Have you just started padel and feel like your coach is speaking a different language? “Hit a bandeja!”, “Watch out for the chiquita!”, “Take it out x3!”. Don’t worry, it’s completely normal.
Since padel was born in Mexico and boomed in Argentina and Spain, most of the technical vocabulary has remained in Spanish (or “Castellano”). To progress, it’s essential to control this lexicon. Not only to understand the tactical instructions, but also to better read your opponents’ game.
Here is the ultimate glossary to become an expert on all padel shots, ranked from the purest defense to the most devastating attack.
1. The Basics: Fundamentals of the back of the court
Before trying to hit magic shots, you need to control the basics.
- The Serve (Service): Unlike tennis, it’s an underhand serve (below the waist) and after a bounce. The goal isn’t necessarily to hit an ace, but to take the net immediately.
- The Forehand (Forehand): The basic shot hit on the right side of the body (for a right-handed player). In padel, it is often played flat or with slice to prevent the ball from bouncing too high off the opponent’s glass wall.
- The Backhand (Backhand): The opposite of the forehand. Often used to defend the glass walls or to lob. At a high level, the two-handed backhand is increasingly popular to counter the opponent’s power.
2. Defense: The Art of Patience
This is where matches are won. If you don’t know how to defend, you won’t be able to attack.
- The Globo (Lob): This is the most important shot in padel. It’s not a desperate defensive shot, but an offensive tactical shot. A good globo must go over the opponents to force them back and allow you to take the net.
- The Salida de Pared (salida de pared): This is the ability to hit the ball after it has bounced off the back glass.
- Bajada de Pared: An offensive variation of the glass wall return. If the ball bounces high, the player hits it hard downwards to attack.
- The Contrapared: The last-chance shot. Are you overwhelmed, back to the net? You hit the ball very hard against your own glass so that it lobs back over to the other side of the court. Spectacular but risky!
- The Chiquita: A subtle and slow tactical shot. The goal is to drop the ball to the feet of the opponents at the net, forcing them to hit a difficult low volley, which allows you to move forward.
3. The Aerial Game: The Zone of Truth
In padel, you don’t just smash any old way. There’s a whole family of specific aerial shots to hold the net without being countered.
- The Volea (Volley): Unlike tennis, the preparation is very short. It’s a blocking and placement shot, played with a lot of “slice” (backspin) so that the ball dies on the ground after impact.
- The Bandeja (The Tray): This is THE signature shot of padel. It’s a mix between a smash and a high volley.
- The technique: You hit the ball at shoulder height, arm extended, with backspin.
- The goal: It’s not to finish the point, but to hold the net without offering an easy rebound to the opponent. A good bandeja must be low and die at the back of the court.
- The Vibora (The Viper): The bandeja’s wicked cousin. It’s a smash played with a very pronounced side spin.
- The technique: The impact is made on the side of the ball.
- The goal: To attack. The ball spins on itself and, upon hitting the glass, it sticks to the wall or zigzags, making defense a nightmare.
4. The Finish: To finish the point
When the opponent leaves an easy ball, it’s time to bring out the heavy artillery.
- The Remate (Smash): The classic smash, hit flat and very hard. The goal is often to make the ball return to your own side after hitting the opponent’s back glass wall.
- The “Por Tres” (By 3): A kick smash (topspin) hit towards the back or side glass wall. The spin and power make the ball go out over the side mesh fence (which is 3 meters high). It’s the dream shot for hitters like Tapia or Galán.
- The “Por Cuatro” (x4): Even more violent. The ball bounces on the ground, hits the back glass, and goes directly over the back mesh fence (which is 4 meters high). The opponent cannot even try to retrieve it away.
- The Gancho (The Hook): A smash played with a bent arm, slightly behind the head, when you’ve been lobbed but don’t want to retreat. It’s a slow placement shot towards the opponent’s mesh.
- The Rulo (The Roll): A very slow kick smash towards the mesh (the metallic fence). The ball dips due to the spin and bounces randomly off the mesh. It’s the ultimate weapon for left-handers or left-side players to destabilize the opponent in the diagonal.
5. Tactical Vocabulary (“Bonus Track”)
To truly speak like a pro, add these two terms to your arsenal:
- The Nevera (The Fridge): A cruel tactics that consists of playing all balls to a single opponent (the weakest or least confident) to “freeze” the other player, who ends up mentally out of the match due to not touching the ball.
- Punto de Oro (Golden Point): At 40-40, there’s no advantage. A decisive point is played. The receiving team chooses the side, and whoever wins the point wins the game.
There you have it, you now possess the complete dictionary of the modern padel player. All that’s left is to put on your shoes, step onto the court, and try to place a small chiquita followed by a vibora!
Among all these technical terms, which shot do you master best… and which one still gives you cold sweats?
Key takeaways
- Padel vocabulary is mostly in Spanish, especially for technical shots and tactical situations.
- To progress quickly, first remember 4 keywords: globo, chiquita, bandeja, and salida de pared.
- The punto de oro (golden point) is a very common format in competition, but some events may still use the advantage rule according to their regulations.
- The expressions por tres and por cuatro refer to the areas where the ball exits the court, related to the standard fence heights (3 m on the sides, 4 m at the back).
