How to volley in padel: short, firm and deep

What a good padel volley looks like

1. Ready. Racket up in front of the chest, head above the wrist, knees soft. Split step as the opponent hits.
2. Preparation. A shoulder turn, not a backswing. The racket moves back no further than your shoulder, often less.
3. Contact. In front of the body, with the racket head at or above the wrist and a slightly open face. Step toward the ball with the opposite foot when there is time.
4. Finish. Short, toward the target, a hand's width or two past contact. The racket stops in front of you.
5. Recovery. Back to the ready position straight away. At the net the next ball is less than a second away.

Grip: continental

Volley with the continental grip: hold the racket like a hammer with the edge of the frame pointing forward, base knuckle of the index finger on the second bevel for a right-hander. It covers the forehand and backhand volley without a change, and it gives the face the slight opening that sends the ball deep with some slice.

Beginners often volley with a forehand grip because it feels stronger. It is, on the forehand side. On the backhand it closes the face and the ball goes into the net, and there is no time to change grip at the net. Keep the grip pressure low while you wait and firm up at contact.

Where to stand at the net

The usual volley position is two to three metres from the net, roughly halfway between the net and the service line. Closer and you get lobbed; further back and the ball arrives at your feet. The two partners move together, as if they were tied by a rope: when one goes to the side, the other slides toward the middle.

Split step every time an opponent hits, and after a lob that you had to chase, get back to this position before worrying about anything else.

Block vs punch: the two padel volleys

The block volley (volea bloqueo)

Against a fast ball, such as a drive or a ball at your body, there is no time to swing and no need to. Set the racket in front of you, firm the wrist at contact, and let the pace of the ball do the work. The racket barely moves forward. The feel is closer to catching the ball on the strings than to hitting it. Aim deep through the middle and the ball goes back with the opponent's own pace.

The punch volley

Against a slow or floating ball you have to add the pace. Turn the shoulders, then move the racket forward and slightly down through the ball, a short punch with a little slice (cortado), and step into it. The swing is still compact. The power comes from the step and the shoulder turn, not from swinging the arm.

Cue: the faster the ball, the less you move the racket.

Forehand and backhand volley

• Forehand volley. Turn the shoulders so the racket is beside and slightly in front of the right shoulder (right-hander), face a little open. Step with the left foot, contact in front of that foot, finish toward the target. Keep the elbow in front of the body; an elbow drawn back behind you makes the swing too long.
• Backhand volley. Many padel players find it more solid than the forehand. Turn the shoulders more, use the non-hitting hand on the throat of the racket to take it back, and release it just before contact. Step with the right foot, contact in front, finish short with the racket face still slightly open.
• Balls at the body. Use the backhand. It covers the body more easily than the forehand, and the block volley is enough.

Low volleys and high volleys

Low volleys. The opponents' best shot against the net is the chiquita, a soft, low ball at your feet. Bend the knees, not the back, to get the racket down. Open the face, keep the racket head as high as you can relative to the wrist, and lift the ball softly and deep. A low volley is almost never a winner: the job is to get the ball back deep without giving them an easy one.

High volleys. Shoulder height and above, from a slow ball, is the chance to hurt. Punch down at the feet of the nearer opponent or into the space toward the side glass. If the ball is above your head, that is a bandeja, not a volley.

Where to aim your volleys

• Deep, a metre or two before the back glass. The default. The opponents have to play off the glass and cannot attack you.
• Down the middle. The net is lowest there and both opponents hesitate. When in doubt, the middle.
• At the feet. On a high, slow ball, when an opponent has come forward.
• Toward the side glass at an angle. Short, angled volleys work from close to the net on high balls. From further back they sit up.

Common volley mistakes and how to fix them

• Too big a swing. The ball flies long and you are late for the next one. Fix: the racket should not go behind your shoulder. Practise with your back a few centimetres from a wall.
• Racket head dropping below the wrist. The ball goes into the net or pops up. Fix: bend the knees on low balls and keep the head up.
• Standing still. Arm-only volleys have no depth. Fix: a step toward the ball with the opposite foot whenever there is time.
• Hitting every volley hard. Fast volleys come straight back off the glass. Fix: deep and slow beats fast and middle-depth.
• Standing too close. You get lobbed all day. Fix: two to three metres from the net, and move back a step against players who lob well.
• No split step. You are flat-footed when the ball comes. Fix: hop every time the opponent's racket meets the ball.
• Flat face on the low volley. Fix: open the face and lift with the legs.

Volley drills without a court

The volley is the easiest padel stroke to practise alone, because it is short. Full session in padel training at home, method in shadow swing drills.

• Shadow volleys, 20 alternating. Split step, turn, step across, short punch, back to ready. Cue each rep: racket head above the wrist.
• Hold the wait, 20 reps. Ready position for two seconds between reps. At the net, waiting well is half the job.
• Wall volleys. Two metres from a wall with a foam ball, no bounce, thirty seconds forehand, thirty backhand, then alternate. Step closer when you can keep it going for a minute.
• Low volley lunges, 10 each side. Lunge, racket head up, open face, lift. The legs do the work.

A good volley is not a big wrist whip, so a hit sound built for the whip is not the judge of it. What helps is seeing the path. ShadowSwing's Shot Analysis has a Volley mode: play one volley and orbit a 3D replay of the racket path, which should be short and compact, with the peak speed marked where contact belongs, in front of you.

Volley drills on court

• Deep target. Feeder at the back, you at the net. Towel a metre from the back glass. Twenty volleys, count the ones past the service line.
• Block wall. Feeder hits hard drives at you from the service line. Block only, no swing. Twenty balls.
• Chiquita and volley. Feeder alternates soft chiquitas at your feet and high balls. Low one deep, high one down.
• Two against one at the net. Two volleyers against one player at the back who can lob or drive. The volleyers win a point only after five balls back deep.

Related guides

• How to hit a bandeja
• How to lob in padel
• Padel smash: flat, por tres and por cuatro
• How to play off the back glass
• Padel training at home: drills without a court