The coach and analyst Romain TaupinFounder Padelenomics, provides a new technical explanation for a common shot in padel: the management of the Off-center lobA situation that offers opportunities, but can also be costly if the wrong choices are made.

Exploit the angle towards the grid

When you receive an off-center lob, it's often one of the moments when you have the wider angle for playing towards the grid or side windowHowever, you should avoid aiming for the beginning of the grid, close to the net: the margin of error is too small and the risk of a mistake is high.

The coach's advice: prioritize the junction between the grille and the side window, an area that offers more security to keep the ball in the field.

Why the off-center lob is an opportunity to exploit even if...

Vary with a ball towards the center

In this off-center position, the opposing defender will tend to anticipate the move towards the gridTo surprise, it's therefore interesting to vary your approach by feigning this expected move and choosing a ball towards the center of the field.

Ideally, you should look for a first advanced bounce in the court : the ball then loses speed and comes to rest at the back, putting the opponent in difficulty.

Be careful not to smash too deep.

Finally, Romain Taupin warns against a common mistake: if the smash is played too deep, in the center of the court, the ball will rebound stronglyIn this case, the defender will be able to easily reposition himself and even counterattack.

The key lesson

Properly handling an off-center lob isn't just about hitting it hard, but choose the right area and vary the trajectoriesBetween precision, safety and game intelligence, it's a strategic detail that can make all the difference.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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