THE MOST COMPLETE PHYSICAL TRAINING PLAN FOR PADEL
Physical training for padel includes resistance, strength and flexibility training, and activities to improve speed and coordination. Now let's examine the main aspects to work on as part of physical training for padel.
Stamina training for padel
Stamina training for padel focuses on overcoming fatigue during long matches or intense plays and on facilitating post-match recovery.
Stamina training can be aerobic or anaerobic. Aerobic training allows players to achieve better results when they exert themselves to an intermediate degree. Anaerobic training, on the other hand, helps players overcome brief but intense bursts of activity on the court.
A stamina training plan for padel should include distance running sessions that increase slowly over time in order to achieve an optimal base.
To work on anaerobic strength, the training program should include interval training sessions that combine intense bursts of exertion with less-demanding activities and rest. We can put together circuits to work on intensities, repetitions, hills, fartlek, and we can even recreate the situations we encounter during matches (accelerations, changes of pace, etc.)
Strength training for padel
Strength training in padel can be as important as working on stamina. Strength training is overlooked at times, but proper strength training can help us achieve significant improvement in our results.
The aim of strength training for padel is to be able to put more power behind the ball, to develop more robust and balanced movements to drive the ball harder and more effectively, and to get out ahead of the ball.
You can exercise at home or in the gym. More importantly, you need a proper strength training plan, prepared by a professional. That will help you achieve positive results, building up explosive/reactive strength together with resistance in the upper and lower body.
There are countless exercises that will help you achieve a complete strength training. Which exercises, the intensity, the repetitions, the rest time... all that will depend on the individual's age, sex, and level.
Strength training for the lower body can include squats, weights, resistance bands and belts, machines, etc. Meanwhile, the upper body can be worked using dumbbells, weights, bench, machines, push-ups, etc.
And, importantly, do not overlook the abdominals, the core of our musculature and essential to athletic activity.
Entrenamiento de flexibilidad para pádel
Flexibility is perhaps overlooked the most when planning padel training. However, the explosive nature of padel and the constant changes in rhythm and direction make flexibility training essential.
The aim of flexibility training is twofold: to facilitate movements and to prevent injuries by relaxing and stretching the muscles.
The player's flexibility is conditioned both genetically and by age, sex, time of day, outside temperature, habits, etc. Some of these factors are subject to change and others are always with us. The main factor that can improve flexibility is training.
Flexibility training is done mostly through static exercise or other forms of exercise that involve stretching, contraction and relaxation of the muscle. Stretching both before and after a match must be part of every padel player's routine.
Speed training for padel
How many times have we heard someone say their opponent ran the ball a lot or had a very fast game?
When techniques are similar, speed can be the decisive factor in achieving better results. That is when it becomes evident that speed training must play an important role in a comprehensive training plan for padel.
Several factors condition speed in padel. On the one hand, you have strength and resistance, and on the other you have technique, fast decision-making and good coordination. These factors and qualities must be considered when putting together a plan for speed training.
The goal of speed training is to improve reaction and mobility. There are many exercises to achieve faster reaction times to external stimuli. Other exercises will help us move more quickly on the court: laterally, forwards and backwards, even spinning in place.
Coordination training for padel
Coordination training specifically for padel will allow us to: move about the court better, get out ahead of the ball, apply the proper force and vector to the ball, share positions with our partner and win points more easily.
Because padel is usually played in pairs and in such a small space, it is essential to the game that we coordinate our movements on the court, as well as our accelerations and decelerations and how we divvy up the court itself.
Basic coordination training in padel focuses on improving the mobility of your feet by practicing what they call "nervous feet". This will help you get out ahead of the ball and hit it better. There are many exercises that help players improve the mobility of their lower body.
And, in order to improve foot and hand coordination, there are specific exercises with the padel where you run intervals and repetitions, practice jumping, and face other challenges on the padel court itself.
TECHNICAL TRAINING FOR PADEL
As in most sports that are played with an extension of the body, a tool, technique plays a fundamental role and can at times be decisive. In order to achieve the best results and improve efficiency, technical training must take into account body psychomotricity, behavior on the court, and hitting technique.
Training technique will allow us to develop our hitting ability to handily counter our opponent's shots, attack, return shots defensively, and place shots right where they need to go.
Technical padel training should include exercises aimed at improving your main shots: service, forehand, backhand, return, volley, lob, and smash, plus the 'vibora' and the 'bandeja'.
For great manageability, light weight and a wide sweet spot, we recommend a round padel racket for beginning players. A round racket will help them improve their technique quickly and properly.
TACTICAL TRAINING FOR PADEL
Before we continue, let's keep in mind that padel is a sport that is played in pairs, so tactics must be worked on together. As such, you really should plan training sessions with the partner with whom you usually play.
And because in many matches tactics can be even more important than technique, we should be clear about what aspects we can prepare in advance:
- We must know what our strengths and weaknesses are, that is, our best and worst shots.
- We must know whether we are attackers or defenders.
- We must know whether we are setters or power players.
Once we know all this, then we will know how to play a much more effective game.
Also, we can't overlook the importance of clear communication with our partner.
Finally, our training should include how to study our rivals, the type of track, the type of balls, the weather.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAINING FOR PADEL
Finally, shoulder to shoulder with technique and physical preparation, there is psychological preparation, the very bedrock of every great sports performance in history.
While it may not always be necessary at the amateur level, psychological training is essential at the professional level (and sometimes at the advanced level), and may often decide games by permitting players to perform consistently over time and especially during a match.
Mental strength is something to work on with a psychology professional who will help us manage our weaknesses and strengths, our concentration, our motivation and pressure.
