First off, let me start by saying that while I mention padel balls specifically in this post, it applies equally to tennis balls. So with that in mind, off we go.

One of the biggest costs of playing padel, after the cost of renting courts, is that of buying padel balls. Padel balls start losing their bounce as soon as they are taken out of their pressurized container, and during the match, as they are hit around they lose even more bounce. The result is that after two or three matches you will notice a clear difference in the bounce, indicating that it is time to open a new tube and throw away the old balls.

Obviously, that can get expensive pretty quickly, especially if you play a lot of matches every week. Also, during the second and third match, you will already be playing with non-standard balls as they would have already lost some of the bounce. This will affect your game as you will lack the constancy of a regular bounce. So we have the problem of cost and the problem of lack of consistency between one match and another. Keep in mind that throwing away so many padel balls isn’t so good for the environment either. Clearly, this is a significant problem that all padel players would love to find a solution for.

The good news is that I have finally found a great solution that is allowing me to keep using the same balls for up to twenty matches at a time. I can now keep my balls at the official pressure and enjoy the same bounce during every match. I eventually have to replace the balls not because they no longer bounce, but because the felt is so worn out.

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So you’re enjoying your new favorite sport of padel (paddle) and you want to buy the ideal racket for your style of play and level? This post will explain all the factors that go into this decision.

There are three racket head shapes that we need to consider:

• Round
• Diamond
• Tear drop
• Oversize

Round Padel Rackets

Round rackets are ideal for beginners. They have a medium/low weight balance which makes them handle very comfortably. They also tend to have an amplified sweet spot, and are thus quite forgiving if you don’t hit the ball with exactly the center of the racket (which you should nonetheless always aim to do).

They are rackets that are also ideal for defensive players whose major strength is ball placement. They provide excellent control, and their major downside is lack of power for smashes.

Tear Drop Padel Rackets

These are the most popular type of rackets as they are ideal for intermediate players. They provide a great mix of power and control and can thus help you hit excellent shots with a large variety of effects.

They are very versatile rackets that adapt to all styles of play, climatic conditions and match situations. It is a mix between diamond and round and has a weight distribution that is very even and shifted towards the center of the racket, which gives it the feeling of being very balanced and adaptable to different situations.

Diamond Padel Rackets

These are the favored shape of many professional players. They have a top balance, which means that most of the weight is distributed away from the grip and towards the top part of the racket. This gives the racket lots of power but on the other hand makes it much harder to control. The sweet spot of the racket is also minimal. Hence this type of racket is only recommended to those who have really mastered all the repertoire of padel shots and can consistently hit the ball with significant power and always with the very center of the racket. It is ideal for attack-minded players, especially those playing on the left side.

If you are switching to a diamond-shaped padel racket from another type of racket, it is best to go for a racket that weighs a bit less than what you are used to, in order to compensate for the fact that the balance on these rackets is skewed towards the top.

Oversized Padel Rackets

The oversized mould is used to create a racket with a larger surface area. The increased size can enhance the power and provide a larger sweet spot, which could be beneficial for beginners or those with less accuracy. However, the larger size also means the racket will be heavier, which could impact maneuverability.

Racket Grip

Padel rackets come with varying grip lengths and thickness. You can also add more overgrips if you want to make the grip bigger. It’s important to change the overgrip regularly because as your hands sweat your grip will quickly deteriorate and you’ll end up having lots of racket movement when you hit the ball, especially if you don’t hit the ball with the sweet spot of the racket’s head.

Racket Weight

Racket weight is very subjective, you will need to try several rackets and see which weight you like best. If you’re a bigger and stronger player, as a general rule you will want to go for a heavier racket.

The general guidelines are the following:

Gender	Body Weight	Racket Weight
Male	Below 70 kg	360-370 grams
Male	70-80 kg	370-380 grams
Male	Above 80 kg	380-390 grams
Female	Below 60 kg	340-360 grams
Female	60-70 kg	360-370 grams
Female	Above 70 kg	370-380 grams

For a junior player you can use a weight between 240g and 280g.

How the weight is distributed is also very important, and can totally change the maneuverability and balance between control and power. The best way to judge maneuverability is to try out a racket and see which style fits you best. From my experience, it’s easiest to judge how agile a racket is up close to the net doing volleys. The more agile rackets will give you a feeling of speed when preparing for a volley, while the less agile ones will feel a bit more cumbersome.

