Padel strokes, from derecha and revés to bandeja, víbora and remate por 3, wall play (back-wall exit, double wall, bajada, contrapared), slow play (globo, chiquita) and team tactics: net control, switching positions after a globo, playing through the middle.
The program is built from the PlanSports training catalogue for Padel: 51 techniques in 8 families, 25 drills and 10 tactical principles. In the app you pick what you work on today, log attempts and successes per technique, and your coach sees the progress.
Three sessions built from the drills below, from beginner to advanced. Durations are indicative; in the app you swap drills and log each one.
Day 1
approx. 52 min
Day 2
approx. 118 min
Day 3
approx. 65 min
51 techniques in 8 families. For each: what it is, key points and common mistakes. Open a family to see them.
The basic stroke on the dominant side: short preparation, contact in front of the body, a controlled ball, usually flat or slightly sliced, deep or at the net players' feet.
The stroke on the opposite side, almost always one-handed and slightly sliced for control; some players use a two-handed backhand for back-court balls.
A backspin derecha that keeps the ball low after the bounce and reduces the rebound off the wall — ideal for balls at the net players' feet.
A topspin derecha that dips quickly after the net — used as a passing shot or on high, slow balls when the opponents are at the net.
A fast shot from the back, past the opposing net player — down the line (along the side wall) or crosscourt, when an opponent has left space.
A backhand with both hands, useful for power on back-court balls and wall exits; less used on the volley.
The ball rebounds off the back wall; you move back with it, shoulder towards the wall, and hit it as it comes off the wall and drops.
The same principle on the backhand side: move back with your shoulder towards the wall and hit a controlled slice as the ball drops.
The ball rebounds off the side glass and changes direction towards the centre: position yourself away from the wall and hit it after it comes out.
The ball hits the back wall first, then the side wall, and comes out towards the centre; you must wait for the second rebound without getting too close.
The ball hits the side glass first, then the back glass, and comes out slowly, close to the wall. The hardest exit: it takes patience and space.
On a high ball coming off the back wall, you hit it hard, high to low, like a lowered smash — turning defence into attack.
A rescue shot: you can no longer hit towards the opponents, so you send the ball into your own back (or side) wall, from where it flies over the net. Legal, as long as it doesn't touch your own ground.
After a remate por 3 or por 4, you run through the side door or behind the court and bring the ball back into play (on courts that allow it).
A short volley with the racket in front of the body, slightly sliced, to send the ball deep or to the feet.
A volley on the backhand side, with the shoulders turned and contact in front; the most used volley at the net, including on balls at the body.
On fast balls, you just put the racket there and block, using the pace of the ball; typical in fast exchanges at the net and on balls at the body.
A sliced volley sent deep that dies after rebounding off the opponents' back wall and keeps them back.
A volley below net height (after a chiquita): bend your knees, open the racket face and play slow, deep or back to the feet.
The ball hit immediately after the bounce, at your feet, in the transition zone — usually when you come in and get caught by a chiquita.
A softened volley that drops just after the net, preferably towards the side wall, when the opponents are far back, near the back wall.
On a high ball at the net, a firm volley downwards, to the feet or angled towards the side mesh (reja), so the ball doesn't come back.
Padel's signature shot: a defensive, controlled overhead with slice, hit to the side of the body at head height to keep the net after a globo. The ball goes deep and dies after the back wall.
The aggressive version of the bandeja: faster, with heavy sidespin (slice-sidespin), hit lower and further behind the body, towards the glass-side corner, so the ball comes out low and hugs the wall.
A powerful, flat smash, down to the feet, middle or side mesh — on a short globo, when you can finish directly without using the walls.
A topspin smash that lands about 1 m in front of the opponents' service line, rebounds off the back wall and leaves the court over the side wall (3 m).
A flat, very powerful smash that bounces steeply and goes over the back wall (4 m) — the pure power shot on a short globo.
An overhead with very heavy topspin, usually from the right side of the court, which after the bounce heads for the side wall / mesh and comes out low and unpredictable or stays stuck to the reja.
An overhead on the backhand side (for the left-side player), hit with a forehand motion above the opposite shoulder, flat or sliced, towards the side mesh or the feet.
A globo on the backhand with no time to run around it: a short, controlled backhand overhead so you don't lose the net.
The most important shot from the back of the court: a high, deep ball over the net players that forces them back and lets you take the net.
A lower globo with topspin that quickly clears a net player who is too close to the net and runs away after the bounce towards the back wall.
A slow, low ball, slightly sliced, sent to the net players' feet or through the middle, forcing them to volley upwards; it sets up your move to the net.
A sliced drop shot that falls just after the net, preferably towards the side wall, when the opponents are far back.
