Reset Your Court Position Immediately After Any Overhead
The Situation
After you play a bandeja or smash you stand and admire it, then get caught out of position by the reply.
What To Do
The moment you finish any overhead, move, recover forward to your net position with your partner before the opponents play the next ball. Treat the overhead as the start of the next move, not the end of the point.
Why It Works
Overheads rarely end points outright in padel, so where you are for the reply matters more than the shot itself. Players who pause after a bandeja get passed or lobbed again into the same gap. Recovering immediately, and as a connected pair, closes the court so your good overhead translates into sustained net pressure. Footwork after the shot is what separates a defended lob from a lost point.
Court Positioning
Player completes a bandeja then immediately recovers forward while the partner adjusts to stay connected. A dotted 'admire-the-shot' player is shown caught deep and passed for contrast.
Court View
Bird's-eye view: attacking net position
Skill Level
Bandeja: Shuffle Back, Slice, Return Forward
You are lobbed while at the net. The lob is medium depth, not short enough to attack, not deep enough to let bounce.
Víbora Only on Short Lobs: Never Deep
The opponent lobs short, the ball is above shoulder height and well inside the service line.
Always Lob to the Backhand Overhead Side
You are choosing where to direct your lobs from the back of the court.