Why Top Players Use Different Techniques—And What It Means for You

The technique is almost like foundational building blocks that all players use or have similarities, but then it changes over time as they get more experience within the sport.

Sandy One thing that I took from a recent tournament with Sam where I played an FIP so professional Padel tournament in Italy, was the variance in techniques of many of the players. And for example, some of the players on super low balls would open the racket, open the grip up, really flick with their wrist to dig it out. Others didn't do that. Others were a bit more continental or trying to dig it out with a continental grit. We see so many variances, don't we, in techniques with Padel. And I think it's a really interesting discussion also for recreational players that are learning the game.

Yeah. And it's something that comes up a lot when we talk about using continental grip or preparing with the racket in a certain place. And then they watch the pros, they say, well, that person doesn't put the racket in that place. And. And they use a slightly different technique. And so I suppose it's. The question almost is based around is should we be trying to emulate the technique of. Of these pros, or should we be doing what we're teaching, essentially, which is the building blocks? And I think tennis is the same. Every sport is the same. You know, it's a bit like Rafael Nadal's forehand, for example, is very different to Federer's forehand, which is very different from Djokovic. But when they were learning, they will all have learned from that basic foundation. And then they almost. The technique kind of changes over time as their game and their physicality changes over time in order to hit shots, you know, And I think that this idea is exactly the same in paddle and. And if we look at recent tournaments, you've got the cross court with Chingotto against Cueo. Like, naturally, their techniques are so different because their size is different, the way they play one's lefty, and. And so there will always be variance. But again, what all of them will have done will have learned in a continental grip, and they will have learned early preparation, getting themselves into position. And then almost later on, when they know where the rebound is going, when they know their timing and how they're going to play, they will then adapt that technique to their game. And for Chingotto, that's something where, you know, he learns to play really rapid volleys and approach the net, but be very defensive in the corner and use the lob a lot, whereas Coelho doesn't even get stuck in the corner, he comes two steps in and he tries to block. And that's the way he's learned. Now, would you say to someone, oh, hey, you're left handed, Go and try and come up the court and block in the mid zone? No, because it's like that's how he plays, right? And so it's one of those. Now that we're at a good level, I find myself using lots of different grips. You know, when we're defending, for example, really low on the backhand side, we might move the grip round to try and open. If we're going to try and hit 3 meters or a rulo or even a vibra, we move the grip. Again, I think it's important for players to understand that the continental grip and things like early preparation. But you could talk about all parts of technique, right? Like the bandeka getting the arms up. You see some players that maybe the arm is not so high, but you can guarantee that before their contact, they go above the ball and they. They come down it, right? And so I think the technique is almost like foundational building blocks that all players use or have similarities, but then it changes over time as they get more experience within the sport.

So, yeah, let's talk about the different levels then, because we talk about the pros at the very top of the game. And it made me smile there because we talk about the way Coel plays. And I just think that almost all of our reels around no Man's Land being caught in no Man's Land are just the complete opposite with him. All those red crosses and what no.

Man's Land is a perfect example, right? Because for a beginner or intermediate player, it's no Man's Land. The reason it's no Man Land is because you get stuck in there. And if you're too far forward to defend properly and you're too far back to volley properly and attack the net. But as you go up at an advanced and pro level, it's really seen as a transition zone because they can go into that zone, they could recognize what's going on within the point. They can hit a half volley or low volley, block volley, and then either go forward or back. And actually a lot of training at the advanced and pro level is within that transition zone. So they are practicing moving forward and back really effectively and using shots in that zone. But we never teach our beginner group to, oh, hey, get in that no Man's Land. And just because they don't see the game the same way, they're not looking and analyzing their opponents and understanding to move forward and anticipation is key, right? To something like that. Yeah.

