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You are both at the back. When do you go in?
You go in behind the ball that makes them uncomfortable, not behind the ball that feels good to hit.
You and your partner are defending well from the back. When is the right moment to move forward to the net?
You go in behind the ball that makes them uncomfortable, not behind the ball that feels good to hit.
Why
Moving forward is only safe when the other pair cannot hit down at you or lob over you. That happens when your ball is deep, high or dying at their feet and they are stretched, turning or reaching. Read their contact point, not your own shot: if their racket is below their waist or behind their body, go. If they are set up and comfortable, stay and lift again. Patience at the back is not passivity. It is waiting for the door to open.
What this means at your level
Beginner
Deep, high, and cross. Keep doing that until they give you a short one, then go in together.
Intermediate
Watch the contact point. Below the tape means you go; above the tape means you hold and cover the lob.
Advanced
Split the move into two: a step to the service line behind your lift, then a second step to the net once you see their reply is defensive. Committing in one run is what gets you passed at your feet.
Common questions
You and your partner are defending well from the back. When is the right moment to move forward to the net?
When your lift makes them play a defensive or short ball. You go in behind the ball that makes them uncomfortable, not behind the ball that feels good to hit. Moving forward is only safe when the other pair cannot hit down at you or lob over you. That happens when your ball is deep, high or dying at their feet and they are stretched, turning or reaching. Read their contact point, not your own shot: if their racket is below their waist or behind their body, go. If they are set up and comfortable, stay and lift again. Patience at the back is not passivity. It is waiting for the door to open.
Why not after a set number of shots: keep the rally short?
Padel rallies are long by design. A clock is not a tactic.
What should a beginner do here?
Deep, high, and cross. Keep doing that until they give you a short one, then go in together.
How does this change for an advanced player?
Split the move into two: a step to the service line behind your lift, then a second step to the net once you see their reply is defensive. Committing in one run is what gets you passed at your feet.
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.