Glossary
The vocabulary
Padel's shot names are all Spanish, because the sport grew up in Spain and Argentina. Here is what each one means, without the jargon that usually comes attached.
All terms
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Bandeja | A controlled overhead played with slice and a flat, low trajectory. Used to answer a lob without giving up your net position. Literally 'tray', from the flat swing path. The defining intermediate shot. |
| Víbora | 'Viper'. A more aggressive overhead than the bandeja, hit with heavy side-spin so the ball kicks away after the bounce. Faster and riskier. |
| Chiquita | A soft, low ball dropped at the feet of the net players, forcing them to hit upward and surrender their attacking position. The key shot for getting out of defence. |
| Bajada | A shot played off your own back wall after the ball rebounds, hit downward and hard. The counter-attack from a defensive position. |
| Contrapared | A ball played after it comes off your own wall. The fundamental defensive skill in padel. |
| Por tres | Hitting the ball out through the side gap and returning it from outside the court. Legal, spectacular, and rare. 'Por cuatro' is the same shot through the far gap. |
| Remate | The smash. In padel it is often used to send the ball out of the enclosure entirely rather than simply to hit a winner. |
| Golden point | Punto de oro. At 40–40 a single point decides the game, with no advantage. Standard in professional padel and most club leagues. |
| Americano | A social tournament format where partners rotate each round and points are scored individually. |
| Mexicano | Like an americano, but pairings for each round are drawn based on current standings to keep matches close. |
| Panoramic court | A court where the metal posts are removed from the side glass for an uninterrupted view. Super-panoramic extends this to almost the whole structure. Cosmetic, not functional. |
| Sweet spot | The area of the racket face that transfers energy most efficiently. Its size and position are determined by the head shape — large and central on round rackets, small and high on diamond. |
| Double bounce | The rule that the ball must bounce once on the floor before touching any wall on your side, and may never bounce twice. |
| Lob | A high, slow ball hit over the net players to push them back off the net. The most valuable shot in club-level padel. |
| Net position | Roughly three metres behind the net, where the attacking pair stands. Holding it as a pair is the central strategic objective of the sport. |
| Split step | The small hop taken as your opponent strikes the ball, landing balanced and ready to move in either direction. |
If you only remember three of these, make them lob, bandeja and chiquita. Those three shots account for most of what separates a 2.5 player from a 3.5 player, and none of them requires power.
Common questions
What does bandeja mean in padel?
Bandeja means 'tray' in Spanish. It is a controlled overhead hit with slice and a flat trajectory, used to return a lob while keeping your position at the net. It prioritises placement and recovery over power.
What is the difference between a bandeja and a víbora?
Both are overheads played off a lob. The bandeja is defensive and controlled, hit flat with slice to hold your net position. The víbora is more aggressive, hit with heavy side-spin so the ball kicks away after bouncing. The víbora is faster but riskier.
What is a chiquita in padel?
A soft, low ball played at the feet of the net players, forcing them to hit upward from below net height and give up their attacking position. It is the standard way to escape from defence.