Have you ever asked yourself the question : Why Should we go to the net when we play paddle ? Is it absolutely necessary to bring closer of the net or is it better to stay in retired ?

This is not a philosophical assignment, not at all. But it is interesting that everyone asks themselves this question. Why do I absolutely have to go to the net, and why must I always be placed in the same place? Let's try to provide answers that we hope will help you improve your game.

Because it's like that

This is often the most used response by players. We don't even know why we have to get closer to the net, we do it because others do it, because the pros do it, because your instructor told you that you have to do it. But is it right for you? So yes, it is true that moving into the attacking zone, in front of the line, allows you to win the point more easily because you become an actor: it is you and your partner who take the reins of the point. But it's not always the case. So open your mind and seek to understand.

Points in padel are won at the net

That's what we just said, and it's true. Padel is a game of attack-defense, a chess game where tactics often take precedence over technique or power. But since each player is different, each pair is different, it is interesting to develop several options of play and attacks at different distances from the net. It is not because you will be very close to the net that you will make more points.

Do I win all my points from the net?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? All matches are different and the course of a match can change. Rare are the games where you will play the same way from the first to the last point, and win the match. You will have to evolve and offer your opponents different strategies. Closer, further away, direct climbs, climbs in two or more stages, all kinds of possible and worked options, thought out in advance, which will provide choices during complicated matches.

Why go to the net if I have to make defensive volleys?

This must have happened to you. Your partner always invites you to join him at the net, but you are not comfortable there. As a result of the races, you find yourself volleying certainly, but your volleys never allow you to win the point; on the contrary, they allow adversaries to attack. This situation also appears among experienced players who persist in going to the net when the opponents have found the loophole by making them perform defensive volleys.

Layout of a padel court and players

What is the solution ?

If there was a real solution, we would all be great champions. The idea is to have several strings to your bow, knowing how to vary the positions at the net, closer, further away, to be able to work on this game tactic which will allow us to impose ourselves, not to suffer, and above all to feel comfortable. 

So it's up to you to see what is best for you, for your game. Depending on your level, your partner, your physical state, your opponents, don't hesitate to make decisions regarding the net. Is it worth going up very close? To stay at the bottom? To go up in stages? To stay half-track? Don't let anyone tell you what to do, take the advice, the ideas, analyze them and create.

There is not just one way to play padel, there are hundreds, and it is not because you take a long time to get to the net, that you come to press very quickly or on the contrary make the decision to stay at the back, that you will have more or less chance of winning the point or that you will be a better or worse player. Let's go!

Julien Bondia

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.

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