Padel positioning: take the net and defend the back court.

A useful defensive base

Start behind the service line rather than against the rear wall. That leaves room for a deep ball to bounce and come away from the glass. The exact distance changes with pace, spin and your reach.

Shift laterally with the ball and keep enough connection with your partner that the middle and outside cannot both be exposed. From a poor position, a high safe ball is usually more useful than a low-percentage passing attempt.

When to move to the net

The serve creates time to advance together. During a rally, a high deep lob, a low chiquita to the feet or an obviously weak reply can create the same transition.

Advance only as quickly as you can control the next ball. If the lob is short or the chiquita sits up, pause and defend the reply instead of continuing forward blindly.

• Follow a good lob together
• Watch the opponents' contact while advancing
• Split-step before the incoming volley
• Recover together when a lob passes you

Holding an effective net position

Stand far enough from the net to react to a lob but close enough to contact volleys in front. Babolat uses roughly two metres as a reference; height, speed and the immediate situation change it.

The first volley does not need to finish the point. A controlled ball through the middle, at the body or deep into a corner often preserves the attacking position better than maximum pace from poor balance.

Four simple practice pictures

Start with a lob followed by a synchronized transition. Next, award the defending pair a point only when both reach the net under control. Add a round in which they may advance only behind a chiquita. Finally, pause after errors and identify whether spacing, shot choice or pair movement caused the problem.