Padel forehand: prepare early and find space for contact

Prepare, space, recover

1. Turn early; leave space for the ball. Right-handed view; left-handers mirror.

2. Contact ahead of the hitting-side hip. Right-handed view; left-handers mirror.

3. Recover: racket in front, feet ready. Right-handed view; left-handers mirror.

Turn early, adjust the feet to contact slightly ahead of the hitting-side hip, then restore the ready position.

Use the forehand to keep an ordinary ball playable

A forehand is a shot on the same side as your hitting hand: usually the right side for a right-hander and the left for a left-hander. A groundstroke is played after a bounce. This lesson starts with an easy groundstroke that you can reach in balance, not a running rescue or an attacking high ball. Your first target is a controlled return over the net that lands inside the opposing court before reaching its glass or fence. Aim toward a broad central area rather than a sideline. You gain more useful information from ten repeatable contacts than from one fast winner.

Turn while there is still time

Start with knees soft, feet ready to adjust and the racket in front. As soon as you recognise a forehand, turn your shoulders and take the racket back compactly. Let the body turn carry the racket instead of drawing a large loop with the arm. Then use small adjustment steps to reach a comfortable hitting distance. Preparing early does not mean swinging early: the racket can be ready while your feet are still finding the ball. Watch The Padel School’s short sequence for the difference between preparation, foot placement and the forward stroke.

See the action, then try it

The Padel Forehand

The Padel School · from 0:10

Watch for: Separate the shoulder turn, balanced foot placement and horizontal swing.

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Watch on YouTube from 0:10 ↗

Then practise: Prepare, adjust, send

Find a balanced contact, not a compulsory pose

On a comfortable feed, a side-on position makes the weight transfer easy to learn. A right-hander can have the left foot nearer the net; a left-hander mirrors that with the right foot nearer. Keep enough space beside the body that the elbow is not trapped against your ribs, but do not reach so far that you tip sideways. Contact should be beside and a little ahead of the hitting-side hip. The ball’s height determines your racket height: bend your knees for a lower ball, and move rather than leaning back from a higher one. You will sometimes use a more open stance in a rally. Do not force the teaching stance when the ball gives you no time for it.

Send through the ball and recover

Bring the racket smoothly forward through the contact area, with the face directed toward your intended flight. For the basic flat forehand, think of sending through the ball rather than chopping down or trying to brush sharply upward. Flat here means you are not deliberately adding heavy spin; it does not mean aiming level into the net. Give the ball enough height to clear the net and enough restraint to land in court. Let the follow-through stay controlled in front, then bring the racket back to ready and move toward a useful back-court position. Do not admire the shot with your body still facing the side glass.

Read the miss before changing the swing

A ball jammed beside your stomach usually needs more space from the feet, not a stronger arm. A stretched contact needs an earlier adjustment toward the ball. If you keep catching it behind your hip, prepare sooner and check whether you waited while it travelled past you. For repeated net balls, use a slower feed and check the contact height and face before adding power; a downward face or a late cramped contact can both send it low. If balls fly long, reduce the forward pace and check that you are not lifting the face at the last instant. Change one cause at a time so you can tell which adjustment helped.

Use the same preparation on an easy return

When returning serve, let the serve bounce first. On an easy ball that does not need the glass, use the same early turn and short forward action, then recover before the server’s next shot. Do not run around every backhand to manufacture a forehand; that can leave your partner covering an unnecessary gap. If a deep ball is heading for a useful back-glass rebound, this lesson does not require you to intercept it at your feet. Learn the back-glass sequence after the ordinary forehand and backhand feel familiar.

Take it to the court

Use these suggested practice doses to compare your own sessions; they are not a rating or a pass requirement.

Prepare, adjust, send

Players: 2 players, alternating hitter and feeder

Equipment and space: 2 rackets; 8–10 padel balls; Flat target markers; Empty court

Setup: Hitter starts behind the service line with room to move. Feeder stands on the other side of the net and sends gentle balls that bounce once on the forehand side without reaching the glass. Mark a broad central landing area clear of the sidelines.

Feeder waits for the hitter to show ready before each feed.
Hitter turns the shoulders as the feed comes, then uses small steps to create space.
Meet the ball slightly ahead of the hitting-side hip and send it over the net toward the broad target.
Return to ready before the next feed. After each shot, say comfortable, cramped or reached.
After ten feeds, compare in-court returns with comfortable contacts; switch roles and repeat.

Dose: 2 sets of 10 feeds each; pause after each set to choose one adjustment.
Look for: Comfortable contacts and controlled in-court balls occur together; the hitter is ready again before the next feed.
If it breaks down: A ball lands in by a reaching wrist rescue, or the hitter stays turned sideways after contact. Record that separately from a clean repetition.
Make it easier: Hitter self-drops the ball with the non-hitting hand and pauses fully between strokes.
Make it harder: Feeder varies the landing slightly so the hitter must adjust one step; keep the pace gentle.
In your next match: On the next easy rally ball or return, use early shoulder preparation and a generous target. Record whether you recover before the next shot.

Decide your next session

If comfortable contacts are scarce, repeat predictable feeds. If they repeat on small variations, try the same cue on easy serves and assess recovery, not speed.

Record it and choose repeat, vary or coaching