Padel drills: boost your game with targeted training

Padel is a dynamic sport! It requires technical skills, good physical fitness, and a well-thought-out strategy all at once. 

To improve quickly and effectively, there’s nothing better than exercises specifically tailored to the sport. Open your padel bag and take out your racket, because this article offers a series of padel exercises to help you improve your performance!

Why include drills in your padel routine?

Improve your technique

Although padel resembles tennis in some ways, it has its own characteristics that require specific technical skills. Exercises and physical training for padel are therefore important for improving your shots, your movement and your play at the net. With regular practice, you can refine your technique, increase the accuracy of your shots and become quicker on court.

Build your physical fitness

Beyond technical skills, good physical fitness is very important in padel! Padel drills will not only help you improve the power of your shots, but also build your endurance, explosiveness, and agility. This allows you to last longer on the court and react faster to balls.

Prevent injuries

Padel can be an intense sport and, like any racket sport, carries a significant risk of injury. By incorporating specific exercises into your training, you also work on the prevention of padel injuries, particularly sprains, muscle strains and pain caused by repetitive movements.

Padel drills to improve your technique

1. Serve drill

Because it starts every point, the serve is one of the most important shots in padel. An effective serve allows you to take control of the point and win direct points. Here is a drill to perfect your serve:

• Goal: Improve the accuracy and power of your serve.
• Execution: Do series of serves to different areas of the court, alternating targets (backhand, forehand, service T). Use visual markers like cones or lines to help target specific areas of the court. Also work on the height and trajectory of your serves.
• Duration: 10 minutes of serving on each side of the court, trying to gradually increase speed while maintaining accuracy.

2. Volée drills

The volée is a fundamental skill in padel, especially at the net. This drill will help you improve your reaction time and the accuracy of your volleys.

• Aim: Improve offensive and defensive volleys.
• How to do it: Rally with a partner using volleys, staying close to the net. Focus on timing and coordination. Alternate powerful volleys with more controlled ones to practise different match situations.
• Duration: 10 to 15 minutes of rallying at the net.

3. Forehand and backhand drill

The forehand and backhand are the basic shots in padel, but their execution can be tricky to master. Here is a drill to work on the accuracy and consistency of these two shots.

• Goal: Improve forehand and backhand shots.
• Execution: Have a partner feed you balls at moderate speed and work on your forehands and backhands. Focus on ball placement and hitting technique.
• Duration: 10 minutes for each shot (forehand and backhand).

A good padel racket suited to your level and playing style is also essential for hitting successful shots. Read our guide to padel rackets to understand how your racket affects your performance.

Padel drills to build physical fitness

1. Zigzag run

Padel demands quick changes of direction, great agility, and instant reflexes. This drill is perfect for boosting your explosiveness and agility.

• Goal: Enhance agility and speed in lateral movements.
• Execution: Place cones or markers on the court and do a zigzag run between these points. Maintain good posture with your knees slightly bent and eyes on the court. This simulates the movements you make during a match.
• Duration: 5 series of 30 seconds with 30 seconds of recovery between each set.

2. Lateral jumps

Lateral jumps strengthen your legs while simulating the movements you make on court.

• Goal: Work on legs and explosiveness.
• How to do it: Place two markers about 1 metre apart. Jump sideways from one marker to the other, focusing on moving quickly and landing softly. This exercise develops both leg power and agility. Make sure you’re wearing a good pair of padel shoes!
• Duration: 3 series of 30 seconds with 1 minute of rest.

3. Sprints and backhand sequence

Padel requires fast sprints and frequent changes of direction. This drill will help you improve your speed while working on your backhand technique.

• Goal: Improve speed and backhand control in dynamic situations.
• Execution: Place markers 10-15 metres apart. Sprint fast to a marker, then execute an accurate backhand after making a quick change of direction. Repeat this sequence several times.
• Duration: 10 minutes, varying distances and angles.

Padel drills to prevent injuries

1. Stretching and muscle strengthening

Strengthening the stabilizing muscles is crucial to prevent injuries, especially in the shoulders, knees, and wrinsts, areas under particular strain in padel.

• Goal: Prevent injuries and improve mobility.
• How to do it: Do strength exercises for your shoulders, arms and legs, such as press-ups, planks, squats and lunges. Make sure to include specific padel stretches to improve flexibility.
• Duration: 15-20 minutes, to be included at the end of each session.

2. Proprioception exercises

Proprioception drills improve balance and coordination, which are essential to avoid injuries linked to poor posture or unexpected movements.

• Goal: Enhance proprioception and balance.
• Execution: Use a stability ball or a balance board to perform single-leg balance exercises, closing your eyes to increase the difficulty.
• Duration: 10 minutes a day, alongside your sessions.