Express progress
In this new video, I set out to meet Lucille Lambert, aka Lulu Padel Coach, to understand what makes her journey so interesting. On the Esteban Padel channel, the exchange highlights a player who didn’t grow up playing tennis. And on the official page of Gala Padel Spirit, where she coaches, Lucille presents herself as a coach who has gone from P50 to P500 in around a year and a half, while simultaneously pursuing volleyball and golf.
This profile says something important about modern padel. You can arrive late, have no racquet sports background and still progress quickly, provided you accept the most demanding version of learning. In our conversation, Lucille puts it bluntly: the hardest part isn’t just learning the windows or the placements, it’s also accepting to become a beginner again when you’ve already had a solid sporting experience elsewhere.
What Lucille sees in stagnant players
Her coach’s view is crystal clear. For her, many amateur players want to go too fast. They dream of a beautiful bandeja, a cracking vibora or a spectacular point, whereas the first step in padel is much simpler: putting one more ball in. Put another way, defense, patience and reading the game often count for more than an isolated brilliant shot.
She also emphasizes a point that is too often underestimated: leg work. Moving back and forth, holding the net, repositioning after a lob or chiquita, and the quality of your footwork all make a difference. Many players think they’re bending down, when in fact they’re breaking their backs. This may seem a simple remark, but it recaps a large part of the gap between a player who undergoes the rally and one who begins to build it.
A useful guide to tournament progress
What I liked about this interview is that Lucille doesn’t sell any miracle recipes. She talks about on grit, lucidity and humility. According to her, you can have the right technique, but lose a lot as soon as your mental attitude drops. On the other hand, a player who can stay true to his game, patient in his choices and solid in his transitions can very quickly break through in tournament play.
Her message is invaluable for all those who want to progress without kidding themselves: film your matches, accept what the video shows, work on your volley depth, lob better, choose the right moment to go up and don’t look for the miracle solution for every ball. That’s another reason why this discussion rings true: Lucille Lambert talks about a padel that’s concrete, demanding, sometimes frustrating, but terribly instructive.
