Padel, when played at a competitive level, or even during casual matches, is a sport of strategy. It has a certain degree of complexity. It is at this point that you need to understand that the player must not only attack but also defend. That's why we are going to teach you the key points of defensive shots in padel, how to execute them, and their importance in a match.

The importance of defensive shots in padel

"The best offense is a good defense" is one of the most common phrases in the world of sports. In the specific case of padel, we are talking about one of the most important moments of a match, especially if we know that padel works practically on the basis of attack and defense. Padel players don't just defend for the simple fact of resisting their opponents' attack. It's something deeper. Defense in padel also aims to create a strategy. With a defensive shot, players can also make their opponents uncomfortable and have the opportunity to go back on the attack, one of the key objectives of a match. In addition, defense is also used to plan and control a point, to lead to the perfect point to finish it. That's why all players must also learn to play defense, and not focus only on offense. Here are the three most common defensive shots in padel that you must learn at some point in your playing career:

The lob

The lob is one of the most used shots in padel. If you have watched professional matches on the World Padel Tour, you can see that players use it all the time. It is the shot that is made so that the ball takes a great height, without force, but with a lot of placement. The goal of the lob is to bring opponents to the back of the court, slow down the pace of the point, and be able to regain control of the net. To perform a lob correctly, it is necessary to bend the knees to have a good center of gravity, and then the ball must be hit from below, with the face of the racket practically facing upwards. In this way, it will be possible to give the ball a parabolic trajectory. In this video lesson, it is explained how to perform a lob, using basic concepts and tips for those who are learning to hit lobs for the first time. The double wall The double wall is also one of the most common shots in padel. This is when the ball comes towards us and bounces first off the side glass, then off the back glass. This shot tends to be a bit difficult to perform and requires good training and several repetitions to master. In this shot, the player's movement is very important. When the ball begins to move towards the player's side of the court and bounces off the side wall, the player must gain distance and open up towards the center of the court. This way, he/she will have full freedom to hit the ball after it has bounced off the back wall. The player must also bend the knees to be able to make good contact, especially since the ball does not gain much height after the double bounce. In the following video, it is explained in detail how to defend a ball with a double wall shot.

The spin

The spin is one of the most advanced defensive shots, which is practiced when a player already has knowledge of the essential shots. This shot can be somewhat similar to the double wall, in the sense that it is also performed after the ball has bounced off both walls, although in this case, the order may be different. However, the player's trajectory, body movement, and contact with the ball are very different. Here is a video in which Manu Martín shows you how to properly perform the spin shot.