7 Padel Patterns Every Beginner Should Know

Chess players don't invent their first ten moves — they learn standard openings, because centuries of games have shown which sequences work. Padel is the same. Watch any club match and you'll see the same handful of patterns repeat, point after point: the serve-and-rush, the lob to steal the net, the smash through the middle. The players who win aren't improvising better — they're running patterns they've drilled until they're automatic.

That's great news for beginners. You don't need creativity or a hundred shots; you need seven sequences. Here's each one: the setup, the steps, why it works, and — because your opponents will run them at you too — the counter. They pair naturally with the court coverage rules in our positioning guide.

1. Serve + net rush: the default opening

The setup:you're serving. Your partner is already stationed at the net on their side. This is padel's 1.e4 — the pattern that starts most points, because the serving team gets first claim on the net.

1. Hit a low slice serve out wide, dragging the returner toward the side glass.
2. Follow your serve in immediately — three or four quick steps toward the net.
3. Play your first volley deep, back at the returner's feet, not for a winner.
4. Settle into net position next to your partner: two up, controlling the point.

Why it works: the team at the net wins the large majority of points in padel. A wide slice stays low off the glass, making an aggressive return nearly impossible — the returner has to play something defensive, which is exactly what a rushing server wants to volley.

The counter:a deep lob return over the server's partner. If the serving team has to retreat for a lob, the rush is dead before it starts.

2. The lob to take the net: defense's main plan

The setup:you and your partner are stuck at the back; your opponents own the net. In tennis you'd try a passing shot. In padel the walls swallow passing shots — so the way forward is up and over.

1. Wait for a ball you can control — not a fast volley at your feet.
2. Lift a high, deep lob over the net player's backhand side, aiming to land it near the back glass.
3. The moment the lob is clearly over their heads, advance together with your partner.
4. Take the net positions your opponents just vacated and get ready to volley.

Why it works: a good lob forces both opponents to turn and retreat, flipping the court in one shot. It converts the worst position in padel into the best one without needing any power at all. If you drill one pattern from this article, drill this one.

The counter: the bandeja (pattern 4) — an overhead that returns the lob deep without giving up net position.

3. Chiquita + advance: the low road to the net

The setup:same problem as the lob — you're at the back, they're at the net — but your opponents smash every lob you throw up. Time for the low road. The chiquita ("little one" in Spanish) is a slow, soft ball aimed at the net player's feet.

1. From the back of the court, take pace off the ball and play it low and slow at the nearest net player's shoelaces.
2. They're forced into an awkward low volley — hitting up, with no pace to work with.
3. Advance with your partner behind the shot, exactly as you would behind a lob.
4. Attack their weak, floating reply from your new net position.

Why it works:a volley struck below net height can't be hit downward or hard. The chiquita manufactures that situation on demand, and unlike a short lob, a slightly imperfect chiquita rarely gets smashed. It's the safer of the two roads forward.

The counter: a firm, deep low volley back to the corner — and net players who keep their volleys deep make the chiquita much harder to attempt.

4. The bandeja to hold the net

The setup:you're at the net and an opponent throws up a decent lob — the exact counter from pattern 2. Smash it and you'll likely feed the back glass and lose the net; let it bounce and you've surrendered the net anyway. The bandeja is the third option.

1. Turn sideways and track the lob back with small steps, racket up.
2. Make contact at shoulder height with a flat, slicing swing — a tray ("bandeja"), not a hammer.
3. Place it deep toward the opponents' back corner, low and skidding after the bounce.
4. Recover forward to the net position you never really left.

Why it works:the bandeja answers the lob without gambling. The point resets with your team still at the net and your opponents still pinned at the back — which means the lob, their main plan, gained them nothing. It's the single most important overhead in padel; we break down the full technique in our bandeja guide.

The counter:lob again — deeper, and over the other player. Rallies at club level are often lob-bandeja-lob-bandeja until someone's ball comes up short.

5. Attack the middle: the standard finish

The setup:your team is at the net and it's time to actually win the point. Beginners aim for the sidelines; experienced players aim between their opponents.

1. From the net, drive your volleys and overheads down the middle of the court, at hip height or below.
2. Watch the hesitation — "yours or mine?" — as both defenders leave it or lunge together.
3. Whatever comes back arrives through the center, with no angle on it.
4. Volley the weak middle reply into the open space the scramble created, and repeat until it doesn't come back.

Why it works:three reasons. The middle creates confusion between two players. The net is lowest at the center. And geometry: a ball returned from the middle can't be angled past you. Wide shots look spectacular but give the side glass a chance to rescue your opponent — the middle gives them nothing.

The counter: clear ownership rules — decide before the match who takes the middle (usually the player with the forehand there) so the hesitation never happens.

6. Play the glass on defense: the patience pattern

The setup:your opponents are at the net firing deep volleys and overheads at you. The beginner instinct is to take everything before the wall, on the stretch, half-volleying under pressure. The wall is not your enemy — it's a teammate who slows the ball down for you.

1. When a deep ball comes, step forward and away from the back glass instead of crowding it.
2. Let the ball hit the glass and rebound out to you — it comes off slower and at a friendlier height.
3. Reset with a deep lob (pattern 2) or a controlled deep drive. No hero shots from the back.
4. Repeat until the attackers overpress and give you a short ball or a lobbing chance.

Why it works:the back glass takes pace off even a heavy overhead, turning a desperate scramble into a comfortable, waist-high reset. Defense in padel isn't about winning the point — it's about extending it until the attacking team makes the error or leaves a lobbing window. Patience is a pattern too.

The counter:attackers should mix in soft, short volleys that die before the glass — the wall can't help with a ball that never reaches it.

7. The wide-angle finish off the side glass

The setup:you've been running pattern 5, hammering the middle, and your opponents have adjusted — both defenders now pinch toward the center. Good. You've just opened the sides.

1. Play one or two more volleys through the middle to hold the defenders' attention there.
2. When a ball arrives that you can control, angle a short, soft volley wide toward the side glass.
3. Aim for the ball to strike low on the side glass near the net, so it rebounds across and away from the court.
4. The defender has to sprint from the middle and dig a ball that's dying sideways — usually they don't get there.

Why it works:it's the payoff of the middle pattern. Attack the middle and the angles open; take the angle and the middle opens again. A short ball off the side glass changes direction after the bounce, which makes it one of the hardest balls in padel to retrieve. This is the point-ender — but only after the middle has done the setup work.

The counter:don't over-pinch. Defenders should shade toward the middle, not camp in it — one long step from the sideline, not three.

Drill one pattern per session

Don't try to install all seven at once. Pick one pattern per session and run it deliberately, even when it costs you points — serve and rush every service game one week, lob-and-advance the next. In two months the sequences stop being decisions and start being habits, which is exactly what "good instincts" actually are.

None of these patterns need an expensive racket — a forgiving round frame from our beginner rackets guide is ideal while you're grooving them, and good positioning habits matter far more than equipment.

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