And if we break down the grip level by level. So I think when it comes to beginner level and players that are just learning the game, in a way, you're just. We're just trying to get players to find Continental consistently, aren't we? I think a lot of the time players use the frying pan grip and, or perhaps they, they have their hand too far up the the grip and perhaps they're even holding the throw to the racket. And a lot of the time players don't even realize they're doing it. So at beginner level, the goal really is just to find Continental grip consistently, isn't it?

Yeah. And using Continental because it's the grip that allows you the most mobility with the wrist. So if it's coming off the glass, you can open the racket face. If you're playing in front, you're able to flatten it. It's a very neutral grip and it allows you all of those options. And so I think, yeah, at the beginner level, we always almost insist on it. And even when people say to us, oh, but I'm hitting my forehand really well in my semi western tennis grip, you say to them, well, I can't see how you're going to lob on off the glass for that because it's just physically impossible. And then they go, oh, well, I change it for that. And then you say, well, if you change it for that, if a ball comes in fast, either you won't have time to change it or it's obvious to your opponent. So it's almost like you've got to learn that continental grip first. And we're talking about at this early stage, a lot of it is breaking bad habits, like they come from another sport or they pick the racket up for the first time in the wrong grip and they get used to it. So at the beginner level, it's breaking the had habits and get him in to use the Continental.

Yeah, And I think when, when you mention that, I think of all the, the players that send in their videos to us on the paddleschool.com and so players can send in videos, they can get feedback from us and from other players in the community. And it's a great way for them to, to really like, use video analysis to improve their game. And we see that a lot, don't we, where players will send in a video and they'll say, why, why isn't My bande working or why isn't my Vibra working? Because they don't have Continental grip. It just is a recipe for, for don't say disasters. That sounds extreme but you're just, you're not going to be able to to hit the shot as you want to. And so really that basic beginner level, it's about finding Continental consistently and then as you step up to intermediate you can assume that you're now finding that grip consistently and now you can actually start playing around with the grip a little bit. Right. So you can start perhaps turning it a little bit on the Vibra. On the Smash, you can almost manipulate a little bit because you now feel confident in Continental. That's, that's almost the next stage, isn't it? Up from beginner, isn't it?

I think so. And I think whenever a player is trying to change the grip, whether they're beginner level or intermediate level, it's almost like you have to practice it in a confined space or in it like even against your own glass. Just get a little rally, like just get used to that Continental and we have a, a few little tricks that we use. Whether it's putting a penny under your finger to maintain the grip or using a pen to line up the dots with the grip in your hand. Or I know the 4 on total grip spray players use that where they spray the grip and they hold it there and it helps them keep Continental. But you've got to practice it within a confines and almost a closed skill and then as you go you can change it. And it's the same with changing it for the Vibra. If you want to introduce that to intermediate players and they may move the hand round slightly so they can hit the Vibra with a slightly round grip. The best way to do that is a ball machine. You know, like a bit like we have our slinger ball machine course and, and it's almost like going to the Vibra video within that course you'll see the drill and just practice that rather than just trying to bring it out in a match. Ever feel like your grip just melts away the second you start sweating? Well, we've got something game changing for you. Trusted by some of the world's top paddle players such as Augustine Tapia, Chingotto Sanyo and Paola Jose Maria, who know the value of secure grip when it matters most. Introducing four on Total grip spray, the ultimate anti slip spray made just for paddle.

When you talk about doing it in a secure confined space, I absolutely agree with that because as you know, and we're exactly the same. Once you get into that competitive environment, it's just really difficult to get a feel. It's a feeling thing, isn't it, with the grip? It's all around getting that feel, perhaps changing the grip, knowing what works for you, what does the result look like with that new grip? And like you say, a ball machine is great for that, but also a place when you can practice it confidently and most importantly, get that feel.

