What Side Should I Play On? (And Other Padel Questions of National Importance)
If you’ve played padel long enough to stop calling it “paddle,” you’ve almost certainly had (or witnessed) this conversation as two players who’ve never played with one another before siddle up to each other: “So… which side do you play?” Cue the awkward silence, the shuffling of feet, and the sense that this one decision might determine the fate of the match, your partnership, and possibly your friendship. I’ve seen so many partners who insist on playing left, as if it were a sign of virility. For a good many, it is of course, the right choice. But there are also a good chunk that either, end up foolishly admitting it was a mistake or, worse, blithely / adamantly keep the side despite the evident inoperability. Choosing sides in padel isn’t quite a matter for the Ministry of Silly Walks, but it can feel just as absurdly complicated.
Yet, there are some clear, practical principles that can make the question far easier to answer – and much less emotional. Let’s unpack the challenge, inject a little flavour, and see how to figure out who should play on which side without needing a royal commission.
The Myth of “My Side”
One of the biggest issues at the recreational and competitive amateur level is a strong emotional attachment to “my side.” Players often proclaim, “I’m a left-side player,” with the certainty of someone declaring, “I am the Messiah!” – but, like in Life of Brian, that doesn’t necessarily make it true.
In reality, there’s no sacred rule that says you must stay on your favourite side forever. The core question is not: Which side do I prefer? The real question is: Which pairing of sides makes us the strongest team? That’s a subtle but vital shift. You’re not casting a solo role; you’re forming a double act. Think of yourselves less like two heroic leads and more like a comic sketch duo: one plays the “silly,” one plays the “serious,” and together it works.
First Principle: Handedness and the Obvious Choice
Let’s start with the easiest case, the one even a dead parrot could guess: when one of you is left-handed and the other is right-handed. While it’s not as significant for beginners, in principle, the left-hander should always play on the right side.
Why? Because this puts each player’s forehand in the middle of the court, where most of the key attacking balls arrive. It maximises your team’s ability to dominate in the middle and finish points. You both get forehands on the higher-percentage balls. It’s no wonder that the top pair on the men’s pro tour, Tapia and Coello is a combination of left- and right-hand players. For the last couple of years, the same was true on the women’s side (Josemaria and Sanchez)
If you’re both right-handed, things get more interesting—and more political.
The “Stronger Player Plays Left” Rule
In the classic right-right partnership, the default rule is simple: the stronger player plays on the left. “Stronger” here doesn’t mean who can grunt the loudest or who bought the most expensive racket. It means the player with the greater ability to create winners and handle pressure in the big moments.
The left side typically demands:
- More aggressive overheads, including smashes that can finish points.
- Greater comfort stepping into the middle to cut off balls.
- Tactical decision-making on when to attack and when to “reset.”
- A higher volume of balls (in many situations).
The right side, by contrast, is often more about constructing the point, defending patiently, and setting up the left-side player to shine. This doesn’t make the right-side player “worse” – far from it. It just means the left-side player is usually the designated terminator, and the right-side player is the architect. One wields the hammer; the other designs the building.
If you both insist you’re the stronger player, you may have a different problem on your hands – one that probably can’t be solved without a very long rally and possibly a therapist. Ego has a way of getting in the way of most partnerships. [In another related point, some people are such control freaks that they don’t know how/when to delegate the striking of the ball to the other. A sign of being a control freak and another issue to settle!]
The Serve Return Trap
One of the most common misconceptions, especially among beginners, is choosing sides based on how well you return serve on that side. It’s tempting: “I return better on the ad side, so I’ll play left,” or “My backhand return is awful, I’ll just hide on the other side.” It feels logical – but it’s dangerously short-sighted.
The serve return is an important shot, of course, and at the pro level it’s critical. A solid return may allow the receiving team into the point, if not it will be punished. But the return’s also a shot you only play once every four points on average. As the average number of shots in your rally rises, the serve return disappears in importance. Building your entire team structure around one shot that happens that rarely is like designing a house entirely around where you’ll put the umbrella stand (I exaggerate only a tad).
More importantly, your side affects every aspect of your game: volleys, bandejas, lobs, corner defence, middle coverage, communication, and transitions from defence to attack. Choosing sides solely based on the serve return is a bit like the Knights who say “Ni!” choosing a shrubbery based only on the colour green and ignoring everything else. You’re missing the bigger picture.
Should We Switch Sides When Serving?
Another classic conundrum: “Should we swap sides just for our service games?” The typical way to formulate this question is: “tennis [switch] or padel [stay]”? Another way is “Australian [i-formation/stay] or standard [switch]?” borrowing from the lawn tennis world.
