Should we play with our culture or copy Spain?

A few years ago, everyone was ecstatic about Spain and their defensive play . Today, is this still the case and what about emerging countries?

Spain of course remains the world leader in padel with Argentina. . Coming to train and play in Spain is always positive because it is much easier to find players of a higher level. But this comes at a cost for visitors who often do not get a return on the investment. So of course, they learn to professionalize, learn the “Spanish” game, but generally have difficulty shining.

A few years ago, we raised the issue of whether it was positive for the national padel to leave it to go into exile in Spain, and this provoked reactions. Today, it seems that mentalities have changed and that the “made in” is taking place for the development of each federation.

France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Sweden to name just Europe, but also America, Africa or Oceania to name a few, are developing. That's it. Thanks to television and the pioneers who took the step and the sacrifice of going to the Mecca of padel, it seems that today their own entities are being created. A padel culture specific to each country that should bear fruit with future generations.

If you have decided to plan a padel trip through a dozen countries, you will quickly notice the difference in play. So, in the middle of all this, you put a Spaniard, he may be the one who wins the prize, but the in-depth work of the federations is slowly bringing results. Look at the young people, countries that we did not necessarily expect, show the tip of their noses.

We can't do anything about culture.

Taking inspiration from Spain, yes, but playing like them, no. If the Spanish do not adapt quickly, it may be that in a few years, they will be overtaken. But when? That is the question. Maybe when the 100% padel youngsters show their noses and the pool of national players is large enough? So the pool, we can say that it is growing visibly, but the youngsters, we cannot make them grow faster. It may be that in the next 10 years, we will see changes in the leadership of world padel.

Everyone’s culture is what will make the difference. Let's take a simple example to note these differences: the Spanish manage their meals completely differently from the Nordic countries, same thing with education. So, little by little this cultural base, which each nation has developed for decades, even centuries, will appear and must appear in the game, and for the good of all.

Sports culture

Although most countries around the world have been playing padel for less than 10 years, the sports culture remains different. The national sports are different. Look at Spain, it's football (padel comes second), in India it's cricket, in the Dominican Republic it's baseball, in the United States it's basketball, in New Zealand rugby, in Egypt squash, in short, so many different sports cultures that padel can feed on. We will talk about learning techniques, but also about transmitting culture. Maybe technically there will be few differences, but tactically, in the management of matches or competitions, we will see evolutions.

And do we talk about the differences within the same country?

We are well placed to know. Look at the differences in attitudes between people from the north of France and people from the south, from the Lyon region and the Basque country. They are huge. We need time to adapt to understand each other on a track, even if we speak the same language. This is the strength of this sport; the mix of cultures, personal stories, identities, sporting pasts. The work of clubs, associations and federations is to unite these trends to create an identity where everyone recognizes themselves. Not easy.

This sport is incredible and a gateway to cultural mixing. Spain is a base as other countries have been in other sports, England with rugby for example. With its significant growth rate, padel can bring great surprises in the future. But this will happen through 2 main axes: the culture of each person and the possibility of earning a decent living by dedicating oneself to competition. Let's go!

Julien Bondia

Julien Bondia is a padel teacher in Tenerife (Spain). Columnist and advisor, he helps you play better through his tutorials and articles on padel tactics/techniques.