Let's take advantage of a video found on the net to dissect and better understand the bandeja technique. Step by step, become a better padel technician.
The use of videos is important for the improvement of our technique as well as our game. To film ourselves to get to know each other better and especially to know where the majority of our balls go and what damage our rebounds can do to our adversaries.
So let's talk about tray. The bandeja is a stroke specific to padel. It is a kind of high forehand volley hit.
The use of the bandeja is done when the opponents play a high ball that does not allow us to finish the point. The primary purpose of the bandeja is not to lose the net.
There are 2 types of bandejas; the bandeja with a cut effect, and another with a brushed effect that we will call Vibora.
In this video, this player only performs vibra shots with a high execution speed. For intermediate players, it will be better to perform them a little less quickly and hard, which will give you more time to return to the net and find a comfortable waiting position.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CB8J5WMIFoP/?igshid=d8oy33yd7wf1
The technique
This player has a perfect technique hence this article.
The preparation
At the start, the pala is in front of the body, pointing to the opposing camp, in the high position. When the opponent performs the lob, we immediately put ourselves in profile, which allows us to reach the best position more quickly. The non-dominant hand (left in this case) first points to the side grid, and the closer we get to the stroke, the more it helps to stretch the body upwards. The dominant hand prepares the stroke with the bent elbow, and places itself slowly, at the same speed as the non-dominant hand.
Beforehand
If you notice, high-level padel players perform a kind of pause before hitting their shot. It is not only with the bandeja but with all padel shots. This pause allows the body to be stabilized in order to have the best possible performance. In this player, the pause at the feet is achieved by taking a step with the non-dominant foot (the left) towards the center of the court. This step allows him to open the track, change the supports from the back to the front, and go back faster towards the net. On the upper part of the body, the pause is achieved when both arms have reached the perfect preparation.
The impact
We talk about preparation, end of gesture, but the place of impact is very important. It takes place at eye level and approximately 2 hours if your waiting position at the net is midday. To find this place of impact, the advice is to throw an object, a ball or a pebble to make a ricochet. The place where you drop the stone defines your point of impact. Everyone has their own, it's up to you to find your own. For optimum performance, the arm must be stretched at the time of striking.
The end of the gesture
It all depends on the height at which you are going to impact the ball. We talked about eye height, but maybe you will be straight, with your legs bent or slightly suspended. So depending on this height, your end of gesture will be more or less high.
In this player, we can notice that for slightly higher balls, his end of gesture is downwards, the pala ends its course at the height of the left pocket. For the other viboras, in support, the gesture ends under the non-dominant arm. For him and for his game, this is certainly the most suitable finish. Know that you can also finish a bandeja by wrapping your dominant arm like a scarf around the neck. You end up with 3 different ends of gesture depending on the direction you want to give to the ball. Low end of gesture to make the ball fall quickly (high balls), end of gesture under the arm for balls that will bounce around the service box (mid-height), end of gesture in scarf to gain depth (balls played close to the height of the net).
Finally, you can see that the player takes the time to finish his move before taking the net again. If you notice that you don't have enough time to get back into position, slow down your vibora.
Photo credit: WPT

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