The answer, for the more advanced padel players, is that you ought stick to your side, regardless. The server serves toward the opposition and then moves to the net to cover their side of the court. That means you, as the server, have to cover more ground after the serve when in the i-formation, but it gives your pair stability and clarity – you always know who owns which space.
If you start doing elaborate serving formations and swapping sides constantly, you risk introducing chaos. Yes, you might avoid balls getting drilled down the line, but you may well pay in confusion, communication errors, and positional mishaps. It’s all fun and games until both of you rush for the same ball, collide, and end up in a heap, arguing about who was “supposed” to be where.
The only acceptable reason to switch is when the server is too slow to get over to cover his/her side down the line. Two counter remedies to that is to avoid hitting the serve short or too fast. If your opponent has a very effective shot and has beaten you down the line a number of times, then this would be a good occasion to switch sides.
How to Decide in Practice
So how do you actually figure out who should play which side with a given partner? Here’s a simple, practical process that doesn’t require a Spanish coach or an EU directive.
1. Start with Handedness
- If one of you is left-handed, put that player on the right side as your default.
- If you’re both right-handed, move to step two.
2. Assess “Strength” in Terms of Winning Ability
- Who finishes more points with smashes and aggressive volleys?
- Who is more comfortable stepping into the middle and taking charge?
- Who makes better decisions under pressure at the net?
- The last one is much less commonly discussed, but who has a better backhand volley? It has been my experience that if a player has a strong backhand volley, that can be a good reason for them to play on the right side. To the extent that the majority of balls are played at the player or down the middle, for the right-sided player, that means he/she will be playing a higher number of backhand volleys.
That player should typically play on the left. And, often, it’s the taller and broader player who plays left.
3. Consider Style, Not Just Level
- Is one of you more patient, consistent, and defensively solid?
- Is the other more explosive, risk-taking, and attack-oriented?
The patient, consistent partner often thrives on the right, building the point, while the more explosive partner uses the left to impose and finish.
4. Test Both Configurations
Even if you both have a clear preference and, to the extent you want to create a lasting partnership, try at least a couple of sets with each configuration. The goal is to see which pairing gives you:
- Better communication and fewer “Who’s got it?” moments.
- Stronger presence in the middle of the court.
- More comfortable patterns when you’re defending lobs and walls.
Don’t just go by feeling after two games; give each setup a fair trial. Like any good sketch, it might look shaky at rehearsal and brilliant on performance day.
5. Make the Team, Not the Ego, the Hero
Ultimately, the side decision should be made in service of the team. That might mean the technically “better” player plays right because they construct points beautifully and set up a slightly less consistent but more explosive left-side partner who can finish. Or it might mean you, the self-proclaimed left-side specialist, discover that your calm, error-free game is actually more valuable on the right.
When in doubt, ask: “With this setup, are we winning more points, creating more pressure, and feeling more organised?” If the answer is yes, you’ve chosen well – even if your favourite shot is now a little less frequent.
The Monty Python Test
If all else fails, apply what we might call the Monty Python Test. Imagine a commentator, in full Python absurdity, describing your pair:
“On the left, we have the player who tries to finish points with a heroic smash from somewhere near Portugal. On the right, we have the player who actually keeps the ball in the court.”
If that description feels oddly accurate, your sides are probably right. The key is that your roles are complementary, coherent, and agreed. You don’t want two attackers both charging the middle like the Spanish Inquisition (which, as we know, nobody expects) while leaving the corners tragically undefended.
In the End, It’s a Conversation
Choosing sides in padel is not a one-time, carved-in-stone decision. It’s a conversation, ideally an honest and slightly humble one. It asks you to look at your game realistically: your strengths, your weaknesses, and how they fit with your partner’s. It asks you to prioritise the team over your personal comfort zone.
If you can do that—and keep a sense of humour when the ball once again sails neatly between you—you’re already ahead of most pairs. After all, padel is a doubles game. The magic doesn’t happen because you get “your” side; it happens because, together, you’ve chosen the right sides for both of you. And, another point: playing on the ‘other’ side helps you to understand your partner’s perspective AND, in any case, you may have to switch sides in a point and it’s always useful to know how to play the other side.
And if you ever get stuck, remember: it could be worse. You could be arguing about which side to play on while carrying a dead parrot and wearing a suit of armour. Now that would be silly.
How do you and your usual partner currently decide who plays which side – habit, discussion, or whoever speaks first at the net?
