Where to Stand After You Serve

Your serve starts the point, but your next few steps often decide whether you gain a useful attacking position or get caught halfway forwards. In padel, the aim is not simply to reach the net as quickly as possible. It is to arrive balanced, alongside your partner and ready for the return you actually receive. Think of the sequence as serve, advance, split, volley, then adjust. Each stage helps you take the net without leaving an easy route through or over you.

Move with purpose after the serve

Once you have struck your serve, move forwards rather than staying behind the service line to admire it. Your partner will usually already be in a net position, so your job is to join them and establish a coordinated front line. Recover your balance from the service action, then use purposeful running steps with your racket carried comfortably in front. Avoid charging with your racket trailing behind you: it makes preparing for a quick return unnecessarily difficult.

Your route will often be slightly diagonal towards your intended net position, rather than straight forwards from wherever you served. However, the serve travels diagonally; your run does not have to follow the ball. Move into the side and space you and your partner have agreed to cover, without crossing their path. As a starting arrangement, serve from the side you will then defend at the net. More complicated formations require clear communication and are not essential for learning this movement.

Aim for a useful position, not the net itself

A sensible starting net position is roughly three to four metres from the net, adjusted for your reach, movement and the returner’s options. You are close enough to intercept many balls but still have some room to respond to a lob. You may not get there before the return is struck, especially after a fast serve or against someone who takes the ball early. That is normal: being balanced slightly farther back is better than still sprinting as the ball reaches you.

Look at your partner as well as the ball. You want broadly similar depth, rather than one player almost touching the net while the other is near the service line. Shift together towards the side where the opponents are contacting the ball, with the nearer player protecting the line and the other helping cover the middle. Avoid drifting so far towards the centre that you offer an obvious straight return down your side.

Split as they return

Time your split step around the returner’s contact. Make a small, light hop just before they strike, landing with your feet comfortably apart and your knees softly bent as you read the ball’s direction. This briefly interrupts your forward run and leaves you ready to push either way. It should feel like a controlled reset, not a big jump that leaves you stranded in the air.

Split wherever you have reached, even if you are still short of your preferred net position. A common mistake is taking two more running steps because you feel you ought to be closer. That makes a low return towards your feet much harder to manage. Watch the receiver’s racket and contact point, but avoid committing too early. A similar preparation can produce a drive, a slower dipping return or a lob.

Make the first volley deep and central

If the return gives you a comfortable volley, a deep ball through the central area is a reliable first choice. It gives you a generous target, reduces the angles available for the next passing shot and can keep both opponents behind you. Aim for controlled depth rather than maximum speed. You want to make them play from the back, not hit so hard that the rebound off the back glass gives them an easy ball.

Keep the preparation compact, with the racket head up and the contact in front of your body. Use your movement and a short, controlled action rather than a large swing. If the return dips below net height, change your expectations: lift a safer volley with enough clearance instead of forcing a flat attacking shot. If it reaches your feet before you can volley comfortably, a controlled half-volley may be necessary. Stabilise the point before trying to dominate it.

Only close once you have control

Moving closer is a reward for creating pressure, not an automatic step after every volley. Look for an opponent stretched wide, contacting low or playing from an awkward position behind the service line. Those situations may allow you and your partner to edge forwards and intercept the next ball higher. Advance together, then split again as the opponent strikes. A small adjustment is often enough; you rarely need a dramatic rush.

Stay more cautious when an opponent is balanced with time to lob. If the return goes overhead, turn and move back rather than backpedalling blindly, and call clearly so your partner knows who is taking it. Depending on the ball, you might play a controlled overhead or let it bounce and rebuild from the back. Holding the net is valuable, but forcing an overhead while off balance can surrender the advantage.

Build a repeatable routine

Practise with a partner returning a mixture of drives, dipping balls and lobs. Serve, advance, split at their contact and play the appropriate first shot. Start at a manageable pace and judge success by your balance and positioning, not by whether you win immediately. At an NPN session, agreeing to focus on this pattern for a few points can make your movement much more deliberate.

Keep the reminder simple: move with purpose, stop in balance, play a controlled first ball, then close together. You do not need to reach the perfect spot after every serve. You need to arrive ready for the next shot.