At the Advantage Cup in London, top players reveal how they improve: video review and a match-training journal tracking strengths, weaknesses, and opponent patterns. GB No. 2 Amy Gibson coaches junior girls on defending the glass and using Chiquita shots to regain the net.
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I've just arrived here at Padel Social Club in London for the Advantage Cup. It's going to be a fun day of clinics. There's going to be a pro-am, some fun on court. Let's see who we can speak to. When you play the top 10 players, the top players, what do you look for at the start of the match to see how you're, you're going to play?
I fixed too much time before to play the match, to see the good shots and the bad shots.
Do you watch video, like you watch videos and watch matches?
Yes, I watch all the time videos, and after my matches against them, I do the— I write in a book the things that I can improve and the things that I think I do better to beat them.
So you use like a journal, like a match journal?
Yes, I don't know the word exactly, but an analizar.
Yeah, what is Like analyze?
Analyze, okay, I analyze all the time. So it's not only at the start of the match, it's all the time.
We ask our players to use a journal to analyze, but do you think it's for everyone if they want to improve to do that?
I think it's for everyone, but depends of that, depends of the talent of the player, because when a player has got talent, I think those player doesn't need too much to analyze because with normal shots he can do.
Yeah, they can get away with stuff.
Yeah, but in my, in my case, I have to analyze because my shots and my talent are, are normal, so I, I need to, to beat them.
Yeah, for sure. For the strategy, right?
Yeah, but it is a continuous work. It's not only in the, in the start of the match. All the time I analyzing all the matches that I can play and all the matches the other guys play.
Do you analyze your training out of interest? If you train, do you do analysis of that?
I analyze the training, but depends, depends if I learn something new, or depends if I, I'm trying to improve something that I could improve. Yeah, you have to work more than the others if you don't have all of the talent that, that you, that you have, you know. Yeah, so if you don't have talent, you have to analyze, you have to work more than the others. You have to, if you to beat them. Yeah, you need to work more than them. Because for example, you know, if someone in one week learns something that I, that I could learn in one month, yeah, I have to train more than him.
Yeah, yeah, true.
It is my rule. I see the sport like this, and, and I love it because I love to train. I love to go to the gym, to go to the court. And I think the— this vision of the sport for me is that, that I like.
At The Padel School, we have designed a training and match journal to help our players get clearer and know what to focus on in their games so they can continue their improvement. Anyway, enough of the hard sell. Let's get back on court with Amy Gibson, GB number 2. Amy Gibson, the wonderful Amy Gibson, number 2 in Great Britain at the moment, just coming back from injury, getting ready for Premier London. Excited, exciting to watch. Lovely little left-hander, double-handed backhand. One of my favourite coaches and commentators. Ah yeah, thank you, I appreciate that. So we're working with the, the junior girls team, the GB girls, and we're working on defending the glass, so playing that ball through the middle and using Chiquita and fast lob to really try and retake the net as quickly as possible when defending. Because if I hit a good angle Chiquita, then Amy can close. But I'm on, like, I'm defending, right? So I'm on my way back. So I'm like this. And if I want us to hold the net, like, that's like, that's my best, my best opportunity because my partner can, can come forward. What's your name? Joe. Joe?
Yes.
What's your name? Ahmed.
Ahmed.
And just, yeah, shout at me a little bit. Yeah, we'll have a bit of fun. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's all, that's all we ask for. Yours, both back. Nice, very solid. Oh, well played! You did great, Joe, really. Yeah, it was great. No, no, that was great. I've had 3 palomas. We were close there, we were inches. Yeah, that was great though, really consistent. No, no, it was nice. You might get a better sub No, no, you were ready, fresh. We're off to a bit of a slow start. Teamcheckout.com, our team of 6, we've just lost our first match, but it's early days. How amazing is this? Like, this is what I imagine when I see like a community event, like barbecue, lots of your friends playing. Is this— this must be a lovely day for you.
It's a dream. We try and get people we love together, we have all that. We also have the best players in the world. We have sun, which is such a rarity.
A blessing over here.
Good music. So for me, it's a dream day. Yeah, great group of people and the best players in the world as well. And then in this event, as you're seeing, it's competitive.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're taking it seriously, but also having fun, right? Like lots of smiles. Like it's a really lovely event.
Nice. It's been a lot of fun.
There you go. Oh, love that! Look at this. Oh, unlucky.
Sorry.
No worries, no worries. Okay, you got it. Oh no, it's all right. It's actually quite difficult to see as well, isn't it, off the back. Have you got 2 or— Yeah. Second match, another loss, a closer loss. It was the golden points serving Celeb to Celeb which cost us there, but We're getting into it, getting warmed up. It's not doing my confidence any good right now on the court, but I have a feeling my best is yet to come. Still 2 losses. Still 2 losses. Yeah, yeah. So let's hope it's coming. Oh, look at that, right down the middle. Very nice. Yeah, yeah, you're saving yourself for this match.
Well played.
I'm very happy, Ed. That's the result we're looking for, a strong A strong match. I told you we were going to be on the way up. So just concluding the day here at Padel Social Club. It's been everything that you could look for in a padel event. We started off with some juniors in the morning, GB girls training and clinics in the morning. Then we've had an exhibition, we've had some pro-ams, we've had lots of high-level players, we've had a few influencers out here and everyone having a great time. Like nice food, nice drink. If you could picture your perfect paddle social event, it's this, and I've had a great day too.
