Padel
5 tips to serve like a professional padel player
The key to gaining an advantage over your opponent when playing padel is the serve. Discover some useful tips here!
Having an excellent serve in padel is a crucial advantage during your matches. The serve is of course very different between a beginner and a professional. But you can learn a lot by analysing the serve of the pros in order to improve.
It's important to know what approach you take to the serve: do you try to give your opponent an easily returnable ball or do you want to win the point directly with your serve? Many padel beginners serve as if it's just the start of the rally, rather than seeing the opportunity to score the first point straight away. Even at this level, you can make the difference with your serve, dominate the point or even win it with an ace.
The serve is an advantage that should not be underestimated
© Óscar Carrascosa/Red Bull Content Pool
Professional padel players are able to return almost every ball. That's why you hardly ever see aces or errors directly after the serve. For amateur players, on the other hand, this can be a real advantage in winning the point. Let's take a look at the common characteristics of professional padel players' serves:
01
They all have a serve routine
Professional padel players each have their own routine to optimise their serve. The most common one is to bounce the ball on the ground in front of them before lifting it to serve.
Alejandro Galán in padel action
© Fabrizio Carabelli/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
02
They take a long swing
Professional padel players take a long swing with the arm holding the racket when executing the serve in order to serve with more power.
03
They hit at hip height
A serve must be delivered between the ground and the waist, but professionals prefer to hit as close to waist level as possible rather than below.
Bea González
© Gianfranco Tripodo/Red Bull Content Pool
04
They serve with an undercut
When serving, players on the professional tour try to give the ball an undercut effect.
05
They accompany their serve
Finally, a pro always accompanies their serve and moves towards the net to position themselves for a possible volley situation.
Follow our tips to achieve a good serve in padel and improve your game.
All of these tips can help you to make progress
© Óscar Carrascosa / Red Bull Content Pool
If you are not yet following these five points when serving, we have good news: You can still improve, even if you're only missing one. This means that you still have development potential if you implement them all. If you skip the second tip and don't make a big lunge, you're not utilising the full power and speed of your serve.
Thirdly, don't hit at waist height. If you hit at knee or ankle height, it is clear that the ball has to rise before it falls on the other side of the net. The longer the trajectory of the ball, the higher the bounce. If you hit at waist height, the ball flies lower and the opponent has less time to return it after the bounce.
If you don't give the ball any effect, you are not utilising your service to 100%. The aim is for your opponent not to return the ball and with effect you already have an advantage. The undercut is the effect favoured by professionals when serving. It gives the ball a backward spin and slows it down in the air.
Last, but not least: accompany your serve. Once you've served, follow your ball to reposition yourself and stay one step ahead of your opponent, because if you're closer to the net, you can volley on the return.
Whether you are a beginner or want to improve and make sure you have an excellent serve. The best thing you can do is to internalise the five points above, along with these five little tips to help you memorise them:
Padel is usually played as doubles
© Sergi Penalba
Firstly, extend your arm during your routine to make sure you bounce the ball forwards and slightly to the side. If you want to improve and ensure you have a great serve, the best thing you can do is memorize and internalize the five points mentioned earlier with five small tricks to help you internalize them.
Secondly, emphasise the backward movement of the club to achieve a complete swing.
Third: If you bounce the ball at shoulder height, it will always rise to waist height.
Fourth: If it bounces in front of you, it is easier to hit an undercut shot.
Fifth, when the ball bounces in front of you, it's much easier to take the two or three steps that bring you closer to the net.
Repetition of this routine will lead you to success. Once you have internalised it, you can refine and develop your technique. But never forget that the aim of the serve is to gain the upper hand on the point and put pressure on your opponent. Will you put them into practice?
