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The server volleys brilliantly. Which return takes their first volley away?
Against a great first volley, lob the return. Their best shot never gets hit.
The server follows every serve in and their first volley is superb. Which return gives them the least to work with?
Against a great first volley, lob the return. Their best shot never gets hit.
Why
A server with a superb first volley wants a return that lets them volley. The return lob denies it: they have to stop, turn and play an overhead from around the service line, and the receiving pair gets to advance. Even a routine bandeja from there is a neutral ball, which is a huge improvement on a put-away volley. The lob has to be deep, a short one is a smash, so the returner aims for the last two metres and accepts the occasional long ball as the price. Against a poor volleyer, the calculus flips and the drive at the body becomes the return of choice.
What this means at your level
Beginner
If the server keeps winning the point with their first volley, lob your return instead. Make them hit something else.
Intermediate
Lob cross-court, over the server, deep. Then advance to the service line with your partner and split as they hit.
Advanced
Vary the lob's side. Servers who read the cross-court lob start moving before they finish the serve; the lob down the line, over the partner, resets them.
Common questions
The server follows every serve in and their first volley is superb. Which return gives them the least to work with?
A deep lob over the server: their first shot is an overhead. Against a great first volley, lob the return. Their best shot never gets hit. A server with a superb first volley wants a return that lets them volley. The return lob denies it: they have to stop, turn and play an overhead from around the service line, and the receiving pair gets to advance. Even a routine bandeja from there is a neutral ball, which is a huge improvement on a put-away volley. The lob has to be deep, a short one is a smash, so the returner aims for the last two metres and accepts the occasional long ball as the price. Against a poor volleyer, the calculus flips and the drive at the body becomes the return of choice.
Why not a hard drive at the server, to test the volley?
The volley is the thing they do best. Testing it is giving them their favourite ball.
What should a beginner do here?
If the server keeps winning the point with their first volley, lob your return instead. Make them hit something else.
How does this change for an advanced player?
Vary the lob's side. Servers who read the cross-court lob start moving before they finish the serve; the lob down the line, over the partner, resets 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.
beginnerYou have served. Where do you go?
In padel you serve in order to get to the net. Serve, then go.