Around 10 to 12% of the population is left-handed, but professional padel shows a marked trend: in the Male Top 100, we find Sometimes, depending on the month, over the last two years, up to 17% of left-handed people have been left-handed.This overrepresentation accompanies the emergence of a specific style: a left-handed person positioned on the right, capable of using their strong hand in the center to quickly get to the net and finish the points.

Coello and Sanz: two benchmarks for the left-footed attacking player

Of course, the strength of left-handed people is nothing new: Belasteguín stayed 16 consecutive years world number 1 by playing on the left with a left-handed player on his right, whose 13 years with Juan Martín Díazthen 3 years with Pablo LimaHowever, what seems to be changing in recent years is theaggressiveness of the left-wing players.

Arturo Coello He is a perfect example: he moves to the net very quickly, sometimes in just two steps, to get to the net and create a large space that destabilizes his opponents. Forcing him back is an option, but the slightest short lob is immediately punished.

Jon sanzIn a different vein, he too possesses this offensive repertoire typical of a right-handed player: the ability to transform an average lob into By 3, or to wrap a viper This parallel is very difficult to defend.

Why the right-handed/left-handed association works so well

This formation allows for increased pressure at the net. Its advantages are well known:

  • A physical and tactical advantage: the left-handed player can cover or relieve his left-handed partner in certain areas.
  • a maximized ground coverage, with two strong hands in the centerwhich make the lob more difficult;
  • two people forehand volleys to conclude the points;

The limitations of the left-handed model

A left-handed person positioned on the right naturally exposes their reverse straight line, an area used by opponents to break its aggression.

As Jon Sanz also points out, in a training session shared with Xtres Padel, and published by Padel Magazine.

How to play against a left-handed person in padel? Jon Sanz's advice

"When a left-hander plays on the right, their least comfortable shot is the parallel backhand, which lands on their right leg. It's an area where pressure can be applied."

However, Coello compensates for this weakness by shortening reaction time He takes the ball very early, on the volley or half-volley, preventing the opponent from establishing depth on his backhand. This anticipation greatly reduces the possibility of exploiting this area.

A coordination that must be precise to the millimeter

Two strong hands in the center demand a impeccable communication : lob management in the middle, coverage of the interior zone, quick decisions.

This is, in fact, one of the points that differentiates the pair Coello / Tapia : very few misunderstandings, practically never any doubt about who should take the ball.

Conversely, at Paquito / SanzWe saw several controversial actions, particularly in the final against Galan / Chingotto au P2 NewGiza, where Paquito regretted some of Sanz's forehand volleys in his space.

The rise of left-handed players illustrates the evolution of modern padel: a faster, more vertical game, where taking the initiative is key, but which in return demands impeccable coordination.

Antoine Tricolet

I discovered the Padel I stumbled into Spain at a campsite. I was instantly hooked; passionate about padel for the past three years, I follow international and regional news with the same excitement as the sport itself.

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