The standard serve: sliced, at waist height, deep, with the ball staying low after the back wall; followed by moving up to the net.
A topspin serve that bounces higher and comes quickly off the back wall; a variation against returners expecting a low ball.
A fast, flat serve into the returner's body or to the T, to rush them.
The basic return: crosscourt, low, at the feet of the server coming in, away from the opposing net player.
A lobbed return over the net player, to push the opponents off the net and take it yourselves.
A return past the opposing net player, along the side wall — a surprise, when the net player cheats towards the centre.
A small preparatory hop as the opponent strikes, at the net and at the back.
Turn sideways and move back with shuffle or crossover steps, without taking your eyes off the ball — for the bandeja, víbora or to play the globo off the wall.
Move back together with the ball, leaving enough space between you and the wall, and step forward as it comes out.
After a globo, chiquita or serve, move up together with your partner to 2–3 m from the net, with a split step on every opponent's shot.
The pair moves together towards the ball side, keeping a constant distance and closing the middle — at the net and at the back.
The team at the net wins most of the points: keep the net with deep volleys and bandejas, without risk, until you get the ball to finish.
From the back: a good globo or chiquita, then move up together. The deep globo is the main way to switch roles in a point.
When a globo goes over one of you, the partner crosses diagonally to play it (off the wall or with a bandeja), and the other moves to the open side. Call “switch!” / “mine!”.
A ball through the middle creates hesitation between the opponents, reduces their angles and can't go out over the side; the net is lowest in the centre.
Focus your balls on the weaker or tired opponent (or their backhand), to force errors and throw their partner out of rhythm.
Under attack: let the ball come off the wall, play slow (globo, chiquita, middle), without risk, until the ball that lets you move up arrives.
25 drills by kind: warm-up, technical, tactical, physical, play. Duration, volume, what you need, the goal and how you know it worked.
Volley–volley at the net (3 min), then one player at the back and one at the net with controlled rallies (5 min), switching roles.
What you need: Partner or pair vs. pair.
Goal: Feel for the ball, continental grip, racket in front.
Success: 30 consecutive shots without an error.
Works on: Forehand volley (volea de derecha), Backhand volley (volea de revés), Block volley, Derecha (forehand), Revés (backhand)
Light jogging, shuffle steps, crossover steps, lateral retreats, lunges with rotation, split steps on a signal and short sprints back → net.
What you need: Clear court.
Goal: Joint preparation and activation of specific movements.
Success: Full circuit, no rest.
Works on: Split step, Lateral retreat (for the globo), Moving up to the net
The coach sends balls that rebound off the back wall, alternating derecha and revés. The player moves back with the shoulder towards the wall, lets the ball come out and plays it towards the cones.
What you need: Coach with a basket at the net; cones as a target in the middle, deep.
Goal: Reading the rebound and positioning relative to the wall.
Success: 7 out of 10 balls controlled to the target.
Works on: Back-wall exit, derecha, Back-wall exit, revés, Positioning at the wall
Balls that hit the side wall, then back → side and side → back combinations. The reply: a globo or a slow ball through the middle.
What you need: Coach with a basket.
Goal: Patience and reading trajectories out of the corner.
Success: 6 out of 10 balls played correctly, without getting jammed.
Works on: Side-wall exit, Double wall: back → side, Double wall: side → back, Defensive globo (lob)
The high ball comes off the back wall; the player moves back, waits for it to drop and attacks high to low, to the net players' feet or through the middle.
What you need: Coach sending high lobs into the back wall; targets at the feet.
Goal: Turning a defensive ball into an attack.
Success: 5 out of 8 balls in the target zones, below net height on arrival.
Works on: Bajada de pared (attacking off the wall), Positioning at the wall
Balls that get past the player into the corner: rescue with a contrapared (into your own wall, over the net). Then fed remates por 3, going out through the door and bringing the ball back.
What you need: Coach with a basket at the net; court with side doors for the second part.
Goal: Rescue shots, as a last resort.
Success: 4 out of 6 balls back over the net.
Works on: Contrapared (hitting into your own wall), Playing outside the court (salir de la pista)
Player at the net: 4 deep volleys (that die after the wall), 4 at the feet, 4 low (after a chiquita), alternating derecha and revés.
What you need: Coach with a basket at the back; zones marked deep and at the feet.
Goal: Volley control, varying the depth.
Success: 9 out of 12 in the target zones.
Works on: Forehand volley (volea de derecha), Backhand volley (volea de revés), Deep volley (control), Low volley, Media volea (half volley)
After each globo: lateral retreat, a deep bandeja to the corner or middle, then back to the net (touch the net with the racket). Variation: alternate a bandeja and a víbora.
What you need: Coach lobbing from a basket; the player starts at the net.
