Padel Drills for Two Players: 6 Partner Exercises

You can practice padel effectively with just two players by combining crosscourt rallies, volley-and-defense exchanges, glass-reading drills and controlled practice points. Using a defined part of the court gives both players realistic targets without asking one person to cover every opening normally protected by a doubles pair.

The six drills below work on a regular padel court without a coach or ball machine. Each gives both players a clear role, a way to measure the exercise and a progression beyond predictable feeding.

Set Up the Court for Two-Player Practice

Bring your rackets and several balls, secure your wrist straps and keep spare balls outside your movement area. Start with easy movement and gentle hitting before adding deeper shots, changes of direction or trips toward the net.

For most exercises, use one of these arrangements:

• Straight lane: Play within one half-width strip running directly across the net.
• Diagonal lanes: Each player covers one half of their own end, with the two playing areas diagonally opposite each other.

Imagine the center service line continuing toward the back glass to divide each end into left and right halves. These playing areas extend from the net to the back glass, rather than ending at the service line.

Agree that a ball landing in the unused half ends the rally. This is a practice restriction, not a change to the basic rules of padel, and the exercises are not an official singles format.

If neither player can sustain a gentle exchange, start with these padel drills for beginners before adding the movement and decisions below.

1. Crosscourt Rallies With a Depth Target

This exercise gives a familiar rally a specific purpose: controlling depth while recovering for the next ball. Both players start toward the rear of diagonally opposite halves.

Use the area beyond the opposite service line as a broad depth target. Leave a comfortable margin from the side and back glass instead of trying to hit the corner.

1. Start with a gentle feed and keep every shot crosscourt.
2. Let the ball bounce before each return, using the glass when appropriate.
3. Try to complete eight consecutive shots after the opening feed.
4. Count how many of those shots land beyond the opposite service line.
5. After three rallies, change to the other diagonal.

A ball landing short but inside the agreed half keeps the rally alive; it simply does not count toward the depth target. This separates consistency from placement, so you can see whether deeper hitting is causing more errors.

Progression: Keep the same pace but alternate between a broad middle-depth target and the deeper zone. The receiver must adjust their position instead of expecting every ball to arrive at the same depth.

Avoid adding speed just to reach the target. Early preparation, spacing and controlled contact remain the foundation of your padel forehand and backhand technique.

2. Continuous Volley-and-Defense Exchanges

One player works near the net while the other defends from the rear court. Unlike individually fed volleys, this drill makes both players recover and prepare while the rally continues.

Begin in a straight lane. The net player should stand a few steps back from the net, leaving room to adjust forward or sideways.

1. The rear player sends an easy feed to the net player.
2. The net player volleys toward a manageable area in the rear court.
3. The defender returns after the bounce, either before or after the glass.
4. Continue until you complete six shots after the feed or make an error.
5. After four attempts, swap the net and defensive roles.

Count individual racket contacts, not “exchanges.” Six shots after the feed means three volleys and three defensive returns.

The net player should use compact preparation and enough control to make another return possible. The defender should send the ball toward the volleyer’s playable reach, rather than trying to pass them through the unused half.

Progression: Once the pattern is stable, the defender can vary between the volleyer’s forehand and backhand. Later, switch to diagonal lanes to change the angle of the exchange.

If the drill keeps ending immediately, simplify the incoming ball. Review your padel volley technique before turning the exercise into a faster reaction drill.

3. Decide Whether to Play Before or After the Glass

Being told that every ball will rebound from the glass removes an important decision. This exercise makes the receiver judge whether waiting for the rebound will actually help.

The receiver starts in the rear court. The feeder stands around the opposite service line, with both players using a straight lane.

1. Begin with several predictable feeds that bounce on the receiver’s floor, reach the back glass and rebound into a playable position.
2. Add shorter feeds that can be struck comfortably before reaching the glass.
3. Mix the two types without announcing which is coming.
4. The receiver chooses the contact point and returns toward a broad target in the feeder’s half.
5. Stop after each return and reset before feeding again.

Complete ten manageable feeds, then swap roles. Judge the receiver’s decision and the return separately: choosing to use the glass can be sensible even when the resulting shot misses.

For a normal back-glass return, the sequence is floor, glass, then racket contact before the second floor bounce. Do not wait for the glass when the ball is slowing down so much that it will produce an awkward or unplayable rebound.

Progression: Vary the feed between the forehand and backhand while keeping its pace moderate. Add placement uncertainty before increasing speed.

The feeder’s job is to create a readable choice. Feeds that barely reach the receiver or force a desperate chase should be reset rather than counted as useful repetitions.

4. Lob, Move Forward and Play the Next Ball

A lob drill becomes more useful when it includes what happens afterward. This sequence connects lob placement, retreating to defend and moving forward for the next shot.

