Single padel, Play one on one

The sport that Enrique Corcuera invented in Mexico in the early 1960s is becoming more practiced every day. Especially in some countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, Uruguay, Chile or Portugal. The extension and popularization of padel has led to more and more tracks and more people playing it, and also some variants such as single padel or crossed padel.

Single Padel

Derived from this growth and given the impossibility at times of finding another rival couple, two new modalities have emerged in recent times in which one plays one against one: single padel and crossed padel.

The difference between these two modalities is that the single padel requires an adaptation in the measurements of the padel court, that is, it requires new facilities, and the crossed one is played on the same court as the padel in pairs. The measurements of the single padel court are 20×6. The length, 20 meters, is maintained, but the width is reduced from ten to six meters.

The other elements (mesh height, crystal measurements, etc.) are equivalent to the usual ones, look at the following image and you will be able to see the difference between an single court and a normal one.

The single padel improves our technique

The single padel is very useful to improve the individual technique in the game because more control and more refined strokes are required. It is used to improve volleys, shots, lobs or groundstrokes. In addition, the physical intensity is greater, so the resistance is improved.

Padel is a very mental sport where motivation and concentration in definitive moments is key to the final result of the game. Playing individually helps build the character necessary to lift a game that is going uphill. A peculiarity in this variant of padel is that when entering the court, a strange sensation of tube is produced in the players because the crystals are closer.

The variant, crossed padel

Two players can also play on a traditional court. It is about the crossed padel. The modality takes its name from the main characteristic of the game: it is only valid when the ball hits the other half with respect to where the player is. This means that players will hit diagonally or crosswise to their own direction. The areas will be alternate: right part in the even points and left part in the odd ones.

These two types of padel have a clear advantage and a no less clear drawback. The greatest attribute is the organizational facility to play a game by having to match the schedules of fewer people (two, half). The biggest problem is the loss or reduction of the socializing character of padel because the number of players decreases by 50% and there is no place for one of the most beautiful and interesting aspects of the game in pairs to take place: the connection between the two partners of team.

The advantages of single padel

The advantages of playing solo padel are many, among which we can highlight the following that we indicate below.

• Improve your technique, by touching the ball you constantly improve your technique, also when you play crossed you force yourself to put it within a quadrant, so your shots must be more precise, and as a general rule technique is used more than power shots .
• You always play the ball, unlike in padel in pairs, here you always play the ball, whether you want to or not, the ball will always go to you, they can’t make you a fridge, so it makes a very fun and enjoyable game Above all, your partner will not be able to cover those holes that a partner always makes for you, so it also becomes more intense.
• You can play with only one other person, sometimes it is difficult to find a partner to play and even more so if we have to play 4 people, so it is easier to set up a quick game

Improves mobility and track coverage

Without having a teammate to share the responsibility of covering the playing area, it is essential to master displacement techniques and be able to cover the entire court efficiently. For this reason, it is essential to work on agility and reaction speed. Performing change of direction exercises, jumping and lateral displacements can help strengthen muscles and improve responsiveness to the opponent’s movements. In addition, it is important to practice quick changes of direction and short movements to be able to reach the most difficult balls.

When it comes to track coverage, you need to have a solid strategy. Learning to read the opponent’s movements and anticipate his blows will help us to be in the right position at the right time. It is crucial to be attentive to the angles and directions of the shots to be able to position yourself optimally and have more room for maneuver, and in this way we will also increase our presence on the court, something that will be very helpful to develop our game. in couple.