One of the first dilemmas you face when you start playing padel is which area of the court to play in, right or left ?
Generally, the player who defends and builds the game plays on the right , while the one who has to finalize and close the point plays on the left . Therefore, the most solid and consistent player of the two will position himself on the forehand side, while the most powerful player, especially one with an excellent smash and volley game, will position himself on the left in order to cover the center of the court with the strongest shots (forehand, volley and smash). For left-handed players, the opposite is true, so it is better for them to play on the right.
Obviously it is important to know how to play on both sides, as many coaches suggest, in order to improve your game. Training to play on the opposite side than usual helps to complete your technical baggage, in order to optimize your strengths and improve your weaknesses instead! By doing so, you adapt to playing with different teammates and to face any rival because your playing style differs based on the opponent you are facing! Even professional players often change sides and know how to adapt based on their teammate, for example Juan Lebron who was (and still is) a perfect left-handed player because he is tall and has a powerful smash, has adapted to playing on the right to play in pairs with his current teammate Ale Galàn .
Differences between the two sides of the field:
Left Side:
As we were saying, it is considered the most offensive position. The playing angle is much wider having the right hand close to the center of the court. The left player is the one who must close the point with decisive shots both on his side and in the center of the court.
Those who play on the backhand side must have very specific characteristics, that is, excellent athletic preparation (but this is independent of where they play), knowing how to hit the most powerful and aggressive shots such as the smash and the forehand volley without hesitation but in a decisive manner, they must have a "leader" attitude as they will have more responsibility in trying to bring home winning points and finally it is better if they are tall so that it will be more complicated for the opponents to beat them with a lob!
Right Side:
It is the most defensive and construction-oriented position, but it is absolutely not correct to say that a right-handed player is simply a "defender" as even for those who play on the right there are decisive shots , so the focus is more on working the point well by trying to place the ball in the most unpleasant way possible for the opponents.
The most important characteristics that a right-handed player must have are great solidity in his shots because having to build the point it is important to limit errors to a minimum and therefore make as few mistakes as possible , he must have an excellent vision of the game and be able to anticipate the play and move quickly, he must have an excellent technical background because he will very often find himself working the exchange for a long time so he must "find" spaces to become offensive, he must be able to make excellent different shots such as deep and precise volleys and the lob to defend that allows him to conquer the net, and finally have good patience and never lose control because the game can be long and from this side it is difficult to receive easy balls to attack!
