Four padel volley drills for control, depth and doubles net play

Start with a volley you can repeat, not one that finishes the point. A volley means hitting the ball before it bounces. These padel volley drills progress from gentle feeds to a doubles game, with control and recovery as the priorities.

If you come from tennis, keep your early preparation and contact in front. The habit to check is trying to put every volley away: in padel, a ball that bounces and reaches the back glass can still be returned before its second floor bounce. Hitting harder does not automatically end the rally. See the FIP rules, Rules 12–14.

Set up and choose one technique cue

You need a court, a partner and a few balls; four players are ideal for the final drill. Warm up first, secure your racket’s wrist strap and clear loose balls before each sequence. The 20 minutes below are drill time, excluding the warm-up.

Start roughly two to three metres from the net, adjusting until you can step forward into a gentle feed without crowding the net. Your feeder stands on the opposite side, behind the service line—the line running parallel to the net.

Use a continental grip, with the racket up in front of you. Choose just one cue per round:

• Short preparation: turn your shoulders rather than taking a big backswing.
• Contact in front: meet the ball ahead of your body with a compact push or block.
• Recover: bring the racket back to ready position before the next feed.

These cues follow the LTA’s volley guidance, which prioritises a short racket path and placement over power. When time allows, step into the volley with the opposite foot: left foot on a right-hander’s forehand, right foot on their backhand; reverse those for a left-hander.

The counts below are practice targets, not pass-or-fail standards. Slow the feed whenever technique starts to unravel.

1. Gentle feeds: find compact contact — 4 minutes

Setup: One player volleys; the other feeds from behind the opposite service line. Use the same half of the court and aim straight ahead.

Action: The feeder sends an easy ball around waist-to-chest height. Volley it into the open court toward the feeder, who catches or stops it before feeding again. Work through batches of ten forehands, ten backhands, then ten alternating volleys as time allows. Swap roles halfway through.

Keep the pace slow enough to reset after every shot. Do not add slice yet.

Checkpoint: Aim for seven of ten volleys landing in the intended half, with contact in front and the racket ready again before the next feed. If you reach behind yourself, make the feed slower rather than swinging faster.

2. Depth ladder: push beyond the service line — 5 minutes

Setup: Keep the same positions. Your target is the floor between the opponent’s service line and back glass, with plenty of margin from the side enclosure.

Action: Start with predictable forehand feeds, then backhands, then alternate. Count how many volleys in each batch of ten first bounce beyond the service line. Swap roles halfway through.

Use a controlled push, not a harder swing. A ball that flies straight into the opponent’s glass or fence is a miss: unless intercepted, your shot must bounce on their court before touching their enclosure. That distinction comes from FIP Rules 13–14.

Checkpoint: Seek six deep, legal bounces out of ten before making feeds less predictable. The LTA’s depth drill uses the service line as the same visible target.

3. Mixed feeds: block fast balls, lift low ones — 4 minutes

Setup: The feeder mixes comfortable waist-high balls with gentle feeds below net height. Add slightly quicker feeds only when both players are comfortable.

Action: On a quicker ball, shorten the movement and block it back. On an easier ball, push toward your depth target. On a low ball, bend your knees and give the ball clearance over the net; do not force a downward volley from below net height. Swap roles halfway through.

The Padel School’s volley guidance recommends lowering with your legs for low contact and avoiding a position too close to the net.

Checkpoint: Count successful low-ball returns separately from deep volleys. Getting a difficult ball safely over the net is a different task from pressing an opponent back.

4. Three volleys, then compete — 7 minutes

Setup: With four players, put one pair at the net and the other pair behind the opposite service line. Agree who takes middle balls before starting.

Action: Use this beginner adaptation of the LTA’s “push your opponent back” game:

1. The back pair starts each rally with a cooperative feed, not a serve.
2. The net pair must land its first three team volleys beyond the opponents’ service line. During this phase, the back pair returns manageable balls without lobbing.
3. After the third successful volley, call “live” and play the point normally, including lobs.
4. A missed qualifying volley ends the rally and counts as a win for the back pair. Only the net pair can score; whenever the back pair wins, the pairs exchange positions.

Move with your partner after each shot rather than following the ball alone. Use the doubles positioning guide if one player keeps drifting forward while the other stays back.

Checkpoint: Count qualifying three-volley sequences as well as points. You are practising holding the net through several controlled shots, not gambling on the first feed.

With only two players, finish with the depth drill as a cooperative rally: one volleys while the other returns after a bounce. Try to complete three deep volleys, then restart; switch roles after every three attempts.