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 progress quickly and effectively, nothing beats doing drills specifically tailored to this sport. Open your padel bag and take out your racket, as this article offers a series of padel drills that will help you improve your performance!

Why include drills in your padel routine?

Improve your technique

Although padel shares similarities with tennis, it has unique features that require specific technical mastery. Drills and physical conditioning for padel are therefore important for improving your shots, footwork, and net play. By practising regularly, you can fine-tune your technique, increase shot accuracy, and become sharper 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, it carries a significant risk of injuries. By including specific drills in 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.

• Goal: Improve attacking and defensive volleys.
• Execution: Rally volleys with a partner while staying close to the net. Focus on timing and coordination. Alternate powerful volleys and more controlled volleys to work on 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 your playing style, is also an essential ingredient for successful shots. You can check our guide on padel rackets to understand how the racket influences 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.
• Execution: Place two markers about 1 metre apart. Perform lateral jumps from one marker to the other, focusing on speed of movement and landing softly. This drill develops both leg power and agility. Make sure you are equipped with 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.
• Execution: Perform muscle-strengthening exercises for the shoulders, arms, and legs, such as push-ups, planks, squats, and lunges. Be 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.