Four ways thinking like a strategist can make you a better padel player

As an avid tennis player, I never imagined an injury would lead me to discover a new sport. But just a few months ago, forced to take a break from tennis, I picked up a padel racket for the first time. I assumed that years of playing tennis would give me a head start; after all, how different could two racket sports really be? To my surprise, the answer was “very.”

Padel, which originated in Mexico in the late 1960s, is an enclosed-court racket sport typically played in doubles. Combining elements of squash and tennis, it uses solid, stringless bats, lower-compression balls and glass or mesh walls off which the ball can rebound. While it has long been a sporting obsession in Spain and Latin America, its explosive global growth has recently made it the fastest-growing racket sport worldwide.

While tennis and padel share many technical similarities, they require somewhat different ways of thinking. I soon discovered that some of my tennis instincts were actually holding me back. Hitting harder wasn’t always the answer. Attacking too early often left me exposed, while patience, positioning, and anticipating my opponents’ next move proved far more valuable than a powerful shot.

Read more: How padel disrupted the genteel world of lawn tennis

That experience made me curious about something beyond court technique. As a researcher in strategic management, I focus on how people and organisations navigate uncertainty, allocate limited resources and make decisions to gain a competitive advantage. I quickly began to recognise these exact same challenges on the padel court.

What if, I wondered, the secret to becoming a better padel player isn’t simply learning to hit the ball better, but learning to think more strategically? Here are four ways thinking like a strategist can help you level up your padel game:

1. Consider yourself a resource orchestrator, not a player

According to resource orchestration theory, which emphasises how managers organise, combine and deploy resources to create value, success depends not simply on the resources you possess, but on how effectively you orchestrate them.

We can apply this directly to padel. For example, if your partner has an exceptional volley, try to create opportunities for them to use it. Before starting a match, discuss your individual strengths with your partner and plan how best to combine them. In fact, what you initially view as a resource constraint can often be turned to your advantage.

2. Train your attention, not just your shots

In both business and padel, your strategic mindset starts with where you focus your attention. The real power of training your attention is cumulative. During each game, choose one specific aspect to focus on closely: whether that is your opponents’ bandeja (a defensive overhead shot) or their footwork and movement.

After several games, your observations will accumulate into strategic insight. This accumulated knowledge allows you to anticipate your opponents’ moves rather than simply react to them.

3. Play the opponent in front of you, not the one in your head

To increase your odds of winning, try to reflect on and challenge your assumptions about your opponents and how you judge their moves on the padel court.

We often rely on first impressions about competitors, which can distort our judgement and affect our play and decisions. Instead, view your assumptions as hypotheses to be tested based on your opponents’ next shots, rather than as concrete truth.

4. Thinking backwards can lead you further forward

Instead of trying to assume your opponents’ next move, practice backward reasoning.

Imagine a situation where your opponents are dominating the net. Try not to assume their next move, but to influence the choices they make next.

To develop a strategic mindset and improve your padel practice, define your desired outcome and work backwards, identifying the decisions that will help you achieve it. Strategic management means that, rather than simply reacting to your opponents’ next moves, you actively consider how your own actions can influence their next shot.

To play strategically, stop asking yourself “Where should I hit the ball next?” and start asking “What position do I want to be in two shots from now, and how can my next shot help me get there?” By thinking backward from the outcome you want to create, you transition from reactive play to tactical planning.

For instance, if your opponents are dominating the net, your immediate goal isn’t to hit an instant winner, but to force them out of their attacking position. Hitting a soft drop or deep lob buys you time, surrenders their net advantage and sets up a favourable position to control the point on your next turn.

To become a better player in padel, tennis, or any racket sport, the smartest way to win a point is often to out-think rather than out-play your opponent. Next time you’re on the court, remember that your strategic mindset is a skill you can train – just like your forehand, volley, or bandeja.

Veselina Stoyanova does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.