate it in your own games.
What is the Australian Position in Padel?
The Australian position in padel is a strategy used to mentally confuse your opponents because it switches up the look of the court, with the net player setting up directly across from the net player on the opposing team, while the server stands closest to the middle of the court. Both players on the serving team position themselves on the same side of the center line, and with the Australian position, the net player does not have to crouch down and stays on the same side unless there is an opportunity to poach.
What is the Standard Position in Padel?
The standard position in padel is when your partner is standing near the net and the server is at the line getting ready to serve. Once the ball goes over the net, the server has to take up the vacant net area immediately after serving so both the server and the person at the net position can have dominance over the opposing team. If the opposing team gets the ball over, then that will give the server and the person at the net much time to get to the ball since they are covering more surface area.
How to Use the Australian Formation When Partnered with a Left-handed or Right-handed Player?
Using the Australian formation when playing doubles serves as a good strategy for knocking out the opposing team. Since using the Australian position required both the person at the net and the server to be lined up down the middle of the court, this helps to confuse the opposing team and requires them to communicate with each other more. When in this formation, if one player is right-handed and the other is left-handed, this helps to effectively get the opposing team to lose more points.
The Need for Moving Fast When Playing the Australian Formation
Since the Australian formation requires both players to be in the middle of the court, this can lead to a lot of open surface area on either side of both players. When receiving the ball back to your side, it is important that you and your partner move quickly together to be able to receive the ball and get it back on the other side. When receiving, both partners will move to take up the back-court position. This way, both of you can reach the ball in case one or the other misses it.
Where to Aim Your Serve When Playing the Australian Formation?
When you are playing with the Australian formation, you want to aim down the middle of the court so you and your partner can easily have the advantage over the opposing team. When you do not serve down the middle of the court, you make the court bigger and it gives the opposing team the opportunity to have the advantage over you and your partner. The Australian formation is best for those who are quick enough to move from side to side down the court.
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