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Both opponents are at the back. Volley to the corner or to the feet?
Volley at the feet, not into the corner. The corner gives them the walls; the feet give them nothing.
You have a comfortable volley at waist height, both opponents two metres inside their glass. Where is the better target?
Volley at the feet, not into the corner. The corner gives them the walls; the feet give them nothing.
Why
The back corner looks like the biggest target, and against tennis players it would be. In padel, a ball hit hard into the corner rebounds off the glass and comes back to a player who has all the time in the world. A ball landing at the feet of an opponent standing two metres inside the glass is the one they hate: it has to be lifted from below the level of the net, it cannot be hit hard, and it does not reach the wall. That lift is the ball you put away. The target moves with the opponent. It is wherever their feet are, not a fixed spot on the court.
What this means at your level
Beginner
Look at the opponent's shoes, and volley there. A ball at their feet is a ball they cannot attack.
Intermediate
The feet volley needs a slightly closed face and less pace than you think. It is a placement, not a hit.
Advanced
The feet volley is the shot that sets up the winner, and the winner is the next volley. Do not try to end it in one; hit the feet, step in, hit the reply.
Common questions
You have a comfortable volley at waist height, both opponents two metres inside their glass. Where is the better target?
At the feet of the nearer opponent. Volley at the feet, not into the corner. The corner gives them the walls; the feet give them nothing. The back corner looks like the biggest target, and against tennis players it would be. In padel, a ball hit hard into the corner rebounds off the glass and comes back to a player who has all the time in the world. A ball landing at the feet of an opponent standing two metres inside the glass is the one they hate: it has to be lifted from below the level of the net, it cannot be hit hard, and it does not reach the wall. That lift is the ball you put away. The target moves with the opponent. It is wherever their feet are, not a fixed spot on the court.
Why not deep into the back corner?
The corner is where the walls help them. A deep ball into the corner comes back off two surfaces to a player who has time.
What should a beginner do here?
Look at the opponent's shoes, and volley there. A ball at their feet is a ball they cannot attack.
How does this change for an advanced player?
The feet volley is the shot that sets up the winner, and the winner is the next volley. Do not try to end it in one; hit the feet, step in, hit the reply.
Puzzles like this one
They lobbed you deep. Smash it or play the bandeja?
Deep ball, high hands: bandeja. The shot exists to keep you at the net, not to win the point.
beginnerThe ball is at your feet at the net. What now?
A ball below the net cannot be attacked. Block it deep and wait for one above the tape.
beginnerBoth 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.