Training Padel

These four drills and variations are designed to work on volleys and overhead shots as a whole (víbora, rulo, bandeja).
The session starts with purely technical work, then gradually moves into match-like situations, finishing with competitive points and even tie-breaks.

The session can be run with two players and a coach, or with three players.

Drill 1: Volleys and overheads (víbora / bandeja)

Two players position themselves on the same side of the court at the net, one on the left and one on the right.

The coach stands on the opposite side of the court, at the back and in the center, with a basket of balls.

The coach feeds eight balls to each player, alternating between:

• A volley, where placement and pace must be adapted to the incoming ball.
• A high ball, on which the player hits a diagonal víbora. If the player is late or poorly positioned and the víbora is too risky, they may choose to play a bandeja instead.

Each player therefore hits four volleys and four overhead shots per series.

The coach provides feedback and corrections between each series.

In the first series, the coach may choose to feed forehand volleys only, then backhand volleys in the next series to vary the work.

Here’s a video demonstration of the exercise:

Video credits: JUEGO CON EL #1 DE PARAGUAY Y EL #7 DE MADRID – Wings to Pro Ep 7 – el4Set – YouTube

Drill 2: A rulo instead of a víbora

The players perform the same drill, but now must play a very cross-court rulo toward the diagonal fence, which is a slower shot with different placement.

The coach’s lob is therefore slightly shorter and more angled to allow the players to execute the rulo.

To better understand what makes a good rulo and how to improve the technique, players can refer to the dedicated drill on this topic here: Agustín Tapia: training the « rulo » on the diagonal fence, a decisive move to perfect.

As before, one series can focus on forehand volleys and the next on backhand volleys.

Here’s a video demonstration of the drill:

Drill 3: Controlled rally with two attackers and one defender

This drill can be played with three players, or with two players plus the coach.

Two players position themselves at the net on their respective sides, while the third player stands on the opposite side of the court at the back, on their usual side.

Controlled rallies are played following this pattern:

• The defender feeds one volley ball and one high ball to the left-side attacker,
• then one volley ball and one high ball to the right-side attacker.

Each attacker responds with a volley and a víbora, replicating the work from the previous drills.

The rally is played under control, meaning the goal is to keep the point going as long as possible. The attackers play toward the defender without trying to put them under pressure.

After a few minutes, players rotate roles so everyone works both defense and attack.

Here’s a video demonstration of the exercise:

Drill 4: Match-play and tie-break

The session can finish with the following exercise:

In the same setup (two attackers and one defender), points are now counted with this rule:

• The defender starts the point with a lob,
• the attackers play a first bandeja or víbora,
• then the point is played freely.

A tie-break is played, after which the roles rotate until all players have played in defense.

Here’s a video demonstration of the drill: