u/bachaterol

As I keep improving my level, I realise that the more "loose" I hit a certain shot, the more accurate and impactful it becomes. I noticed this especially with overheads like bandeja or vibora. When I say loose or relaxed, I do not mean limp, but more of a "whip-like" movement which looks relaxed but has power in it.

However, I am still feeling that my body gets very stiff when I am hitting the ball, and it interrupts the flow and I lose control of the shot. It is either too powerful, or falls short at the net.

When I watch better and more professional players, I can see this relaxed, elastic motion behind their shots, regardless of it being a soft one like chiquita or a power move like smash. Of course, they are so good at making it look easy.

So my question to more advanced players: am I being accurate when I make this assumption? Or would you describe it differently?

It is hard to see this from outside so I am wondering how your body feels like when you make contact with the ball.

I think the commentator dude with a low pitch voice is getting paid to watch the match from his sofa. His only contribution to the match is to say "Woooow", "Ooooh my goodness!", "Ho ho ho!!!!!", "This is a thing of beauty!" and heavy Darth Vader breathing.

I make the same comments watching it alone at home and he gets paid for it? 😅

Then there is the woman guest who takes ages to build a sentence and is talking about the last point while the new point is being played. When she joins the other woman commentator (like in the finals of the last tournament), they talk non-stop for a whole 5 minutes while the point is being played, as if they came there to have a chat.

I think Premier Padel can do better here. (leaving Gonza & Nico and Sandy aside)

I am an intermediate player and when I play against advanced players, I am amazed by how precisely they can send the ball where they want with little effort and a small touch of the racket, often to blind spots that I never thought of defending. The ball is sometimes so slow that it's way harder to defend than a fast vibora or smash.

Whereas at my level, it's mostly about hitting it hard and fast, and winning the points by either smashes or sending it so fast that the defender can't catch up with it.

As part of my progression to upper intermediate and advanced level, I would like to develop this touch: hitting the ball with more control and consistency.

For those that already play at this level, any advice or tips you can provide? How did you make the transition from playing with "brute force" into effortless power? I would appreciate all the help, long or short.

Do you think teams with a left handed player playing on the right side have major advantage over "standard" setups with both players right handed? Do you also notice this in your matches?

With Tapia & Coello dominating the first spot and Bea and Paula beating the world #1s Delfi and Gemma several times in Premier Padel, I am starting to think that it makes a clear difference. Especially with those left handed players that can also smash or attack from the right side like Paula or Arturo, mirroring a left-side player, instead of a more defensive right handed player that occasionally attacks.

What do you think?