Racket Frame

Padel racket frames are usually made out of fibreglass or carbon. Fiberglass is cheaper to produce and you will find it used on the lower-end models. Kevlar is also used on some high end rackets together with carbon.

The thickness of the racket is usually between 36 and 38m, with the latter being the maximum thickness allowed under today’s regulations.

Core Material

Soft foam (Polyethylene) will help you feel every shot and you won’t need lots of power to hit speedy shots. Since you have slightly more time in contact with the ball, you can apply effects easier. The downside is that since the foam is very springy you will have less power in smashes.

On a racket’s packaging or marketing materials, you might find “salida de bola” or “ball output” mentioned. This refers to the springiness of the material. If you have a racket with high “salida de bola” it means that the ball will bounce off the racket very actively. This is ideal for beginners and perhaps older players as they don’t have a lot of strength and arm/body technique to move the ball around with control and speed, so it makes it easier for them to bounce the ball of the racket and get it to the other side, especially from a devensive position further back in the court.

EVA rubber is hard and less flexible. It is more difficult to play with especially in winter when the balls are heavier. However in high speed matches rackets with EVA cores are ideal. There are players who play with hard foam in summer and soft foam in winter. EVA cores are more durable than Polyethylene ones.

Lately, some manufacturers have developed a third type of core (Polyethylene) which combines both EVA and FOAM. This hybrid, is a soft rubber with much longer durability made of a core FOAM surrounded by an exterior EVA rubber.

It can be hard to distinguish what foam is used in a racket just by looking at it, but the sound they make on impact is significantly different.

Attacking vs Defensive Rackets

One of the most important factors to consider when buying a racket is whether you are an attacking or defensive player. Usually attacking players play on the left and the defensive ones play on the right. As a player focused on attacking play, you will fare better with an aggressive racket that emphasizes power over control. The reverse applies if you are a defensive player.

Racket Balance

The balance of a padel racket is an important characteristic that affects its behavior in play. It refers to the distribution of weight in the racket, which can be towards the head (top-heavy), towards the handle (bottom-heavy), or evenly distributed (neutral). Here’s how you can find out the balance of a padel racket:

Method 1: The Ruler Method

1. Get a flat ruler long enough to support the entire length of your racket. Ensure it has a groove in the middle or is slim enough for the racket to rest on its edge.
2. Lay the ruler on a flat surface and carefully balance the padel racket on it, placing the handle on one end and the head on the other. Ensure the edge of the racket is resting on the ruler.
3. Slowly slide the racket along the ruler until you find the point at which it balances perfectly without leaning towards the head or the handle. This balance point is also known as the fulcrum.
4. The position of this point along the length of the racket can indicate the balance. If it’s closer to the head, the racket is top-heavy and is more suited for power shots. If it’s closer to the handle, the racket is bottom-heavy and offers better control. If it’s in the middle, the racket has a neutral balance and offers a balanced mix of control and power.

Method 2: The Swing Test

1. Hold the racket by the handle using your usual grip.
2. Swing the racket as if you were playing a forehand shot, paying close attention to how it feels.
3. If it feels like the head of the racket is pulling your swing forward, then the racket is top-heavy. If the head seems to lag behind, then it’s bottom-heavy. If it feels balanced throughout the swing, the racket has a neutral balance.

The three ranges are the following:

• High – more than 27cm
• Medium – between 26 and 27cm
• Low – lower than 26cm

Price

Price is not the main factor when choosing the best padel racket. You should always find a shop that allows you to try several rackets without any pressure before you take a decision. Try as many variations (shape, brand, foam type) as possible so that you find the one that most fits your liking. Even the sound of the racket when hitting the ball can be an important factor when choosing a racket.

Remember to test several rackets before making a buying decision, it’s the best way to find the perfect fit for you.

If you have any questions leave a comment below.

Whenever I have the opportunity, I like to record my padel matches. This has been an essential tool for me in identifying and correcting my mistakes.

Many people love the videos I upload to YouTube, and ask me how to do the same for their own matches, so in this post, I’ll be describing my process. You will see that it’s really simple and straightforward, and once you do, you’ll no doubt want to improve your game using this technique.

The fact that padel courts have transparent glass walls is a great bonus for players as it is really easy to attach a camera and record a match, especially when compared to other sports. It’s not so easy to do this for tennis, for example. You could buy a stand for your camera, but you always run the risk of a high-speed ball hitting your precious equipment. It’s certainly do-able, but not as easy and straightforward as in padel.

