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Two aggressive players or one aggressive and one steady?
Pair a finisher with a builder. Complementary roles cover the court; two of the same leave holes.
You are choosing a regular partner. You are an aggressive, net-hungry player. Which kind of partner makes the better pair?
Pair a finisher with a builder. Complementary roles cover the court; two of the same leave holes.
Why
Padel pairs work when the roles are complementary. An aggressive, net-hungry player needs a partner who is patient, who lobs well and defends the court, and who is happy to set up points rather than end them: the builder on the right, the finisher on the left, in the classic shape. Two aggressive players compete for the same balls and leave the back court unattended; two patient players never finish. The best pairs at every level are two players who each want the ball in a different moment of the point, and who trust the other with the moment that is theirs.
What this means at your level
Beginner
If you love to smash, find a partner who loves to lob. You will both get more of what you like.
Intermediate
Talk about roles before the match: who takes the middle, who finishes, who resets. It saves the argument at 4-4.
Advanced
The builder is not the weaker player. At the top level the right-side "builder" is often the more complete player, and the finisher depends on them.
Common questions
You are choosing a regular partner. You are an aggressive, net-hungry player. Which kind of partner makes the better pair?
A steady, patient player who builds points and covers. Pair a finisher with a builder. Complementary roles cover the court; two of the same leave holes. Padel pairs work when the roles are complementary. An aggressive, net-hungry player needs a partner who is patient, who lobs well and defends the court, and who is happy to set up points rather than end them: the builder on the right, the finisher on the left, in the classic shape. Two aggressive players compete for the same balls and leave the back court unattended; two patient players never finish. The best pairs at every level are two players who each want the ball in a different moment of the point, and who trust the other with the moment that is theirs.
Why not another aggressive player, so you both attack?
Two attackers hit the same balls, both crowd the net, and neither lobs. The pair wins fast points and loses the match.
What should a beginner do here?
If you love to smash, find a partner who loves to lob. You will both get more of what you like.
How does this change for an advanced player?
The builder is not the weaker player. At the top level the right-side "builder" is often the more complete player, and the finisher depends on them.
Puzzles like this one
Both of them are at the net. What is the highest-percentage ball?
Only the lob moves a net pair backwards. Everything else invites them forward.
intermediateYour partner got pulled wide. Where do you stand?
The pair moves like one body. When your partner is pulled wide, you take the middle.
intermediateWhat do you do with the return of serve?
The return lob is how the receiving pair steals the net. Aim over the player who is still moving.