Padel Doubles Strategy for Beginners

Most beginner padel matches are decided not by who hits the better shots, but by which team is better positioned. Two intermediate players in the right spots will beat two stronger players in the wrong spots. This is the single thing that separates teams that improve fast from teams that plateau.

Here are the patterns that actually matter.

The two-line rule

At any given moment in a padel point, your team is in one of two formations:

• Both at the net (both players standing 1–2m inside the service line)
• Both at the back (both players standing at or behind the baseline)

Anything in between is a problem. A team where one player is at the net and one is at the baseline is "split," and a split team loses to almost any opponent that recognizes it.

Why split is bad: the ball will be hit through the gap between you. Both players will think the other is covering it. Neither will. Point lost.

The corollary: when one of you moves, the other moves too. Forward together, back together.

Pattern 1: serve and volley

The most reliable opening pattern.

• The server hits a high-percentage serve into the body or T.
• The server's partner is already at the net (typically on the same side as where the serve will be returned cross-court).
• The server takes 3 quick steps forward immediately on contact, ending up at the service line.
• The receiver returns the ball, usually cross-court low.
• The server, now at the service line, plays a punch volley back at the returner's feet.

Done well, this pattern wins the point in 4 shots about 40% of the time at the recreational level. Done badly — server hits a soft serve and stays at the baseline — wins about 15%.

Pattern 2: the lob escape

You'll be at the back of the court a lot in beginner matches. The wrong instinct is to try to hit a passing shot through the net team. The right instinct is to lob.

The lob escape pattern:

• Your team is pinned at the back, opponents at the net.
• You hit a high lob over the heads of the net team, aimed at the back of the court, ideally over their backhand side (most players have weaker backhand bandejas).
• Both opponents have to either retreat to play the ball off the back glass, or hit a defensive overhead from a tough position.
• You and your partner advance to take the net.

The lob is the only realistic way to flip the net advantage when you're stuck defending. Beginners under-use it because it doesn't feel aggressive. It is the most aggressive shot in the beginner game.

Pattern 3: cross-court rally to short ball

The grinding pattern that wins more points than any flashy shot.

• Both teams trade cross-court groundstrokes (forehand to forehand, or backhand to backhand) from the back.
• Neither team tries for a winner; both keep the ball deep and low.
• Eventually one team hits a slightly short or slightly weak ball.
• The other team steps in, takes it early, and approaches the net.

This is the most important rally pattern in padel. If you can sustain a controlled cross-court exchange longer than your opponents, you'll get a short ball most points. Get to the net on it.

Pattern 4: the chiquita

A less obvious pattern but a useful one to add by month two or three.

The chiquita is a short, low cross-court ball that lands at the feet of the opposing net player. It's not a winner — it's a setup. The net player has to scoop the ball up off their shoes, almost always producing a weak floating reply that you can attack on the next shot.

Use the chiquita when:

• You're at the back and your opponents are camping aggressively at the net
• You don't want to lob (because they're good lobbers themselves)
• You want to disrupt the rhythm of a team that's beating you with patterns

Don't use it when you're rushed, when the ball you're playing is already tough, or when you need a high-percentage shot.

Pattern 5: the bandeja chain

When your opponents lob you, you have three options: let the ball reach the back wall and play it there (giving up the net), smash it (low percentage), or hit a bandeja (the right answer).

A bandeja is a slice overhead, hit at 60–70% pace, designed to land mid-court on the opponent's side and stay low. It doesn't win the point. It maintains your net position. The opponents will likely lob you again. You'll bandeja again.

This is the bandeja chain. You and your partner sustain net position by hitting controlled bandejas while waiting for a lob short enough to attack. It feels boring. It is how points are actually won at the upper-amateur level.

For the technique, see Bandeja Shot Explained.

Side selection: who plays right, who plays left

In doubles padel, partners commit to a side for the match. The right-side player covers all balls down the right; the left-side covers the left. The side selection isn't random.

• Right side (deuce side): typically the more consistent player. The right side gets more lobs over their backhand (for a right-handed team), so steadiness matters more than power.
• Left side (ad side): typically the more aggressive player. The left side hits more forehands across their body and is the side that finishes most points.

The classic configuration: right-handed deuce-side player is the "anchor" who keeps the ball in play; left-handed (or right-handed forehand-dominant) ad-side player is the "finisher" who hits winners.

If you're playing with a new partner: ask which side they prefer in the warmup. If neither has a preference, the more experienced player should take the ad side.

What to do when you're losing

Three adjustments, in order:

1. Increase your lob percentage. If you're losing, you're probably stuck at the back. Lobbing more often gives you a shot at flipping the position.
2. Slow the ball down. If you're losing, you're probably trying to hit through opponents who are good at the wall. Hit softer; force them to generate pace from soft balls.
3. Vary your serve targets. If a returner is killing you, mix body and T more aggressively, and skip the wide angle that's giving them comfortable forehands.

If three adjustments don't move the needle, you're being outplayed. Take the loss and learn.

What not to do

Don't switch sides mid-match. The brief discomfort of a tough side is less costly than the chaos of two players adjusting to new responsibilities mid-set.

Don't blame your partner. Even when you're sure they're the problem, blaming them mid-match makes you both worse. Talk after.

Don't go for low-percentage winners when you're behind. The team that hits more winners often loses; the team that forces more errors usually wins. Stay patient.