Fundamentals of Volley in Padel
Not all padel shots are created equal. You have probably already figured that out. The silver lining is that once you grasp the basics of serving, you’ll be able to handle the fundamentals of padel volleys.
What are the different kinds of volley in padel?
Reactive Block Volley
Neutral Volley
Standard Volley
While you may find it hard to understand having so many distinct kinds of volleys, these three are really similar to each other. Before I tell you more, watch this video to get the gist of padel volleys:
Now, let’s get this party started. First off, we have the most basic:
Volley with Reactive Blocks
A reactive block volley is often performed when your opponent sends a high-speed ball your way. They’ll have most likely played an extremely quick groundstroke or a bajada (a shot in which you take advantage of a fast-paced ball bouncing off from the glass).
When your opponent is at the net, and they volley near you, you only have a tiny window of time to respond. You just need to return the ball and keep it in play with this shot.
Remember, keep the ball in play, and the game is yours.
It’s essential to have an open posture at the beginning of every shot in padel. You have very little time to respond to how quickly the ball will fly into either a tricky or prominent location.
On most occasions, the best you can do is rotate your shoulders to one side to open your racket face to the ball.
And then, to return the ball, just put the racket along its route and block it. Since it is a complete response, all you really need is a good hit with your racket. The ball will be hard to block since it has plenty of power. You don’t even need to use force to be able to return it.
Neutral Volley
The Neutral volley is like the reactive block volley, except it gives you a slight advantage by making you a bit more mobile.
It’s possible to attempt to push the ball back to a spot where your opponent won’t be able to hit you with the next serve.
You may have greater control over the court with this type of valley. It can help you obtain a better court position, even if the neutral volley is a defensive stroke.
Standard Volley
One where you have time to make use of what you’ve read in the article: that’s the primary volley. The building blocks of a padel volley.
The classic block-volley is used for defensive purposes since it creates open spaces where the opponent has to return to their base. You’ll be forcing your opponent to give you the sort of poor return that will allow you to win the point.
Which one of these three basic volleys have you mastered, and which ones do you need to work on?
Check out the video below to see how to play the different padel volleys.
