Le padel counts a lot of shots. Forehands, backhands, volleys, high balls et window outlets… the list is long, and we haven't yet talked about the different effects, including lifting. The question today is: the fact of playing topspin shots can he bring more to our game ?

What is lift? 

Coming mainly from our cousin tennis, the topspin is a stroke where we will scrape the ball from the bottom up, imposing a forward rotation which will accelerate it and accentuate its rebound. The lift is used at padel directly from the back of the court in the forehand, also in the service, in the backhand rather with two hands than with one hand, and during smashes. Using the lift for window exits or during volleys would require a lot of skill and would be really risky.

The + and the –

Using the topspin allows the ball to curve very quickly behind the net, forcing opponents to bend down to complete their volley.

At the bottom of the track, the lift allows you to open the angles to find the grid in particular. 

When serving, the topspin can confuse opponents with a lively bounce and high ball speed.

During smashes, the lift allows you to find angles at slow speed, to come and touch the grid, thanks to a curved trajectory.

Finally and still in smash, the printed effect will allow, with a little precision, to find the par 3 or at least the grid after bouncing on the bottom glass.

On the negative side, the topspin is a blow that requires control and relaxation. A bad impact and it will be the fault or a gift for the opponents at the net. A lift played in a bad area, at too high a speed will allow opponents to counter-attack: we are talking about opponents at the net who would let the ball pass in the center and who would attack it after rebounding on the back window. The bounces off the grid from a topspin ball are rarely winning.

In short, having only topspin shots in your arsenal will not allow you to really disturb your opponents.

Technically how does it work?

Unlike tennis where the distances are longer, where a string is used and where the racket is not the same size, the topspin padel , you will understand, is rather complicated. For lift purists, it's the same movement, but with a shorter preparation.

The goal is to scrape the ball from bottom to top. To do this, you must first be very relaxed. This relaxation will allow your wrist better mobility, a boost, which will cause the effect we are looking for.

This boost is achieved by the descent of the pala head, its rapid ascent, then the recovery of the ball. The more power you want to play with, the faster this whipping effect will have to be, that's why at padel this move is more often used at slow speeds to guarantee control.

The end of the gesture must also be short because of the distance to be covered. The pala will remain both forehand and backhand, close to your body.

On the backhand side, this shot is quite difficult to perform with one hand because this whip effect is complicated to master. On the other hand with two hands it can be very effective even formidable because it can be hidden.

For the smash, the lift requires a lot of mastery because the impact with the ball is very brief, the pala does not oppose like during a flat shot. Here we have a scraped impact, and the shot is made above your head after a lob from the opponents. Suffice to say that to master this strike, it is better to spend a few hours in training.

The lift, is it worth it?

Actually yes and no. Yes if you already have it in your arsenal of moves; it would be a shame not to use elements already acquired. No, if you haven't mastered the other elements of the game yet. As we said at the start, the padel is a sport with a lot of technical differences. Until you're comfortable with the basics, don't get lost in your progress with moves like the topspin that might confuse you. Whatever happens, the decision is yours, so don't worry! Let's go!

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

Tags