Tutorial padel : Warming up

Saturday morning, Julien Bondia offered you a tutorial padel live on Facebook. The topic discussed was warming up. Small recap on this important subject.

Warming up is important in all sports. Warming up and starting the joints are all the more necessary as we get older. Here are some technical and tactical routines to adopt so that your games of padel take place in the best possible conditions.

Part 1: warming up off the track

Whether you are in a tournament or just before playing a game with friends, remember to warm up. It only takes 5/10 minutes to get your body started. Off the track, jog by moving your shoulders, elbows, wrists. Take footsteps, heels-buttocks and knees-chest.

Once stopped, rotate your ankles, knees, belt, shoulders, neck. So your body understands that it is going to have to exert an effort.

If you have the opportunity to enter a track, with your pala and against the glass, make a few forehand, backhand, few volley shots and smash at low speed. In 5 minutes you will have plenty of time to get started.

Part 2: the warm-up for 2

We do not always have the opportunity to warm up with our partner before a meeting. On the other hand, in tournaments, it is possible that 1/2 tracks are available to you. Take advantage of it.

With your partner, adopt a warm-up ritual that will allow you to get straight to the basics in order to optimize the time allowed. Above all, think of working your arm rather than your legs.

Background, the ball bounces in the middle of the service area, make forehand-forehand, then back-backhand. Finally, mix the two.
Always the 2 at the bottom of the track, give a curve to the ball in order to be able to make glass exits in good conditions.
1 player at the net, the other at the bottom. The volleyball player will play his volley in the service area.
Same thing but the volleyball player plays deep so that the defender can play with the windows.
At the net, the volleyball player will finish his warm-up with bandejas and smashes at first slow to take the benchmarks, then slightly accelerated (if you hit hard and make mistakes, you will start the match with uncertainties).
Your partner warms up with the net, accelerate your rhythm of legs and “offer” the best balls possible.

Part 3: Pre-match warm-up

Before the start of a meeting, in tournaments or with friends, you are entitled to 5 minutes of warm-up. In this case, a factor comes into play that you do not control; your opponent. It may be that it plays the game by allowing you to warm up properly or on the contrary, it will not help you at all. Keep calm and try to be as fair as possible.

Technically try to reproduce what we discussed in part 2.

This is when you can set up your tactics:

Try to make your opponent play the same moves twice, 2 times in a row, in order to detect flaws. Some players are able to play the first stroke perfectly then the second is less effective. Conversely, players are able to improve as they go; the third forehand will be more effective than the first.
Vary the heights. Some players are very precise on shots at waist height but much less effective at knee height.
Always try to keep the same speed, the main goal is to warm up, not who is stronger. Your opponent is also testing you, do not enter his game.
Towards the end of the warm-up, show your footwork. If your opponent activates too, it is a sign that he is ready for combat. If his footwork is passive, focus on the first points because you should have the advantage.
When the opponent warms up on high balls at the net, try to get him the best balls possible. This way you will have information on the quality of its bandejas and smashes in optimal conditions. During the match, these shots should be less effective.
Share all the information you have with your partner because it is he who will play in the diagonal of the opponent you have warmed up.

Have a good warm-up to all and see you soon for future tutorials padel.

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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.