Known in France for having notably been the trainer of Léa Godallier, Jorge de Benito had previously left good memories in Bordeaux, where he was a coach at 4Padel and trainer of the teachers of the group.

Since last January, he has joined the M3 Padel Academy in Madrid, alongside star coaches Mariano Amat and Jorge Martinez. This is where very good players train, such as the world No. 1 Galan and Lebron, the Alayeto twins (15e and 16the), Jose Diestro (31e), Javi Leal (41e), Miguel Semmler (50e) ...

Although he also follows male pairs in competition, Jorge de Benito is above all a specialist in women's padel, which he studies tournament after tournament. We asked him about the specificities of this game, but also about the developments underway among women.

More patience in girls

 Padel Magazine : Jorge, do you agree that the women's game is more tactical and smarter than the men's game? 

 Jorge de Benito:  "I think that girls, in padel, are much more intelligent than boys in their game. Why? Because boys have physical abilities that make them want to smash the ball and get it out right away. With girls, it's different, they have to think."

 The contrast between the risk-taking of female tennis players and that of female padel players is quite striking... 

 Jorge de Benito:  "In tennis, it's true that the girls hit very hard, and often it doesn't work, they make a lot of mistakes. In padel, it's the opposite: the girls repeat waiting shots and chain "bandeja, vibora, feint, vibora...". So, as a coach, I also encourage my players to sometimes smash the ball and take more risks."

 Is it the ladies' lack of power that explains their patience? 

 Jorge de Benito:  “In my opinion, it is above all a question of trust. Few girls have blind faith in their smash. When a ball is in the air and they can spike it, they think a lot. Whereas a guy, even if he's not brimming with confidence, he knows he's capable of smash winning by popping the ball. »

Jorge de Benito is now a coach at the M3 Academy where many stars train in Madrid

An increasingly explosive padel

 As a coach, do you advise your players to practice a more explosive game? 

 Jorge de Benito:  "In tennis, the harder you hit, the more you deprive your opponent of time to organize and move. In padel, it's the opposite: the harder you hit, the more time you deprive yourself of to move. That's why when you start padel in Spain, your teacher teaches you that you have to work on the point for a long time, alternate high balls and low balls, rather than rushing to hit the ball hard.

When good tennis players start playing padel, they all want to smash the ball. This will work with average padel players who will not be able to defend. But when the defender has a good level, the one who hits badly usually sees his power turn against him.

In women's padel, we see more and more players - such as Léa Godallier - who have a large frame and adopt an aggressive style of play by following their lobs to the net, blocking or playing volley-volley. I am in favor of this development, because many girls are capable of playing this type of game effectively.

But what still dominates in women's padel is a worked, tactical padel, where we try to create holes, to build points for a long time. In women's padel, it is still rare to see players try their luck without thinking.

I think we can say that women's padel today is similar to what men's padel was about twenty years ago. But things are changing fast."

After 40 years of tennis, Jérôme fell into the padel pot in 2018. Since then, he thinks about it every morning while shaving… but never shaves with a pala in hand! A journalist in Alsace, his only ambition is to share his passion with you, whether you speak French, Italian, Spanish or English.

On the same subject

Tags