Ask any coach what separates club players who keep improving from those who stall, and one answer comes up again and again: net position. In padel, getting to the net and staying there is one of the main objectives of nearly every point. But "taking the net" isn't just about running forward. It's about where exactly you stand, when you move, and what you do when you lose it. This guide explains what the net position is, why it matters so much, how to get there safely, and how to hold it, so you can spend more of every match in the place where points are won.
What Is the Net Position?
The court can be thought of as two zones: the net zone and the defensive zone at the back, with the middle of the court, often called no man's land, as the area you cross to get from one to the other. The net position is the attacking position near the net, taken together with your partner. From there you're in control of the point, because you can hit down, close angles, and put the pressure on your opponents.
Where Exactly Should You Stand?
A good net position is about two to two and a half meters back from the net, which is farther than most beginners stand. A helpful reference is the fence posts. Coaches often suggest using the second post as a guide: standing roughly in line with it lets you step forward to hit a deep volley or step back for a lob. Stand too close and you leave space for long lobs, and stand too far and you lose the ability to pressure your opponents.
Note
The net position is a team position. You and your partner should stand level with each other, a few steps apart, and move together as if connected by a rope: when one moves, the other moves in the same direction.
Why the Net Position Matters
The net is valuable because it gives you offensive advantages. You shorten your opponents' reaction time, hit downward more easily, and can finish points with less effort. Meanwhile, the pair at the back is stuck defending, often lobbing, and hoping for a mistake. Research has also looked at this: a 2023 study published in Perceptual and Motor Skills analyzed the importance of maintaining the net position in professional men's and women's padel. You don't need the details to see the message: whoever controls the net tends to control the point.
Three Ways to Get to the Net
1. Serve and Follow
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After a simple, accurate serve, move forward together with your partner and stop in a balanced position, ready for the return. Serving is one of the most common ways teams reach the net.
2. Return and Advance
If you're returning, play a controlled ball, such as a low return or a lob, and move forward immediately. A return you don't follow forward is a wasted chance to take the net.
3. Earn It With a Good Lob or Chiquita
From the back, a good lob forces both opponents to retreat and gives your team time to move up. A soft chiquita at the feet of the net players can do the same job. But note the condition: if your lob isn't good, don't come to the net. Moving up behind a poor ball gets you passed.
Important
Always move to the net as a pair. One player at the net while the partner is stranded at the back is the weakest formation in padel, worse than both staying back.
How to Hold the Net
Once you have the net, the goal is to keep it. Stay level with your partner, split step as your opponent hits, cover the middle, and recover to your position after every shot. If you're lobbed, your first option is usually to play a bandeja and get back to the net. Sometimes you'll need several bandejas before you can finish the point, and that's fine: a deep bandeja gives you time to return to your position.
What to Do When You Lose the Net
Losing the net isn't losing the point. If a lob beats you and you can't recover with a bandeja, retreat together with your partner, reset in the defensive zone, and work your way forward again. Avoid a solo retreat, which leaves a large diagonal gap, and avoid camping in no man's land. Commit: get all the way back, or all the way forward.
Where to Be in Each Situation
| Situation | Where to Be |
|---|---|
| After your serve | Moving forward with your partner, stopping balanced with a split step |
| After your return | Advancing straight away to join your partner at the net |
| You hit a good lob | Move up together, then stop in a balanced position |
| You are at the net | About two to two and a half meters back, level with your partner |
| A lob beats your partner | Drop back together, rather than staying alone at the net |
| Opponents have the net | Defend in line at the back, aim to lob and reset, then work forward |
Common Net Position Mistakes
Standing Too Close
Touching distance from the net leaves you exposed to every lob. Give yourself about two meters.
Camping in No Man's Land
Stopping between the service line and the net while your opponent hits leaves you vulnerable at your feet. Commit forward or back.
Charging the Net Without a Good Ball
If your lob or return wasn't good, hold back. Wait for the next chance.
Retreating Alone
When a lob beats your partner, drop back with them so there's no split formation.
Watching the Ball Instead of Moving
If you stand and admire your shot, you'll lose your position. Move first, then look.
Drills to Build Your Net Position
Post Reference Drill
Stand in line with the second post and practice volleys, stepping forward to hit and back to recover. It builds a feel for the right distance.
Serve and Follow
Serve, move forward with your partner, and stop with a split step as a feeder simulates the return. Repeat until the movement feels natural.
Lob and Take the Net
Hit a lob from the back and advance together as soon as it's up, while the opposing pair practices dropping back and replying.
Hold the Net
One pair at the net plays bandejas to keep their position while the other pair lobs from the back. It trains both the hold and the reset.
Track Your Time at the Net
In a practice match, note how often you reach the net together after a good lob, how often you hold it after a lob, and how often you get stuck in no man's land. A rising first number and falling third number over a few weeks show your net position is improving.
Advice
Before each point, remind yourself of one simple rule: all the way forward, or all the way back. It stops the half-measures that cost most players points.
The net position matters because it's where padel points are controlled. Stand about two meters back, level with your partner, earn the net with a serve, a return, or a good lob, hold it with bandejas and recovery, and when you lose it, retreat together and start again. Do that consistently and you'll spend more of every match in the position that wins points.
