With the serve, the point begins in a padel  game, and that is why it is very important. The difficult part of this moment is that if it is not done correctly, you would be giving away a point to the rivals. That is why, during padel lessons, players spend a lot of time learning the serve, especially to avoid mistakes. Also know: How to know my padel level ?, and find out about all the mistakes that you are surely making.

Next, we will tell you which are the most common padel serve errors, as well as the best way to avoid them.

The most common padel serve errors

Stepping on the service line

The service line is the one closest to the wall. At the time of service, the player must be standing behind that line. One of the most common mistakes happens when the player stands very close to this line and steps on it. If the feet come into contact with the line, it will be considered as a failed service. To avoid this, it is recommended to stand one meter away from this line, to reduce the probability of stepping on it.

Hitting the ball above the waist

When we start to play padel or attend classes, our monitor will always tell us that the serve must be done below the waist. This refers to the height at which contact with the ball should be made.

This is one of the basic rules of the game, and if done in a wrong way, it will completely invalidate the serve. The best way to avoid this mistake is with repetition. The player must make the movement of the serve repeatedly, always looking for contact below the waist.

Bounce the ball with great force

Before hitting the ball on the serve, it must first bounce off the ground, then proceed with contact with the padel. The bounce of the ball is an action that must be practiced constantly, to get used to the bounce and prevent it from reaching a height higher than that of the waist. For this, it is recommended only to drop the ball. In principle, players tend to bounce it with great force, causing the ball to rise too high after the bounce. This causes the contact to be above the waist and a lost point.

Hitting the ball too hard

Another of the most common padel serve errors is related to the force with which the ball is hit. Beginning players believe that the more power on the serve, the more likely they are to win it. But, in reality it is the opposite. On the serve, the placement of the ball and the spin have more weight.

When the player serves with great force, they are more likely to lose control and to send the ball into the net or the walls and miss the point. In training, you should spend more time perfectly in the direction of the serve, focusing on the weakest points of the opponent.

Use only the wrist or arm to serve

Another common error occurs when the player uses only the movement of the wrist or arm to serve. This creates tension and stiffness in the body, and prevents the serve from being optimally controlled.

When serving, the force should not come exclusively from the arm, but starts from the legs and goes up through the whole body. That is why, when serving, there must be a rotation of the body, which will accompany the movement of the arm to hit the ball.