In this column we are going to give you one of the keys to improving your support for padel. This exercise is called “the star”. To practice alone, at home, on a padel or in training session, it will allow you to strengthen your thighs and improve your support. Julien tells you a little more in this video.

Work, work and work again to become better or to strengthen your musculature in order to be more efficient in the field. A lot of exercises exist and will allow you this evolution. Today I wanted to present to you a “very” good exercise which allows you to work on important aspects of the game of padel : the supports. To use in a short or distant way, the star can be declined in multiple ways.

Before talking about a star, I would like to come back to the support worked on in this exercise.

  • Right End Strikes: After a forward run or simply taking a step towards the net, you will need (if you are right-handed) to press your right leg to do this. Once the pressure is on the right leg, you can put the left foot in front of you to complete the gesture.
  • Supports the flip flop. Same thing. Race forward, support on the left leg to finally put the right foot on the ground.
  • Supports of forehand (right-handed). We are working here a defense where you have to let the ball pass and then play it after rebound on the glass. The move is towards the rear without turning your back on your opponents. So you stay in front, take support on the right leg, make your shot with the intention to start again.
  • Supports defending backhand. Same thing although it is more difficult to back off side back by remaining in front. Light profile so to move to the back. Support on the left leg at the time of the keystroke to allow a return to the front.

For the exercise of the star, we will try to stay flexed so that the work of the thighs is as effective as possible.

The star

Five points arranged like 5 points on a dice to play.

The basic exercise is done without a racket and would be to place your benchmarks (in the video these are ball box caps to avoid injury by stepping on) at about 1 distance meter from the center point.

You position yourself at the center point, with your legs bent and play a forehand volley, a backhand volley, a forehand defense and a backhand defense, each time passing through the center point.

The advice would be to repeat the exercise at least 5 times.

Variations:

1- First of all you can enlarge the distance between each marker. Go from 1 meter to 2 meters until you do not use all the parts of your half of the field by placing the 2 flight marks close to the net and the defense marks close to the back window, the center mark slightly in front of the line.

2- The order of the moves: You can do 1- Straight End Strike, 2- Forehand Defense, 3- Backhand volley, 4- Backhand defense. This order has no end.

3- Time: This exercise can be timed to require the player to give everything on each move.

4- Add weight: It is possible during this exercise, to add weight in the hand. This weight can be just a ball, the pala, a small bottle of water ... Attention, it should not be cumbersome because the point of attention must be worn on the supports.

5 - Your imagination: This exercise is a base. Let your imagination take this exercise of the star a step further, but think first of all about safety.

The star, a good exercise to work the thighs, supports, cardio. I recommend that you do a series of exercises, which will be much more effective than a single too complicated recovery or 20 repeatedly chained.

Example: At 2 distance meters, 3 series of 5 times with 5 seconds between recovery and then 30 seconds between serial recovery.

See you next week.

Julien Bondia

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

On the same subject