The latest and greatest version of the GoPro Hero action cam is out, and it’s a tremendous improvement over all previous versions. I had been using a GoPro Hero 3+ so far, but when I saw the features on the GoPro Hero 6 I instantly decided to buy it.

The two main features that make the upgrade worthwhile are the following:

• touchscreen with video preview on the back of the camera
• incredible image stabilization even at 4k

With the decision on buying the Go Pro Hero 6 being made, it was time to check out what accessories are worth buying. Everyone knows that a major part of the GoPro’s allure is its wide variety of accessories that enable you to film in almost any condition imaginable and attach the camera to anything.

First off, you will need a bunch of spare batteries. I recommend three spare batteries as a minimum if you’ll be getting any kind of frequent use from the camera. I use the camera during my travels and also for the filming of padel matches on a daily basis. I like to keep 4 spare batteries in the GoPro pouch, obviously making sure all the batteries are kept charged at optimal levels.

Equipment

• GoPro Hero 6
• GoPro Suction Cup
• GoPro Hero camera case
• 64GB MicroSD card
• Spare GoPro Batteries

Software I use

• Final Cut Pro
• MPV player
• YouTube (if you want to upload and share the videos)

Recording the Match

I make sure I get to the padel court around 20 minutes before the match, to have enough time to set things up and warm up. Once the other players arrive, I always ask them if it’s OK for me to record the match. So far nobody has refused or shown any displeasure, on the contrary, other players are typically very enthusiastic and ask me to share the YouTube link when I’m done editing and have uploaded it. Keep in mind that most players have never watched videos of themselves play, so they would be very happy to have this opportunity. Not to mention that it’s always cool to share your match with family and friends on social media 🙂

Next, I find a good place to attach the GoPro. As I mentioned in the equipment list, I always put the camera within its protective case and attach it to the suction cup mount. This mount allows me to easily attach the GoPro to the back wall of a padel court. If both sides are easily accessible, I choose the one which doesn’t face the sun. If the sun is low and facing the GoPro you will end up with potential flaring in the video and the quality won’t be that good.

Make sure all the screws are tight and if possible use the GoPro app on your phone to make a live connection to the GoPro and make sure that you’re happy with the angle of viewing. I typically record at 1080p/30fps, but if I need extra high quality I’ll record at 4k at 60fps. This will allow me to use slow-motion features during the editing process since I have extra frames to play with. You can also increase the frames up to 120fps.

With the GoPro securely attached, and once I’m happy with the angle, I will hit the record button on the camera, and forget about it. It’s time to concentrate on the actual match!

The only thing to keep in mind while playing is that the battery will be drained after around an hour of play, so keep those extra batteries handy, and just change the battery during the change of sides after every hour. I typically use two batteries per match, unless its a very long match that warrants use of the third battery.

When you finish the match, just stop recording, carefully detach the GoPro from the wall and pack everything. Make sure you get the other players’ contact details so that you can send them the YouTube link later. This is a great way to build contacts in the padel world and make sure that people remember you 🙂

Editing the Match

For editing matches, I use Final Cut Pro on an Apple iMac 5k. There are many alternative video editors out there, but Final Cut has given me the best balance between usability and power. The process for editing is pretty simple. I first import the video files from the GoPro into Final Cut as the first step. Keep in mind that the GoPro will split videos into smaller chunks, and you can then make a compound clip in Final Cut to stitch them back together. Next, you will want to add a Color Correction effect clip onto your video. This will allow you to adjust saturation and exposure. You will always need to correct these, as the video will never be perfect out of the camera directly.

The next step is to add a fade in and fade out effect to both ends of the video, and the finishing touch is to add a title clip at the start of the video. I typically include the date and location of the match and the names of the players. With all that in place, it’s time to publish. I keep a local high-quality copy on my Synology Diskstation NAS, and the other I publish on YouTube. Both of these copies can be created from Final Cut Pro directly using the Share menu item.

Viewing the Match

You can, of course, share the match with all your friends once you’ve uploaded it to YouTube. You should also keep a high-quality copy on your own computer, and for viewing that I recommend MPV player. This is the only free player I’ve found that allows stepping forward and backward in a video clip. That means you can move forward or backward frame by fame and carefully analyze each point. I like to take a look at my sense of anticipation, which means how long I took to start moving into position after the opposing player lined up his shot. I also check my footwork and make sure that I am doing a split step before every shot by our opponents. These are the little details that can be analyzed, together with many more, when you step forward and backward.

That’s it! Hope you enjoy your recorded matches! Let me know if you have any questions about the setup or process.