You’re going to love Padel.
The best decision you will ever make, is reading this article and then giving it a go ! So you have heard your friends go on about Padel this new sport, and yes you saw it being played when holidaying in Spain or Portugal you might have watched a few videos on Youtube, you are close to booking a court here in Dublin, but where ? where can you play ?
Unfortunately currently thats the problem there are only four padel courts in Bushy Park & two in Bective, Donnybrook which is near impossible to get a booking but dont give up yet, we believe its only a matter of months (now Jan 2023) before there will be more padel venues opening up.
So when then Padel Venues open up the questions is, what can you expect on your first game ?
For many who turn up having watched YouTube videos, there will be a lot of trepidation as the pros make the walls and running outside of the court look easy, but that is not what its about. Watching Padel videos is like watching Nadel & Djokovic play the final of Wimbeldon and surely you dont go on court and expect to play the same.
This leads us into what you can expect from your first game at The Padel Club.
A Quick Introduction
Whenever you book your first court session you can expect to be welcomed by an instructor & a quick introduction. Here, you will be explained the rules and more importantly how to play. You will have never have held a padel bat before (probably) so you need to get used to the weight and how it feels when striking the ball. If you have come from Tennis the Padel bat is much shorter than a racket and will take some adjusting to the distance or lack of.
Feel the contact Learning how to hold the racket is essential part of your introductory You will be amazed at how good it feels and the control you have! Then comes the serve. In a padel game all serves are underarm and like tennis you serve cross court. The final part of your first day is then playing a few shots. You will quickly learn that power & big back swing is your enemy but hitting the ball over the net really isn’t that hard but remember softly.
The walls are your best friend!
A few months into the Padel, you will agree with us ! Again unlike tennis there are walls to help you navigate the ball around the padel court , but remember the ball must first bounce on the ground and then the wall. Its out if it hits the wall first.
The walls are a major part of the sport & learning about rebounds is just one of those things that will take time, at a guess we would say 10 hours on a court will give you a good understand of how to play with the wall.
Time is the best kept secret
(Yvonne) When I first was introduced to Padel, my spanish coach would always say to us (as the ball was heading for the wall) “ladies you have time for a coffee” , in other words dont panic, dont rush, breath and the ball will come back to you, and how right Coach Manolo was ! You have alot more time than you think, and this time element catches a lot of players out. Using the wall as a time delay gives you more time to get into a good position, see where your opponents are and then prepare for the shot.
Start slow, & then build up your speed
(Siobhán).. Yes, the best advice is start slow. Lots of people mistakenly think that power is needed to play padel in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Padel is arguably more strategy than most racket sports, so it is good to practice hitting the ball with different speeds into different areas of the court. Whether you are playing with other first timers or against seasoned players, you should always see how your opponent’s deal with these type of shots so you can work out which shots can be effective. Once you have more time and practice under your belt, you will know when hitting the ball harder will be beneficial or not.
Tactics are everything
They say padel resembles Chess, its essential to have tactics when playing the game as well. To be honest you can read up on this, as it will make a lot of sense once you start playing regularly.
Trying to finish points too quickly is not advised, the whole idea of Padel is staying longer in the point until you have a good opportunity to finish the point. Getting a feel for the tactics by using the lob, hitting slower volleys and using a variety of smashes is most important.
Make new friends is the easiest thing to do !
One of the big attractions with Padel is that it is extremely sociable. If you’re by yourself, The Padel Club will have a players Whats App group helping you to meet new people and get a game with strangers – who will quickly turn into friends. These can then become your regular playing partners or you just meet other people at other times. This works so well in Bushy Park, both Yvonne & Siobhán belong to several groups and could get an invite twice a week, which can make you a little lazy to book courts yourself !
A bit more social stuff
Sometimes being a spectator is just as exciting as playing you really get into the contests on display! pick your team and cheer them on. You will quickly learn that the game of Padel is built on practise to improve, and socialising. Now Get Going !!
Yvonne & Siobhán