Padel Tips
Expert insights, equipment reviews, and tactical tips to elevate your game.
10 TIPS FOR BUYING YOUR NEW PADEL RACKET
Choosing the right padel racket seems to be a difficult choice. Whether it concerns the purchase of your first racket or the replacement of an old racket. There may be more to it than you think. To ensure that you will soon be on the court with the perfect racket for you, we have listed 10 tips below in collaboration with PadelShop.com that can help you in your search for your new padel racket. 1. LEVEL Before you buy a new racket, you should ask yourself at what level you are currently. A distinction is made between three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. As a beginner it is important to first choose an easy racket. The longer you play and the higher your level will affect the purchase of a new racket. You will then need a racket with a lot of power and less control. You can read further in this article to find out which racket is the best choice for each level. 2. WEIGHT Weight is an important factor to take into account. A lighter or heavier racket has both its advantages. A light racket provides more control. However, if you think power is more important than control, you should opt for a heavier racket. In addition, there is a difference between the weight for women, men and children. The weight for women is usually between 350 and 360 grams, for men it is 355 and 360 grams. When looking at a children's racket, the weight differs between 240 and 280+ grams. Please note the following: Do you use (over)grips or a protector in the frame of the blade? Both can add extra weight, so keep this in mind when looking at the weight of a new racket. 3. SHAPE There are three shapes of padel rackets: diamond shape, teardrop shape and the round shape. As with the weight of the racket, each shape has its advantages: Diamond shapeThis racket has diamond-shaped blades, which ensures that the blades have more power but less control. This shape is more suitable for experienced players. Drop shapeA teardrop-shaped racket has a balance between power and control. The teardrop-shaped racket is suitable for semi-advanced players. Round shapeBlades with a round shape have mostly control and little power. This is the most suitable racket for the novice player. However, many advanced players still play with this shape, so round is not just for beginners. Curious about how you can distinguish the different rackets? In the picture we show the difference in shape, control and power. 4. CORE There are two types of rubber from which the core can be made. The first is EVA rubber, this rubber is completely smooth, hard, has more durability (lasts longer) and provides a better feeling when hitting the ball. The harder the racket, the more power goes to the ball. EVA rubber is the most commonly used rubber in padel rackets. A softer version of EVA rubber has now also been launched on the market, this is EVA Soft. On the other hand, you have the FOAM rubber. This type of rubber is soft and has a shorter lifespan, but has a greater feel for the ball and has a greater absorption of vibrations compared to EVA rubber. Softer rackets, however, have more exit speed of the ball at lower ball speed, which creates a trampoline effect. Please note the following: Rackets react to temperature. The warmer the weather, the softer the racket becomes. That is why it is also important when you choose a racket at which temperature you play. Cold temperatures require a softer racket as it gets harder due to the temperature. If you play with a soft racket in warm weather (more than 20 degrees), the racket becomes too soft and you lose control of the ball. Padelshop's best choice  5. BALANCE Balance provides more or less control. The balance of the blade refers to the point where the weight of the blade is concentrated. There are three types of balances: high, centered and bottom. A high balance means that the weight is concentrated closer to the head of the racket, this balance provides more power. High balance is common with diamond-shaped blades. With a centered balance, the weight is in the middle area (between the head of the blade and your grip). This balance provides more control and better maneuverability. This form of balance usually occurs with teardrop-shaped blades, but it also sometimes occurs in round models. When the balance is low, the weight is concentrated close to the handle of the racket, providing great control and manageability. Especially round tops have this type of balance. 6. THICKNESS Don't play too thin! The thinner the grip, the more you will squeeze. A padel racket has no grip size, but when you shake the racket your little finger must be able to get in between. Women have 0-1 overgrip, men 1-3 overgrips. According to the rules, the racket itself may not be thicker than 38 millimeters, this is also the most common thickness. 7. ADDITIONAL MATERIALS When you look at the frame, a stiff frame provides more control on the ball (less deviation, so more precision). An example of a stiff frame is a full carbon frame. A rigid frame also lasts longer. Do you want more grip on the ball? Then it is best to choose a racket with a structure on your head. Think of a HEAD Speed Motion or NOX AT10 Luxury Genius 18K Agustin Tapia 2023 or a really baked-in structure such as the Starvie Titania Kepler Pro 2.0 or Metheora. This gives you more grip on the ball and you can slice and control the ball more. This is also nicer for the smash so you can give more spin on the ball. Do you also have sensitive arms? Then we recommend purchasing the Noene Undergrip. This lower grip provides 92% less vibration, which results in less fatigue and less chance of injuries. 8. FREQUENCY Before you buy a (new) racket, ask yourself how often you plan to play. Are you planning on paddling only occasionally? Then think about how much money you want to spend on it. On the other hand, can you be found on the padel court several times a week? Then it might be better to invest more money and go for a racket with EVA rubber. These rackets are durable and therefore last longer. 9. PRICE The prices of a racket differ enormously. A racket suitable for beginners costs about 50 to 100 euros, but a racket for the real professionals can cost 250 to 400 euros. The price will therefore always influence the purchase of a new racket. Among other things, you have to take into account the durability of a racket. When a new racket is currently at the price but will last a long time, it is a good investment for later. Are you just starting out with padel? Then it is smart to first purchase a cheaper racket for beginners. 10. LOOK AT THE REVIEWS Do you want to be sure whether the racket you have chosen is actually as you have been told? Go online and read various reviews. Users who have already purchased the racket are your best friend, by reading about their experiences you know approximately what to expect when buying a new racket. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY Before you actually buy a new racket, we recommend that you try it out first so that you know that you are making the right choice. It is best for you to determine whether a racket suits you or not, but you must try it out first. Racket test from Padelshop: To help you find the best racket, Padelshop offers a unique service to test your racket at our Padel Experience Center in Alphen aan den Rijn. Book a free 30 minute personal racket test. Read more about Padelshop's racket test.                                     Â
