The other day one of the players from one of the Club's veteran teams (Club MG Padel Indoor in Getafe) asked me that when he played the golden points he lost more than he gained and he wanted to know if there was a way to mentally prepare for this moment.
I thought it was an interesting topic since it is true that by risking everything at once, it can cause nerves, responsibility and "catch" when playing it.
After thinking about it a little (not much, I had the answer almost thought out) I sent them an audio and told them the following:
"When it comes to playing for a golden point we have to think about whether we are the ones who serve or return since it is not the same. Not for nothing, but because in case of serving, it is not up to us to choose the side we are going to serve.
In case we are the ones who return, it is usually said that we have to decide who return based on the one who serves to make them do it in Australian and thus be able to do more damage with our rest in parallel... In a way it makes sense and maybe it's what most of you do (and it's not badly decided), but it's not always the best. There are many factors that can make us make one decision or another and therefore this situation does not come true.
For example, that one of us is not returning excessively well; that the player who serves does better on one side than on the other; that the moment of confidence is greater in one of the players we return than in the other; that the one who serves volleys better from the forehand than from the backhand or vice versa...
In the end there are many, because I have not written all the options, all the factors that influence the decision of who remains, but it is not a determining factor, and I explain it.
Many times we think that choosing who return is the most important thing and that with that we have already half won the point, but if we do not take into account what I was talking about confidence, who return better, etc., we are not going to succeed and not only that, but it is equally or even more important, what happens during the point. Unforced errors, playing tactically poorly, not playing what we have to do (out of fear or because we don't know how to really play each ball), being "shrunk", not being brave, taking risks when it is not necessary... In short, the most complicated thing is not to choose who return and with that we have already put the golden point on court, but that we always forget the most important part... that the rivals also play and do everything possible to beat us.
If I had to play the golden point, I would think the following:
Let's say we serve and it is the opponents who choose where to return. The first thing would be to talk to my partner and tell him where I am going to serve. Whether to the T, to the glass or to the body (because the body is also a place to serve). From here, I would try to make a first serve (normally with a first serve the return is usually down, which would allow us a volley and maybe start dominating the point). Then depending on where I have served I would try to make our first ball go to the space that we have generated with the serve and from here we would see how the situation goes (which of the two we have to play more, always play on the natural sides of the shots (if we are right-handed, the forehands to the equals zone and backhands to the advantage zone; if we are left-handed, forehand to the advantage zone and backhand to the equals area), trays to the back walls first, no laterals unless it is a curl and in case of losing the net, lobs to the T or parallel if I have this shot. Cross lobs are fine if we have them mastered, but be careful because they can fall short.
If we were the ones who chose who return, we would do so taking into account the following factors:
Who is more confident; who returns better according to the player who is going to serve us; if we decide who is left by making the opponents play in Australian or not...
Once the choice is made, whoever is going to return has to be very focused on only one objective: to get the ball in any way possible. It doesn't matter the quality, the direction or whether it's down or balloon. It only matters that the ball goes in and from here we can propose the following tactic:
Return wherever and the next ball we play lob on the same one that has touched our return (we will have it near the net after having made a volley). Depending on this lob we can either go up if we have passed it, go up if the lob is good to block its bandeja/viper or stay behind if we "have messed it up" and the lob is short.
If we have not been able to take the net, we must be rocky and not complicate ourselves with our decisions, playing on the weakest (or at least on the one who does us the least damage) or on his volley or "lobbing" him. The rest from here we will have to see...
Apart from what has been said above, another thing that we have to try to do in any way is not to fail. If we do it, it should be because the opponents have played very well and we have not been able to do anything, but we do not make it easy for them by giving them the point with a mistake of ours.
Anyway, be careful, because being rocky, not failing and trying to play with margin does not mean playing, afraid and shrunk.
Above all, confidence in oneself and in one's partner no matter what happens because we will surely have more golden points and we will have to go through the same election process.
Cheer up and if you follow these tips maybe you can earn some more golden points in your matches.
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