Jorge Rodriguez: "It's the physique that makes the difference"

Jorge Rodriguez Lorenzo is one of the most renowned physical trainers in the World Padel Tour. He works in particular with Juan Lebron, Paquito Navarro, or our Melissa Martin national. Meeting with a major player in the WPT.

The importance of footwork

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: How do we work with the players of padel ?

Jorge Rodríguez Lorenzo: "With the players of padel, we develop the physical qualities: strength, flexibility, endurance, speed generally."

“Then more specifically with the short trips, for which it is important to have explosiveness in order to achieve the highest possible speed on the two / three steps, to then be able to slow down, adjust, and have good coordination in the positioning, in order to achieve a good shot. ”

“The players ask me for strength and speed in the legs, more than strength in the arms. They say: “if I can't get the ball, I can't play”. Work on footwork, explosiveness and coordination are fundamental. ”

“Also on the upper part, it is necessary to strengthen on the one hand in preventing injuries, and on the other hand to have more power in the blows.”

Adapt to the style of play

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Are there specificities depending on the players? According to the characteristics, the style of play, and the difficulties of the players?

Jorge Rodríguez Lorenzo: "Every player is different, they each have their own physical characteristics and their own style of play. You have to adapt to your needs. There are players who are more enduring but less powerful, more explosive players. Some are aggressive offensive players, and some are more defensive. So you have to strengthen them so that they can support the style of play they are looking for. ”

" relationship between trainer and physical trainer is therefore very important. The coach must identify what his needs are, the player must express his feelings on the court. Depending on that, strengthen in order to progress. ”

“Regarding injuries, these are also specific characteristics. Sometimes more load has to be borne by the lumbar area, or on the knees, or forearms for example. ”

The particularities of Melissa Martin

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: How does Mélissa Martin work? What are her physical qualities, and what aspects should she work with the most?

Jorge Rodríguez Lorenzo: “Melissa is a player with great stature. She has a very aggressive power play. She knocks whenever she can. It is also very fast. ”

“So we must improve its defense. We work a lot on endurance and the fact that she can last a long time with her knees bent. His large size obliges him to work his coordination on the low position : this is the point that it must improve the most. Also continue to work on the power she already has, and also the speed of transition from baseline to net, because that's an area where she's very strong. ”

Juan Lebron, champion of physical condition

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Can you see Juan Lebron's superiority when you work with him on his physique?

Jorge Rodríguez Lorenzo: "This year, Juan Lebron and Ale Galan were very impressive especially on their physical condition. They change the padel, because both can play on either side. They cover the court very well. They maintain a very high intensity for a long time, and to do that, it takes a lot of hours of physical preparation. ”

"Juan lebron works very consciously in the physical realm, dedicating several hours a day to it, because he knows that his game is based on that. ”

“Today the padel changes mainly on the physical characteristics. Even the players on the left cover a lot more ground, they hit, move a lot, and maintain a very high intensity for a long time. This characteristic can only be achieved with a lot of physical work. ”

Physically progress alone

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: What are the simple exercises that you can do alone to improve your physique and padel ?

Jorge Rodríguez Lorenzo: “I always recommend the strengthening of the legs, abdominal area, shoulders. This is mainly for injury prevention reasons, but also because a strong player can assert himself more easily in his shots. The feeling of control is obtained when the player increases his strength."

“On the other hand, I recommend short displacement adjustment exercises. Without a ball at first, only with the racket. The bullet forces us to focus on itself. You have to concentrate on moving it while keeping the center of gravity low. Moves forward and backward, and once that automates, add the ball. These two things can significantly improve its padel. "

Physical condition put to the test of confinement

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: What is the impact of the health crisis and the irregularity of training and competition on the physical condition of players?

Jorge Rodríguez Lorenzo: “This crisis affected all the players physically, psychologically, tactically and technically. In Spain, we were confined for almost four months. I sent exercises to players who did them in an apartment. We struggled to keep the mental strength. These are players who train 7 hours a day who find themselves confined to small spaces. ”

“Everyone with their own personality has adopted a different attitude. Some have experienced it rather well, and others not so well. The thing that worried them the most was the uncertainty associated with the World Padel Tour. Gradually, the confinement ended. We had to train outdoors first. ”

"Players have the ability to adapt to difficulties. They quickly regained a good level of play. The players who train with me were in very good physical condition when they returned to competition. It was the consequence of the upstream work. The coaches and physical trainers have analyzed many matches to take a step back and make the return to competition easier. ”

“We have doubts again now. We don't know when the WPT will resume. We do not have the dates yet, and this generates concern in the planning of the work, but it is about adapt and move on."

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez

From his names, we can guess his Spanish and Italian origins. Lorenzo is a multilingual passionate about sports: journalism by vocation and events by worship are his two legs. He is the international gentleman of Padel Magazine. You will often see it on the various international competitions, but also on the major French events. @eyeofpadel on Instagram to see his best photos of padel !