8 TIPS FOR WHEN YOU PLAY AGAINST A BETTER OPPONENT
We've all experienced it, you step on the field and the opponent turns out to be almost a professional. However, when an opponent is better, this does not immediately mean that you and your partner have no chance. So how do you ensure that you play a good game and that you also continue to have fun in a seemingly difficult game? We have again listed a number of tips that should help you when you play against a better opponent. DON'T GIVE UP!When you play against a better opponent you may think about giving up. You may think that the chances of winning are slim anyway, so why bother? Very simple, a match can always go either way. It is not certain that a better opponent will also be the winner. That is why it is important to always give everything. In addition, playing against a better opponent is a good exercise. You can always learn a lot from someone who is better than you. In this, you can play well with a control racket. Some examples for good controlling rackets are; HEAD Zephyr, Nox ML10 Pro Cup Black Edition and Dunlop Speed Attack. BE ON TIMEMake sure you are on time with your partner. By being present earlier, there is a good chance that there is still a free track so that you can warm up in advance. You can also use the extra time to discuss the strategy with your partner. This way you are optimally prepared for the competition. GO BACK IN TIMEIt's probably not the first time you've played against an opponent who is better than you. So go back in time and analyze the last match where you played against a better opponent. Try to remember what went wrong in that match and what went right. You can use this experience to make sure you don't make the same mistakes as you did then. ANALYZE YOUR OPPONENT’S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES From the moment you are on the court you have to start analyzing the opponent. You do this so that you find out the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent. Once you understand what these points are, you can anticipate them. Together with your partner you have to come up with a strategy in which you try to avoid the stronger points of your opponent as much as possible and instead seek out the weaker points. TIP: Did your match end earlier and are you waiting for the next opponent? Then check out the other matches, this is the best chance to analyze your potential new opponents before the match. SET GOALSBefore or during a match it is useful to set goals. Setting goals provides extra motivation. These goals can be very different from each other. It can relate to the minimum number of points you want to get to conquer the net position for a certain time. Think about which goals are realistic and strive to achieve these goals. KEEP YOUR FOCUSDuring a competition you always have a moment when your concentration decreases. However, a better opponent can immediately use this and score points. Therefore make sure that you play with full concentration throughout the match. A good tactic can be to hit the ball as close to the glass as possible. Read how best to do that here. ENSURE CONNECTIONChances are that if the opponents are aware that they are better than you and your partner, they will play less intensively. They already expect that they will emerge as the winner of the competition. However, this is not certain, so ensure that you have a maximum bet so that you have a chance of connecting with the opponent from the start of the match. In this way, the opponent has to increase their own intensity again, but this is difficult to adjust during a match. STAY POSITIVEMake sure you stay positive. It may happen that the match does not go as you would like. However, there is no point in getting grumpy/angry about this. By staying positive you keep motivating yourself to continue and get the best out of you and your partner. In addition, every match is a learning moment, so don't see it as a loss but as a good experience that you can use in the future.Finally, it is important to play padel with a racket that suits your level and type of player. For optimal performance check out our racket collection.                               Â
3 TIPS FOR BETTER DEFENSE
You play a padel match for fun, but also secretly to win. But you don't just win. The opponent will also do everything possible to step off the track as the winner. Out of the will to win, you quickly opt for the attack, but sometimes it is smarter to focus on your defense. Defense and control is just as important in padel. If you have your defense in order, you can resist your opponent and create new opportunities for you and your partner. But how do you create control and calmness while defending? And how do you then convert that into resistance so that you can control the match again? This article discusses the three most important factors that are essential for your defense and how you can improve it. POSTURE When you're defending you need to be able to react quickly and alertly, so it's important to take an active stance. Most of the balls you will have to defend will be low and deep. Make sure that you can react quickly to the blows of the opponent with both your upper and lower body. You do this by holding your racket in front of you and your legs bent. By adopting this position, your body is low in the center of gravity, so you can quickly change direction and give the ball power during the recoil. POSITIONING Another important point to pay attention to when defending is your position on the court. Your defensive position should always be behind the line, this is the defense zone. Most importantly, make sure you never defend in the middle of the lane (transition zone), this is the worst possible place to defend. This is because the opponent can play the ball at your feet, which makes it very difficult for you to hit the ball back. In the picture you can see the different zones in the field and where the defense zone is located. DEFENSIVE PLAYS As you know there are different types of strokes in padel. When you are defending you will have to react to the different blows. Defending a smash When defending a smash you have to pay close attention to the height at which the opponent hits the ball. When the ball is returned at the level of his/her chest, you must stay close to the glass behind. However, when the opponent hits the ball above his/her head, you have to go forward, because there is a good chance that the ball will bounce 'far' from the glass. Defending a lob How you defend a lob depends on the location of the lob. When the lob is deep you have to let it bounce, when the lob comes in front it is best to hit it back immediately. Defending a backspin Defending a spin is very difficult, these balls will often bounce directly on the ground after hitting the back wall. To hit these balls back, it's best to make sure your point of contact is in front of you, by bending your legs so that you're almost against the glass. In addition, keep your racket ready by pulling it back. TIP: Try changing the speed of your strokes to surprise the opponent.
