Sandy FarquharsonFounder at The Padel School | Elevating Padel Players' Performance

The vibora can feel impossible to defend... until you understand it. 🎾

14 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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1:01

In this instructional segment, two coaches discuss the vibora—a slice smash shot in tennis that combines slice and side‑spin, typically aimed at a corner of the court. They explain why the vibora can feel overwhelming at club level, describe the typical court position from which it is executed (the middle of the court after a lob), and outline its spin characteristics (slice with side‑spin) and trajectory. The dialogue sets up the premise that mastering the vibora’s mechanics and recognizing its cues can turn a once‑scary shot into a manageable play for players at any level.

At the club level, when someone learns a vibora, it can be absolutely devastating for players to defend. But at the pro level, do you struggle with the vibora? Not anymore, but I used to. In this video, we're going to take you from being scared of it to comfortable. So first up, the technique for vibora is when the players hit a slice smash, it's an attacking slice smash. They brush around the ball. Typically it goes in the diagonal in towards that corner, doesn't it?
Absolutely. I mean, the vibora is normally hit from the center part of the court, from, from the middle. If you end up lobbing towards the end, you're hitting the rolo or the smash. So when you do lob through the middle, you're expecting a vibora to come back.
And usually when they hit the vibora, it's a ball that comes in here, bit of slice, bit of sidespin, and often like it'll go in that corner, isn't it?
Like double glass. Absolutely. The spin varies a lot and you've got to understand you can't rush this because I used to rush it a lot and think I've got to hit it even harder. But now I think the more you relax and the more you understand where your lob's going, you can then react to the vibora.