Court positioning in padel: 5 essential rules

The fastest way to improve in padel is not hitting harder — it is standing in the right place. In most amateur matches points are not won; they are lost through positioning mistakes. The five rules below will visibly change your game without teaching you a single new stroke.

1. Stay level with your partner. Think of a pair as two players tied together by an invisible rope. If one moves forward, so does the other; if one drops back, both drop back. A diagonal pair always leaves an open corridor, and experienced opponents find it immediately. In training, try to keep three to four metres between you at all times.

2. Coming to the net is a process, not a decision. Instead of sprinting to the net in one move after the serve, use a split point in midcourt. Stand ready for your opponent's shot and take the final step once the direction is clear. A player caught running is always late on the lob, because their feet are off the ground.

3. On glass balls, open sideways instead of stepping back. The right way to follow a ball off the wall is not to chase it backwards but to open to the side and take it in front of you. This gives you room to rotate your body and lets you see the court after the shot.

4. Own the baseline in defence and the net line in attack. The weakest zone in padel is the middle of the court: you can neither answer the lob nor cut off the volley. When you hesitate, decide quickly and choose one of the two ends.

5. Recover to the centre after every shot. Staying where you hit the ball is a free angle for your opponent. As soon as the stroke is finished, take two or three small steps back to the middle of your zone.

Work on these five rules as your only target for a week. You will see your point count rise without touching the quality of your strokes.