Play against a left-hander at padel, it is sometimes a real ordeal. Everything is reversed and our automatisms go up in smoke. We will try to give you some advice on how to play when you are up against a left handed opponent. It will then be a question of applying the recommendations of this article in order to defend yourself against a left-hander, and to win the match.

Play at padel with a left-hander

Left-handed players usually have an advantage when playing the sport of racquet, as it is used to playing against right-handed opponents while the rest of the players are generally not playing against a left-handed player. In a previous article, we explained how to play with a left-hander, go read it!

How to play with a left-handed padel ?

How to play with a southpaw?

Today, we will address the issue on the other side, that is, we will give advice that will be very useful when you have to face a left-handed opponent.

What to do when playing against a left-handed player?

1 / Pay attention to the effects. The main problem that will be presented to you when you face a left-handed opponent is its effects. When a left-handed player hits the ball, he does it with the opposite effect that we are used to receiving. A clear example is the way a ball behaves (differently) when a southpaw launches it to the double wall.

2 / Analyzes the opponent during the warm-up. This can be confusing, and even make you lose points, so you have to be careful and pay attention. In order to protect you from the effect of your left-handed opponent, we need to analyze the type of shot he is performing, where he comes from where the direction of the ball is going to be able to respond. And all this in a very short time, so you will have to pay attention to how you will solve this type of situation from the beginning of the match.

3 / Defend with a shorter preparation. Another advice when playing against a southpaw is to shorten your movements, ie the arm that holds the racket must be closer to the ball because you will have a different effect you will be quicker to react. .

How to play a left-handed padel ?

If you play on the right:

· While defending you have to play low height cross balls, you will avoid hitting an upward ball (one of the strikes that confuse us the most when playing against a left-hander). You must play balls that are well crossed or very parallel (looking for the backhand of each player) and do not move towards the center of the field, as the 2 rivals can make a bandeja or finish easily.

Another very good defense strategy is to use parallel balls. This will avoid playing against the left-hander, you will force your partner to come in, and you can also send lobs behind your right-handed opponent.

· When attacking, you will have to look for the double wall or the grid to play on its backhand. It will be more difficult for him to defend than if you put the ball in the middle.

If you play on the left:

· It will be easier for you to avoid left-handed play, because anytime you play crossover you will be immune to that player's effects.

· If the left-hander has a bad backhand, you can play in parallel. Beware of playing in the middle, as both opponents may be more comfortable as they will have their strong arm in the middle to spike (unless they are not coordinated and disagree, a situation in which this alternative to playing in the center can be very good).

· Play parallel lobs to force your opponent to lean a lot more so that you can smash.

· On the attack, use forehand volleys directly into his feet. With this type of blow, you will put the left-handed opponent in difficulty.

Alexis Dutour

Alexis Dutour is passionate about padel. With his training in communication and marketing, he puts his skills at the service of padel to offer us articles that are always very interesting.

On the same subject