play paddlel is also to know play for two. Put in place team tactics can get you out of bad situations. Here's one happening at the net.

This tactic is aimed at players of an intermediate to advanced level, because it requires a minimum of technique, reading of the game and above all of the trajectory of the ball.

That's the situation. You and your partner are at the net and the opponent in your diagonal decides to lob you or force you to play a high ball, in this case a bandeja. We agree that if this bandeja to play is “classic”, it won't cause you a lot of difficulty if it isn't for you to adapt to the position that the opponent will have adopted: glued, at the bottom or half-track.

But the concern arises as soon as this bandeja becomes forced, that is, the opponent has played a good lob that does not allow you to return to the bottom to defend, but also does not allow you to play a nice and effective bandeja. So your solution is to play shorter to secure the shot and thus avoid the foul by bouncing the ball in the middle of the service box.

Fernando Belasteguin bandeja barcelona master WPT bela

The opponent's reaction

Following this bandeja played short, what can the opponent do? Your bandeja will tend to bounce a lot and will not be very difficult to trade, so he will have two options. Either stay at the back to wait for the ball to come down again and thus play a slow control shot or a lob once more (this would be the least voted solution), or take the ball just after the bounce, on the upswing, above above the level of the net, to attack in turn during your return to the net. This shot is always spectacular, effective, and puts the pressure back on opponents.

THINGS TO DO

So in this case, if we do nothing, our team is likely to find itself on the heels, attacked by players who will advance at full speed and who will have a high probability of winning the point.

That's when it appears my partner.

The opposing player, if he has to negotiate your bandeja short on its side close to the grid and not in the center, will tend to accelerate in your direction and not in a parallel way. If your partner comes to cut the trajectory of the ball, he will take the attack by surprise and will come, just by touching the ball, to win the point. For this, you must not be a spectator but an actor with a very active footwork that will promote decision-making and the reaction to this situation.

This tactic seems very simple but requires a good reading of the game and the trajectory of the ball. It will perhaps be more often the player on the right who comes to cut after a series of bandejas of his partner.

In any case, since the game risks turning sour if you or your partner don't come to cut the trajectory, it's worth a try, isn't it? But be careful, only when the ball to be negotiated by the opponents will be on the outsides and not in the center. 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.

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