Goal: Keeping the net after a globo.
Success: 6 out of 8 deep bandejas that don't come far off the wall, with a return to the net.
Works on: Bandeja, Víbora, Lateral retreat (for the globo)
Short globo: flat remate to the feet/reja; then por 3 (bounce in front of the service line, out over the side); then por 4 (flat, over the back wall); plus rulo and gancho on balls to the right / left.
What you need: Coach lobbing short; targets marked (1 m in front of the opponents' service line).
Goal: Finishing the point on a short globo.
Success: Por 3: at least 3 out of 8 balls leave the court; the rest don't come back easily into play.
Works on: Flat remate (smash), Remate por 3 (x3), Remate por 4 (x4), Rulo, Gancho (hook)
On a deep globo: bandeja (or víbora) and back to the net. On a short globo: remate por 3 or flat. The coach records the correct decisions.
What you need: Coach mixing deep and short globos.
Goal: Choosing the right overhead based on the length of the globo.
Success: Correct decision on 8 out of 10.
Works on: Bandeja, Víbora, Remate por 3 (x3), Flat remate (smash), Remate de revés (backhand overhead)
Globos from the back of the court, direct and off the wall, over the coach at the net; on each side (derecha and revés).
What you need: Coach at the net; target zone marked 1–2 m from the opponents' back wall.
Goal: Globo accuracy — the most important defensive shot.
Success: 6 out of 10 in the target zone, none smashable.
Works on: Defensive globo (lob), Offensive globo (topspin), Back-wall exit, derecha, Back-wall exit, revés
The back player plays chiquitas at the net players' feet, then moves into the transition zone and plays a media volea / low volley on the reply.
What you need: Two net players (or coach + partner); hoops at the opponents' service line.
Goal: The slow ball at the feet and moving in behind it.
Success: 6 out of 10 chiquitas force an upward volley.
Works on: Chiquita, Dejada (drop shot), Media volea (half volley), Moving up to the net
Serve 5 to each target, moving up to the net after every serve. Then the returner practises crosscourt resto at the feet, globo and down the line.
What you need: Basket of balls; targets at the T, the body, the side glass.
Goal: A reliable, deep serve and a return that neutralises the move to the net.
Success: At least 90% of serves in, 60% in the target zone; return at the feet 6 out of 10.
Works on: Sliced saque (cortado), Topspin saque (liftado), Flat saque, Crosscourt resto (at the server's feet), Globo resto, Down-the-line resto
Balls before the wall, alternating derecha and revés: flat through the middle, sliced at the feet, topspin down the line (passing shot).
What you need: Coach with a basket; cones in the middle and at the feet.
Goal: Control of direction and spin without the walls.
Success: 7 out of 10 in the target zone.
Works on: Derecha (forehand), Revés (backhand), Sliced derecha (cortada), Topspin derecha (liftada), Passing shot (down the line or crosscourt), Two-handed revés
The net pair tries to keep the net with deep volleys and bandejas; the back pair tries to win it back with globos and chiquitas. Double point if the back pair manages to move up and wins the point.
What you need: 4 players: one pair at the net, one at the back.
Goal: Controlling and winning back the net — padel's core situation.
Success: The net pair wins over 60% of points; the back pair moves up on over 30%.
Works on: Net control, Winning back the net (globo + move up), Bandeja, Defensive globo (lob), Chiquita, Deep volley (control)
The globos get past the net player: the partner crosses diagonally to play the ball (off the wall or with a bandeja), and the net player moves to the other side. Communication is mandatory (“switch!”). Then win back the net together.
What you need: One pair at the net, the coach lobs over one player or the other.
Goal: Making the switch automatic and communication.
Success: No gaps on the open side on 7 out of 8 globos.
Works on: Switching positions as a pair (crossing), Moving as a pair (“tied with a rope”), Back-wall exit, derecha, Bandeja
Double point for a winning ball through the middle; point lost for a ball out over the side. The pairs also practise covering the middle: who takes the ball in the centre (usually the player with the derecha on the diagonal).
What you need: 4 players; a central lane marked with tape.
Goal: Playing through the middle and covering it.
Success: At least 50% of points won through the middle; zero uncovered hesitations.
Works on: Playing through the middle, Moving as a pair (“tied with a rope”), Block volley
The back pair receives volleys, bandejas and víboras; they must play off the wall, slowly (globo, chiquita, middle), without risk, and move up at the first chance.
What you need: The coach or a pair attacks from the net; the pair defends from the back.
Goal: Patience in defence and using the walls.
Success: At least 4 net recoveries per set.
