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What does a proper padel warm-up look like?
Warm-up: five minutes of dynamic movement, then hit every shot you will use, ending with overheads and serves.
You arrive at the court five minutes before your match. What is the right warm-up?
Warm-up: five minutes of dynamic movement, then hit every shot you will use, ending with overheads and serves.
Why
Padel injuries cluster in the first two games, calves, Achilles, shoulders, and almost all of them come from cold bodies sprinting for a ball. The warm-up starts with movement, not hitting: light jogging, side-steps along the baseline, a few lunges, arm circles and shoulder rotations, until you are warm. Then the racket work: volleys from the net, groundstrokes and wall balls from the back, lobs, some bandejas and a few smashes to wake the shoulder, and serves last. Static stretching belongs after the match, when the muscles are warm; before it, dynamic movement is what protects them.
What this means at your level
Beginner
Arrive ten minutes early, not five. Jog, side-step, lunge, then hit. Your calves will thank you in a year.
Intermediate
Include wall balls in the warm-up. The turn and shuffle for the glass is a movement you do not do anywhere else.
Advanced
Warm up the overhead properly: a dozen bandejas and a few smashes, building up. Cold shoulders and full smashes in game one are how seasons end.
Common questions
You arrive at the court five minutes before your match. What is the right warm-up?
Five minutes of movement, then hit every shot you will use. Warm-up: five minutes of dynamic movement, then hit every shot you will use, ending with overheads and serves. Padel injuries cluster in the first two games, calves, Achilles, shoulders, and almost all of them come from cold bodies sprinting for a ball. The warm-up starts with movement, not hitting: light jogging, side-steps along the baseline, a few lunges, arm circles and shoulder rotations, until you are warm. Then the racket work: volleys from the net, groundstrokes and wall balls from the back, lobs, some bandejas and a few smashes to wake the shoulder, and serves last. Static stretching belongs after the match, when the muscles are warm; before it, dynamic movement is what protects them.
Why not straight into hitting hard to get the arm going?
Cold muscles and hard hitting are how calves and shoulders get pulled in the first game.
What should a beginner do here?
Arrive ten minutes early, not five. Jog, side-step, lunge, then hit. Your calves will thank you in a year.
How does this change for an advanced player?
Warm up the overhead properly: a dozen bandejas and a few smashes, building up. Cold shoulders and full smashes in game one are how seasons end.
Puzzles like this one
Your partner pulls a muscle. Can you stop the match?
A short medical timeout for a genuine injury, requested through the referee. Not unlimited, and not for fatigue.
advancedThird set, legs tired. Do you keep smashing?
Tired legs, fewer smashes. Hold the net with the bandeja and save the smash for the easy ones.
intermediateWhich kind of fitness wins padel matches?
Padel fitness is repeated short sprints and strong legs. The third set is won by whoever is still bending their knees.