Types of shots in padel: the forehand shot

The forehand is one of the first shots learned in padel, and according to amateurs, one of the easiest to learn. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to give you some small tips with the most common mistakes so that they don't happen again:

1st. Ready position for the forehand shot

Feet should be parallel and aligned with the shoulders, the racket resting in the left hand, aligned with the center of our chest, always avoiding the racket being down. Legs slightly bent to be active and ready to move as quickly as possible and not be caught by surprise.

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2nd. Starting from the ready position, we will move to a new position which is the backswing: We turn our shoulders, pointing the left shoulder towards the ball, the left hand should always point where the ball bounces, raising the racket back without changing its position. The body weight shifts from the back leg to the front leg when hitting the ball.

3rd. We reach the impact phase: hit the ball at waist height, exactly on the imaginary line of our left hip (the face of the racket is what indicates the direction of the ball when hitting), where the face of the racket points, that's where the ball will go. We will always hit with confidence.

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4th. And finally, the last phase is the follow-through of the shot. Finishing the movement with the racket at the height of the opposite shoulder, pointing the edge of the racket towards the net.

Most common mistakes in the forehand shot

-Not bending the knees. -Not stopping to hit. -Raising the elbow when hitting. -Impact phase too far in front or behind the body. -Preparing with the arm too tucked in or too extended. -Hitting the ball from below or above. -Finishing downwards or too far upwards. -Having a very loose wrist. -Not accompanying the movement with the body. -Hitting face on. -Raising the elbow. -We should never be sideways to execute the shot. Few people actually do it, always on the backhand, but never on the forehand. I suppose it's due to relaxation or confidence but the fact is that it's not done. -Excessive follow-through: The shot should finish with the racket in front of us. The problem with a long follow-through is that it gives too much depth to the ball.