Padel is not just about technique or physical condition.  Your brain plays a vital role in your performance , your decision-making… and even your injuries. From stress management to strategic choice, including the ability to manage a partner or a match that has started badly,  the mind is everywhere .

And yet, it often remains the great forgotten in training.

The most common mental errors

 1. The shot after the foul: double punishment 
You just missed an easy volley. And what happens right after? You rush to "catch it"... and then you make a second mistake. Your mind is playing a trick on you:  you step out of the present moment .

 2. The “unbearable” opponent: are you playing against him or against yourself? 
Some players spend their time complaining, slowing down the game or making comments. If you get angry, you  you are no longer in your game, but in theirs Result: your level collapses without your technique having changed.

 3. The guilty partner 
“You had that one!” “But why are you playing there?”: managing a partner is  an essential dimension of padel This sport, which is collective in essence, can quickly turn into a mental nightmare if the mental alchemy does not follow.

Mental qualities that make the difference

  •  Resilience  : come back after a break conceded or a set lost, without changing attitude.
  •  Lucidity  : knowing that just because an opponent shouts doesn't mean he is dominating.
  •  Active listening  : understand your partner even if they don't have the same playing style.

How to train mentally?

  • En  taking a step back  After each match: what happened in my head?
  • By imposing concentration routines on yourself.
  • En  working with a mental coach or mental trainer , as is increasingly the case among high-level players.

Bonus tip: Record your matches

Watch a match replay,  it's not just to correct a gesture It is also to observe your mental downtime, your tensions, or your reactions after a mistake.  Your body language says it all. 

Board the software directory and companies that offer of replay services.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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