Dominate your Next Match with Hello Padel's online course

This is how I improved my aerial shot selection

Intro

Having played tennis, squash, and pingpong for decades prior to starting padel, I loved the rapid advancement I was able to achieve just by being on the court for the first few months.

But after a while, my technique and shot selection started to hinder me.

However, living in Germany where there is almost no padel coaches, I was not able to take in person lessons to improve my abilities.

Fortunately, there are plenty of online courses to fill in the gaps.

Hello Padel Academy's online course has been instrumental in my improving my shot selection and technique. I wanted to share my experience with their program with you to help you decide if it makes sense for you.

Course Overview

Hello Padel was started by Mauri Andrini in 2013 in London to provide padel coaching to the international community, which can be seen in the extensive subtitling of its resources. The organization now has bases in Spain, Holland, and Belgium and runs workshops across Europe. Hello Padel puts an equal focus on training padel coaches as well as recreational players.

The course has many modules, each of which is composed of 10 or more short videos explaining the topic, and demonstrating it, and describing how it works in competitive play.

Here is a sample of the modules available:

• Air Game
• The Great Defender
• Orthopedics
• Practicing Alone
• Typical Mistakes
• Serves and Returns
• Coaching

🟢 Where Hello Padel's online program excels

Its focus on health

My favorite module was on padel orthopedics, where Mauri discusses common injuries their likelihood with and orthopedic who works with some of the biggest pros in the game.

It is a great take on an often overlooked aspect of the recreational game.

Although, I would have appreciated more emphasis on practical steps regarding how to reduce their likelihood.

Great production quality and editing

Everything is scripted and organized for optimal clarity.

Extremely easy to follow videos

You really understand what they're trying to communicate. Various pros demonstrate perfect technique as Mauri talks through when and how to execute tactics.

Mauri's charisma

By the end of the series, it feels like your best friends with Mauri. He's an extremely nice and charismatic guy that has truly found his calling with teaching padel. This passion hooks you from the first minute.

Captions in many languages

I appreciate the effort they've put into helping expanding the sport to those living in places on the "frontier" of padel, like myself in Germany.

The audio is in English and most modules are subtitled in: English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Arabic.

Lesson finder

With over 300 videos on a diverse array of topics, I appreciated how I can find specific videos when targeting aspects of my game in the Search your lesson tab. For example, I wanted to improve my bajada, and I was able to watch their video, "HIGH FOREHAND OFF THE BACK-WALL".

🔴 Where I think Hello Padel could improve

Diagram the court

Padel is highly depending on understanding the geometry of the court. Birds-eye view court diagrams would help new players understand when they should take on which shots and tactics.

For example: where should I smash? Where should I bandeja? Where should I bajada? Where should I counter lob? The answers to these questions are understood much faster through diagrams than words.

The system feels old

I expected a learning system like Coursera, where my status in the lessons, e.g. watched vs unwatched, was saved and supplemental documentation, assignments and quizzes could be completed.

I lost track of where I was in the modules because there's no watched status.

Match analysis

The biggest challenge of remote coaching is that the users think that they're doing what the coach tells them...but they're not. As a result, one of my favorite types of in person trainings is a simulation match, where the coach interrupts the match to tell me and my mates what we're doing wrong or should have done differently.

To help with this, I think Hello Padel should create a subscription level which includes remote match analysis feedback. Players could submit their my match recordings and get technical and tactical feedback from Hello Padel coaches.

Who I think would benefit most from this course

Players on padel’s “frontier”

It is a necessary supplement for those of us with limited access to professional coaching.

Players who have recently switched from another racket sport

I caught myself repeatedly thinking...

"man, I wish I had this when I started."

I particularly liked his explanation of how and when to execute the different aerial shots, e.g. gancho, bandeja, rulo, etc., which I think is very overwhelming for new players coming from tennis and squash.

Birthday or holiday gifts

It's impossible to choose padel gifts for players because rackets, shoes, and even racket bags to a lesser degree are very personal items. But I think any padel geek would love to receive a subscription to quality coaching like Hello Padel's.

Pricing

The subscription costs €92.65 per year with our exclusive 15% off promo code PADEL-FYI.

Note that promo code also includes a 50% discount of the coach packs.

I recommend signing up for a year. It is a lot of content, and you will not get through it in a couple of months. I spent the first few weeks going through all of the modules, and then I went back later to specific lessons later when I noticed a problem area in my game.

For me, it helps me to compare the price with an in person coach, which in Germany might run you about €50 per hour. So you'll get 4 hours of in person coaching at the same price of this subscription.

While some may say that you can find all of this on YouTube, the way Hello Padel packages it up means that you'll work more efficiently. Hands down. No ads. Clear progression. No one is trying to sell you anything else.

Verdict

• Does it replace in person coaching? Absolutely not.
• Does it augment in person coaching? Extremely well.