Padel · Improver Plan · Week 4

Por tres

The flat smash and the por tres — when to pull the trigger, and how to finish so the ball doesn’t come back.

Video walkthrough

Coming soon

The on-court video for this drill is in production. The full step-by-step is below — and our in-depth guide goes deeper still.

Padel smash technique→

What it is

The finishing overheads: the flat smash for a short lob sitting over your head, and the por tres — the smash angled down and across so the ball leaves the court through the side opening. In padel most lobs don’t deserve either; the smash is a shot you earn, not a default.

When to use it

Only on a short lob you’re set underneath, inside the service line and balanced. Deep lob, bandeja; middle lob, víbora; sitter over your head, smash — and having smashed, follow it in and hold the net.

When not to

From behind the service line. The flat smash from deep is the most expensive shot in padel: it comes back off the glass, and while you recover, they take the net.

How to do it

1Partner feeds the same lob; answer it three ways in turn — bandeja, víbora, flat smash. Ten of each, scored on landing zone.
2Then por tres: smash down into the corner where the side glass meets the fence, so the ball exits the court. Twenty attempts.
3Play points where a smash you can’t finish loses the point — it teaches selection quickly.

Coaching cues

Deep lob, bandeja. Middle lob, víbora. Sitter over your head, smash.
Down and across into the corner — the angle does the work, not the force.
Contact in front of you and above the shoulder, never behind your head.
Finish it or don’t hit it. A smash you can’t finish hands them the net.

Common errors

Smashing every lob. Most lobs deserve a bandeja — a smash you can’t finish puts you at the back of the court.
Flat and hard instead of down and across. Power without angle rebounds into play.
Taking it behind your head. If the contact point has drifted back, it’s a bandeja now.
Standing to admire it. Follow the smash in and hold the net.

This is the Week 4 drill from the RacketRise Padel Improver Plan. Go deeper with padel smash technique, or see all drill guides.

Train Smarter

Padel Advanced Training Plan

A four-week competition block: serve and return patterns, overhead selection, glass defence and the deciding point — timed work-to-rest, live ball throughout.

See the plan — print-ready PDF, £14.99→