New episode of our series dedicated to  Black Crown Academy  with as subject  defense of the net . So hard to acquire and preferential position during exchanges,  there are various tactics to defend  at best this position at the net as Juan Alday explains in a video uploaded to the Facebook page of Black Crown.

Positional defense

Essential element to stay at the net, the position of the players will play a role in the success of the tactical set-up. Indeed,  the objective here is for the doublet to have a neutral position , neither too far forward nor too far from the net. In this way, and without anticipating the next move made by their opponents,  they will be able to cover a maximum of ground  and remain masters of the net by defending the vast majority of balls that will be handed to them.

It's obvious that  reading the game is also very important  and that the players' anticipation will allow them to better attack a short ball by sticking to the net or to better defend a deep lob thanks to a "bandeja" by positioning themselves closer to the service line.

TIto Allemandi banner

Directional defense

Here again,  the goal is to keep the net position  rather than ending the point immediately. Thus, it is strongly advised not to change the direction of the ball too quickly.

Indeed,  a complete change of direction causes imbalance  which opens an angle to the opponent because the teammate is badly positioned. For example, if the first ball is played in a corner, the next should be played in the middle or on the same side. And it is only after a ball played in the center that it is advisable to reverse the game to the other side.

In this way,  you protect your teammate  of a long line passing because he would not have had time to come and cover this area, forcing him to play a complicated volley or to go back to the baseline.

Once the pair get to know each other better and gain tactical cues, it is possible to make directional changes from side to side. But remember,  you will then have to synchronize yourself to come and close the spaces left free very quickly  under penalty of being punished.

Malick N'diaye padel columnist

If tennis is a sport that drives you crazy, then multiply that madness by 2 and you get padel.

Expat in Malaga, passionate about sports and photography, Malick immediately fell for padel. If you don’t find him on a court working on his “bandeja”, he will surely be hiking, GoPro in hand.

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