Use a straight lane. Player A begins at the back, while Player B starts near the opposite net position.

1. B feeds a comfortable ball to A.
2. A hits a lob that clears B and aims to bounce beyond the opposite service line.
3. B turns and moves back, allows the ball to bounce, then returns it down the lane. B can use the glass if needed.
4. A moves forward behind the lob, then makes a small split step around B’s contact.
5. A plays a controlled volley if the return is reachable before the bounce, then both players reset.

For the first round, B deliberately lets the lob pass. A short lob does not count as a successful repetition, even if B cooperates and retreats.

Complete six attempts, then swap starting roles. Record how often you produce both a useful lob and a controlled next shot.

Moving forward does not mean sprinting to a fixed spot beside the net. Stop advancing in time to react to the return, and allow a difficult ball to bounce rather than lunging for a volley you cannot control.

Progression: Let B intercept a short lob with a controlled volley or overhead, if comfortable doing so. A must now decide whether the lob created enough time to advance or whether staying back is the better choice.

This makes padel lob technique part of a decision about court position. A lob’s value depends on how it affects the opponent, not simply whether it lands inside the court.

5. Serve, Approach and Handle the First Volley

This drill focuses on the transition between serving and playing the next ball. Both players stay in diagonally opposite halves so the receiver cannot win simply by returning into the space where a doubles partner would normally stand.

Start with a cooperative return pattern. The receiver sends a controlled, relatively low return toward the approaching server.

1. Serve into the correct diagonal service box.
2. Move forward after contact and prepare to react as the receiver strikes.
3. Play the first volley toward a generous target in the receiver’s half.
4. Let the receiver play the next ball, then continue the point within the agreed diagonal areas.
5. Complete five attempts from one serving side, then five from the other before swapping roles.

Use a legal serve: bounce the ball in the correct serving area, strike at or below waist level and keep at least one foot on the ground at contact. The receiver must allow the serve to bounce before returning it.

Count a successful opening sequence when the serve lands legally, the return comes back and the server controls the next shot. Keep that tally separate from who eventually wins the practice point.

Do not force a volley when the return makes it unrealistic. A controlled shot after the bounce is preferable to reaching while off balance, even though it does not meet the first-volley target.

Progression: Allow the receiver to choose between the low return and a lob. The server must read the ball rather than moving forward automatically without preparing to change direction.

If the opening shot is unreliable, revisit the fundamentals of serving in padel before adding more return options.

6. Crosscourt Practice Points

Finish with a game that tests decisions without a predetermined shot sequence. Both players begin in the rear court, using diagonally opposite halves.

A gentle feed starts each point. After the receiver returns it, the point becomes competitive.

Use these practice rules:

• The first floor bounce must land in the opponent’s assigned half.
• A ball landing in the unused half loses the point.
• Volleys, lobs and glass returns are available.
• The winner receives one point.
• Alternate who feeds, regardless of who won.
• Play first to seven, then switch to the other diagonal.

The opening feed should be easy enough to start the exercise reliably. Replay an unsuitable feed instead of treating it as an attempted winner.

You may move forward or back within your playing area. This lets you test whether a deeper shot, low return or lob creates a useful next ball without relying on the empty half of the court.

Progression: Choose one focus for the next game, such as handling the glass or recognizing opportunities to advance. Keep normal point scoring and discuss those decisions between points rather than adding several bonus rules.

A result in this restricted game does not predict how the same shots will work in doubles. The missing partner changes coverage, angles and the pressure on each player.

A 45-Minute Padel Session for Two Players

You do not need to fit every drill into every booking. Choose the exercises that address the shots or decisions currently breaking down.

Include ball collection, role changes and short breaks within each block. In the next session, rotate the focused drill rather than rushing through both options.

Make the Session Work for Both Players

Adjust the Feed to the Player Practicing

If your levels differ, the stronger player should provide a more predictable ball during cooperative exercises. The less experienced player needs enough time to prepare and make a useful decision.

The stronger player can still work on placement, recovery and producing consistent feeds. Trying to win every exchange defeats the purpose of an agreed practice pattern.

Record One Useful Measure

Choose a measure that matches the drill: deep balls within a completed rally, controlled first volleys or successful returns after choosing to use the glass. Record the result across several attempts, not just the best rally of the day.

Increase one challenge at a time. A less predictable direction, a smaller target or a live return can change the exercise substantially without requiring harder hitting.

Take the Skills Back Into Doubles

Two-player drills let you rehearse shots and decisions, but they cannot fully reproduce shared court coverage. You still need doubles play to practice protecting the middle, moving together and communicating with your padel partner.

After your next match, identify one repeated problem, such as a rushed first volley or waiting too long for a weak glass rebound. Use that problem to choose the focus of your next two-player session.