Works on: Defending from the back, Back-wall exit, derecha, Back-wall exit, revés, Defensive globo (lob), Contrapared (hitting into your own wall)
The server moves up after every serve; the returning pair tries a resto at the feet, a globo or down the line. The serving pair must reach the net and win the point.
What you need: 4 players.
Goal: The serving advantage: moving up and the first volley.
Success: The serving pair wins over 60% of points.
Works on: Sliced saque (cortado), Moving up to the net, Low volley, Crosscourt resto (at the server's feet), Globo resto
One pair may only play to one opponent (exception: the winning ball). The opponents practise helping the partner (intercepting in the middle).
What you need: 4 players; the coach names the “target”.
Goal: Pressure on one player and, conversely, protecting the partner.
Success: The target makes at least 60% of their pair's errors.
Works on: Playing on one opponent, Playing through the middle, Chiquita, Defensive globo (lob)
Sprint to the net (touch it), lateral retreat to the service line (shadow bandeja), sprint to the back wall (shadow wall exit), return to the net with a split step.
What you need: Cones at the net, at the service line and by the back wall.
Goal: Speed specific to padel movement.
Success: Number of full laps in 20 s, consistent across all 6 sets.
Works on: Split step, Lateral retreat (for the globo), Moving up to the net, Positioning at the wall
Lateral lunges, deep squats (low-volley position), rotational medicine ball throws, band external rotations (shoulder), side plank, short jumps, wrist extensions, ankle exercises.
What you need: Resistance band, medicine ball, open space.
Goal: Leg strength for low balls, trunk rotation, injury prevention for the shoulder, elbow and wrist.
Success: All rounds completed, clean execution.
Each round is played with a different partner; points are added up individually. Tactical objective set by the coach (e.g. “globo after every return”).
What you need: 8+ players, 2+ courts.
Goal: Playing with different partners, adaptation and communication.
Success: Individual points added up.
The king pair stays at the net; the challengers start at the back with a ball from the coach. If the challengers win the point, they take the kings' place. Points are only scored as king.
What you need: 3+ pairs; one side of the court is the “throne”.
Goal: Point pressure, net control.
Success: Each pair's points.
Works on: Net control, Winning back the net (globo + move up)
Tie-breaks to 7; the pair is given a theme (e.g. bandeja only, no remate; or double point after a successful chiquita + move up).
What you need: 4 players.
Goal: Applying tactics under scoreboard pressure.
Success: Tie-breaks won and percentage of themes respected.
Works on: Net control, Chiquita, Bandeja
The tactical principles of the sport and the drills used to train each.
In padel, the pair at the net wins most points. The whole game comes down to winning the net and keeping it: from the back you play to move up, from the net you play so as not to lose your position.
Drills: Net vs. back (2 vs 2), King of the net
On a deep globo you don't try to finish: a deep bandeja or víbora that dies after the wall, and you get back to the net. The remate (flat, por 3, por 4) only on a short globo. Deep volleys and at the feet, not pace towards the back glass.
Drills: Bandeja series, Bandeja or remate? (decision), Net vs. back (2 vs 2)
A good, deep globo over the net player's backhand forces the opponents back and lets you move up together. The chiquita at the feet is the alternative when the opponents stay back from the net.
Drills: Globo to a target, Chiquita at the feet, Net vs. back (2 vs 2)
At the back, let the ball come off the wall: you have more time and can choose a globo, chiquita or bajada. Hard shots into the opponents' glass come back into play — slow, precise play beats power.
Drills: Back-wall exit (basket), Side wall and double wall, Defending from the back against remates
When the globo gets past a net player, the partner crosses diagonally for that ball, and the net player moves to the side left open. One-word communication and automatic responses make the difference.
Drills: Globo and switching positions
A ball through the middle creates hesitation between partners, reduces the opponents' angles and can't go out over the side; the net is lower in the centre. The defending pair must agree who takes the balls in the centre.
Drills: Points through the middle only, Playing on one opponent
The two players move up and back together and slide sideways towards the ball, keeping their distance. One player at the net and the other at the back leaves a diagonal open.
Drills: Serve and move to the net (live), Globo and switching positions
A deep sliced serve followed by moving straight up to the net puts the serving pair in the attacking position. The return looks for the feet of the server coming in or a globo over the net player.
Drills: Saque and resto to targets, Serve and move to the net (live)
Focus your balls on one opponent (the weakest, the tired one or their backhand); their partner gets into the game less often and goes cold. Watch out for interceptions in the middle.
Drills: Playing on one opponent
You don't win points from the back with power: play slow, low, through the middle or a globo, until the ball comes that lets you move up. Contrapared and playing outside the court are last-resort options.
Drills: Defending from the back against remates, Contrapared and playing outside the court
The criteria your coach grades from 1 to 10 in the app, in four directions.
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