When I began playing Padel, I saw my service as a chance to secure a point instantly. However, as I faced more skilled opponents, I learned that my powerful service could be easily handled.
To maximize the effectiveness of your padel service, the ideal Angle to serve from is near the centreline. This not only facilitates serving down the middle with greater ease and poses a challenge for your opponent, but it also enhances the effectiveness of serving wide towards the glass. By serving from this Angle, the ball stays close to the glass after bouncing.
By examining all the factors, we can understand why serving closer to the centerline in Padel creates an angle that offers improved chances to deliver robust services consistently.
Issues Arising from Standing Too Wide During Your Padel Service
Standing wide on the court limits your serving options, forcing you to serve wide toward the glass consistently. This predictability allows your opponent to anticipate the ball’s direction beforehand.
When you serve the ball from a wide position, it creates an opportunity for your opponent to easily target the center of the court when they return the ball.
Standing in the standard formation for the service limits you from serving from wide. Opting to stand in the Australian formation and attempting to serve from wide will result in your partner obstructing your shot.
Serving from wide creates a steep angle of contact with the side glass, causing the ball to bounce farther away from it. This gives your opponent a slight advantage in returning the serve.
Beginners often utilize the comprehensive service to hit the ball with more power. Combined with the sharp Angle, the ball will bounce farther away from the side glass, making it easier for the opponent to return. Beginners should exercise patience and wait for the ball to come to them.
Advantages of Standing Near the Center Line for the Padel Service
By positioning yourself near the centerline for the padel service, you gain the advantage of being able to serve to either side glass or down the middle from the same spot. This creates a disadvantage for your opponent, as they need more time to react when you change the direction of your serve.
When you serve down the middle from the center, you force your opponent to move across the court, leaving the corner open for an easy first volley.
On the other hand, when you serve wide to the side glass from the standard position, your opponent has two options. They can either return the ball down the line toward their partner or opt for a cross-court return. However, if you choose to serve from the center of the court, you can easily cover the center as you move toward the net. This allows your partner to handle any returns down the line.
In this video, you can observe how the players position themselves within a distance of 6ft (2m) from the center when serving. Serving from near the center offers multiple benefits, including the ability to use both standard and Australian formations without needing to change your service between formations. When serving towards the side glass, standing closer to the center results in a less sharp angle of contact with the glass. This blunter contact angle causes the ball to stay closer to the side glass after making contact, making it more challenging for the opponent to return your serve.
By serving from near the center, you are compelled to serve with slightly less power compared to serving from more comprehensive positions. This allows for better control over the placement of your serve. A softer serve will drop more quickly after hitting the side glass.
By “being near to the center,” I mean a proximity of approximately two meters or less from the center. At World Padel Tour tournaments, it is common to observe players serving from positions just slightly beyond the centerline.
The Most Effective Spin Technique for Center Serves in Padel
Inexperienced players often attempt unconventional side spin services in an effort to deceive their opponents. However, these types of spins more often lead to serving faults.
I relied on Topspin for my service during my early days in Padel. It proved effective only against opponents who were just as inexperienced as I was. As I began facing more proficient players, they would exploit and counter my Topspin.
This video demonstrates the players’ ability to swiftly approach the net after serving from near the center. If you decide to start serving from closer to the centerline, begin with a flat serve and progressively incorporate slice spin as you gain certainty with this technique.
