How to hit the padel bandeja: technique, mistakes and when to use it

The bandeja is how you answer a lob without giving up the net. It is not meant to win the point. It is meant to keep your opponents at the back and keep you at the front. You hit it side-on, at about head height, with an open racket face and a short high-to-low swing that leaves the ball sliced and low off the bounce.

If your bandeja sails long, dies in the net or floats back as another lob, power is almost never the problem. Positioning and timing are. That is why this guide is not a step-by-step list. It is organised by the mistake you are making. Find yours, apply the fix and you should feel the difference in a single session.

What the bandeja is for

Think of it as something between a high volley and a smash. You play it when the lob is too good to smash comfortably but you do not want to let it bounce. The job is twofold: send the ball deep enough that your opponents cannot come forward, and get back to your net position before they hit.

Spanish coach Manu Martín, in a course for instructors published by PadelStar, describes the bandeja as a containment shot born of a tactical need: holding the net after a lob. That one idea explains everything that follows. If you are trying to finish the point with a bandeja, you are using the wrong shot.

Before you fix anything: bandeja, vibora or smash?

Plenty of bandejas fail simply because a bandeja was the wrong call. The choice depends on where the lob lands and how you arrive.

A good, deep lob that pushes you back calls for a bandeja. A short lob at mid-height near the net opens the door to a vibora, hit more laterally and with more spin, or to a smash if you get there early and balanced. The vibora is an attacking shot that demands more coordination; the bandeja prioritises safety and net recovery. For beginners and intermediates, the bandeja is the default and the vibora is the exception.

The mistakes that ruin the bandeja, and how to fix them

Mistake 1: you retreat facing the net

This is the first fault Manu Martín corrects in his course. If you back up square to the net, you arrive at the ball with no shoulder turn and only your arm to hit with. The result is flat and directionless.

The fix starts before your feet move: the moment you read the lob, turn your body sideways. From there, retreat with small lateral steps, never crossing your feet. Your non-hitting arm points at the ball. It keeps you balanced and helps you judge the height.

Mistake 2: the ball ends up on top of you, or behind you

Contact directly overhead, or with the ball already behind your hitting shoulder, means you push the ball instead of slicing it. It comes off high, bounces hard off the back glass and comes back as an easy ball.

Get behind the ball, not under it. Ideal contact is in front of your hitting shoulder, at head height or slightly above, and a little to the side. If the lob is very deep and you cannot get there on foot, jump. PadelStar puts it neatly: you do not jump to hit higher, you jump to get behind the ball.

Mistake 3: you prepare late, or too far back

Waiting for the ball to drop before raising the racket is the most common cause of a rushed bandeja. Taking the racket way back, tennis-serve style, lengthens the swing and costs you control.

The racket goes up as your shoulders turn, not afterwards. Your elbow sits at shoulder height or just above, and the backswing is compact: the racket starts almost at the contact point. A short swing gives you control over speed and direction, which is exactly what this shot needs.

Mistake 4: you hit it flat or flick your wrist

The bandeja carries backspin. That spin is what makes the ball lose pace after the bounce and stay low off the back wall. Hit with a closed face, or flick the racket tip forward with your wrist at the last moment, and the ball flattens out and bounces up.

Keep the face open, tilted slightly towards the sky, and swing high to low, brushing the back of the ball. Finish forward and down, towards your opposite hip. PadelStar warns that flicking the tip forward gives you more rebound off the glass and leaves a lot of balls in the net.

Mistake 5: you hit it too hard

This is the tennis convert’s mistake, or anyone who confuses the bandeja with a smash. More pace means less spin and more rebound. A fast, flat bandeja is the ideal set-up for your opponent’s next lob.

Think depth and placement, not power. A slow, sliced bandeja that bounces near the service line is far harder to return than a fast one that reaches the glass with height.

Mistake 6: you stand and admire it

A well-struck bandeja is worth nothing if the next ball catches you in mid-court. Your opponents will get it back, and if you are rooted where you hit, they will play it at your feet.

As soon as the swing finishes, take two or three quick steps towards the net. Recovery is part of the bandeja, not what happens after it. The Padel School boils the whole shot down to five cues: turn early, racket up, move your feet, contact in front, get back to the net.

Where to aim the bandeja

Two targets are reliably safe. First, the corners: a sliced ball that bounces and dies in the angle between the back and side walls is awkward to dig out. The glass also slows the ball down and buys you time to recover.

Second, the middle: a deep bandeja down the centre makes both opponents decide who takes it and leaves the second bounce near the back glass. Avoid short balls to the middle and high bandejas into the glass. Both are free lobs.

One detail players overlook: if your bandeja bounces in the opponents’ court and then hits the wall or the fence, it is a good return. The rules on a correct return say so explicitly. Use the side wall as an ally.

When the lob gets past you

Not every lob should be bandeja’d. If it sails over you and you cannot reach it, the point is not lost: the ball stays in play after bouncing in your court and hitting your back wall, and you can return it before the second bounce. That is covered under the rules on the ball in play. Often it is smarter to let it bounce and defend calmly than to force a bandeja with your back to the net that ends up in the net or the roof.

Three drills to groove the technique

All three come from PadelStar’s drill set and need nothing beyond a racket and a few balls.

First, no ball: shoulder turn and backswing with the elbow at shoulder height while you adjust with side steps. Repeat until the turn happens before the step. Second, ball in your hitting hand: retreat side-on and throw it forward with the bandeja motion, shifting your weight from back foot to front. Third, static with a racket: bandejas off gentle lobs from a partner, focusing only on pointing your shoulders at the target and finishing forward and down.

Frequently asked questions

Which grip do you use for the bandeja?

Continental, the same grip as your volleys and smash. It lets you chain a bandeja into a volley without changing grips, and it makes it easy to open the face for slice.

How high should you hit the bandeja?

Between shoulder and head height, slightly below your full reach and always in front of your body. Hit it at full stretch and you lose the spin; let it drop below the shoulder and it is a high volley.

Why does my bandeja bounce so much off the back glass?

Almost always a lack of spin: you are hitting flat, flicking your wrist or hitting too hard. Open the face, shorten the swing and aim for a bounce near the service line rather than reaching the glass on the full.

When is a vibora better than a bandeja?

When the lob is short and you have time to load up with a bigger shoulder turn. On a deep lob, or whenever you arrive late, the bandeja is the safe option.

Want a bit more padel before you put the racket down? Test your knowledge of the circuit with today’s classic men’s challenge.