I think it's interesting as well because we talked about the levels there, intermediate, we almost starting to introduce that turning of the hand. And I think as you go up to like advanced level, and now this is something especially for someone like yourself, that's come from a very strong tennis background. You've learned the techniques for paddle. You are now starting to think to yourself, okay, how can I get a little bit more height on my backhand lob, for example, when I'm in the corner? Okay, well, maybe I now open up that grip a little bit and how do I get a little bit more flick on my ruler, you know, when I'm pushed to the corner? And so now you start almost experimenting a little bit and you see these changes and it's, it's the same when someone smashes down and you're running forward and you want to do a tap out, you change the grip slightly and you, you flick with your wrist. And so as you get better, there are going to be more occasions where you can experiment or change slightly with the wrist in order to do that. And I think it, a lot of that is just practicing and not being afraid, like once you've got the foundation, not being afraid for that slight change to get the result that you want.

Yeah. And I think almost more importantly now, if I think of myself and seeing other players, top players play at these professional tournaments, is that also the disguise? So using the grip, opening up the grip to disguise your opponent, to make them think you're going to hit a lob and then you bring it down. So in a way it's, you're using it to try and just make your opponent lose one more step. So perhaps you go in looking like you're gonna play a chiquita and you flatten out the grip a little bit and then you open to play the lob. And I think that for me was probably the biggest learning around. I kept thinking to myself, why is my lob not being as effective as perhaps other players? But then if you look a bit closer and it's really difficult to notice this like on TV or unless you really focus in on it. But the disguise they have that just makes their opponent go the other way. And a lot of that comes from the grip, doesn't it? Because the opponents are anticipating. So they see you open the grip and then you bring it down and maybe play a chiquita. I think that that for me is the biggest thing at the advanced and even higher level.

Yeah, so we're talking high levels there. But in a way it's almost the same reasoning for the Continental grip at beginner level or lower levels. Because Continental grip, you can play all of the shots. So when you as a player would change, you come in and use like the frying pan grip, for example. Like you can't disguise that. Everyone can see exactly what you're doing and therefore can anticipate what shot you're going to hit. Whereas Continental allows that mobility, the wrist allows you to change the direction of the racket face and therefore you can change the direction of the ball. It's almost the disguise, but for beginner and intermediate level.

So in summary then, if we talk about players listening, who they might have an idea of their level. If you don't have an idea of your level, we actually have a player assessment which we'll put in the show. Notes is a free quiz, a series of questions. You can really quickly find out what your level is. So do take that. If you're not sure where you sit in these brackets, but for each level, then they'll find themselves at different stages of learning the script, won't they?

Yeah, definitely. I think if you take that assessment and you end up in the beginner level, the basic you are probably like, just need to concentrate on finding that Continental grip and using it for all of your shots. And if you know that you slip sometimes, there's like dedicated focus you need to do in order to find that grip. If you are intermediate level, you now start to think, okay, I'm going to make a couple of changes with my grip for the Vibra. If I'm confident with Continental, there's still some players at intermediate level that aren't doing the Continental grip. So. So it's almost like you've got to get that down first. You can't go from a semi western tennis grip to going to the flicky vibra one. Like you need the Continental first. But if you are intermediate level, I would say you can start introducing it slightly round for Vibras and then as you get more advanced you think, right, what grips can it help me with Maybe defending in the corner for lobs and things like that. So that's, that's almost how I would break that down for learning the grip.

Yeah. And if you know what your level is, but perhaps you feel stuck at the same level, no matter how much you play. Well, you're not alone. That's exactly why we created the membership platform on the paddleschool.com which for us is a game changing platform trusted by so many players that are completely transforming their game. We've got courses, we've got community. You can send in your videos, you can get personalized feedback from myself, from Sandy, from the other coaches. So do check that out. It's the paddleschool.com and we're running a free trial, so really nothing to lose and everything to gain from it.

Yeah, definitely. And talking about changing techniques and grips like that's something that comes up when the players sending their videos and we give feedback that often comes up and, you know, we give ways to work on that and to improve it. If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe on whichever platform you're listening to it on. And if you could leave us a.

Review, we would be over the moon.