Bandeja

Bandeja!? Who or what is a Bandeja? I hear you ask. It literally translates from the Spanish as ‘tray’ — but that’s not particularly useful… What it really means in Padel is a sliced volley.

Padel rallies typically evolve such that one pair is attacking while the other defends. The defending pair will tend to play lobs with the aim of keeping their opponents towards the back of the court where they can do least damage. This is where the bandeja comes in.

The objective of the shot is usually to maintain an aggressive position towards the front of the court. While a true smash might be preferable in tennis, in Padel a smash will lose its momentum as it bounces of walls, and opponents can simply guide a ball that is already traveling towards you.

A bandeja avoids these issues. As with a smash, the ball is played quite high so as to avoid too much back-pedalling, but this objective is balanced out by a desire to keep the ball low and not too hard. The shot is therefore played somewhere between a smash and a forehand with a healthy dose of backspin. Therefore, unlike its feistier brother, the vibora, the bandeja entails a fairly low racket speed. A reasonably flat racket meanwhile should help with the backspin, and that’s where the shot gets it’s name from — although we don’t recommend balancing drinks in the middle of a rally. 

In terms of the placement of the shot, it tends to go crosscourt into the back corner. This way, two walls can help to take the pace of the ball, making it harder for your opponent to return the shot. Another option is to put it straight down the middle in an attempt to draw your opponents further out of position, or to draw on a weakness in their communication. Either way, it can be a powerful weapon for turning a potentially weakening situation into a new bout of attack. 

Why not check out this short video demonstrating how to play the shot?

If you’re looking to find a court local to you, our list might be of some help. You can also check out our videos of Padel or find out more about the sport here.