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Padel · Basic · b3

Serve and home base

At home 10 min 1 to 2 players Terrace

Ready when: Bounce about and ladder rallies (b1) done.

Start a session

What you are learning

The padel serve: both feet behind the service line, bounce the ball, hit it at or below the waist with a foot on the ground, diagonally into the far box. Then moving back to a home base after every shot, with a small split step as the other player hits.

Words on this card Service line, Split step, Home base
Service line
The line the server stands behind, and the box the serve must land in.
Split step
A small hop as the other player hits, so you can move either way.
Home base
The spot you go back to after each shot.

Set up

A service line; targets.

Weather: dry ground

The base setup for padel

Show it first for the one teaching

  1. Stand behind the service line, side on.
  2. Drop the ball so it bounces beside you.
  3. Hit it at waist height or lower, swinging through toward the far box on the diagonal.
  4. Step back to the home base and do a small hop (split step).

Your part while they practise

Call the target.

Step by step

  1. Both feet behind the service line.
  2. Bounce the ball in your own box.
  3. Hit it at or below the waist with a foot on the ground, diagonally into the far box.
  4. Two tries.
  5. Recover to the home base after each shot, with a split step.

How much: 10 serves, 2 rounds 10 min a session 3 days a week

Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.

The game: Serve targets

Serve at targets in the far box; the deeper or harder target scores more.

Who plays: the child against you, taking turns.

How to play, turn by turn
Turns
  1. Put a big target deep in the service box and a small one in the corner
  2. Each player serves 10 balls, calling the target first
  3. After each serve, run back to the home base
Fair play
A grown-up must hit the small target to score.
Points
1 point for a serve in the box; 2 for the big target; 3 for the small target.
Fouls
No points for that serve
  • Hitting the ball above the waist
  • A foot over the line
  • Not back at the home base before the next serve
Winning
More points after 10 serves each.
Stars
  1. 8 points for 1 star
  2. 14 points for 2 stars
  3. 20 points for 3 stars

Easier or harder

Easier

A big target.

Harder

Serve to three targets.

What you will see, and what to say

  • the serve is short Swing throughFollow through to the target.
  • hit above the waist Let it drop, then hitWait for it.
  • the child stays where they hit Back to baseEvery shot.

Self-check

5of 10

5 of 10 serves land in the target.

Fitness for this

Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.

This card trains serve, recovery.

Basic is done when the child meets the self-checks on b1 to b3.

awiseathlete.com/sports/padel/padel-b3