Ask any padel coach about elbow pain and you’ll usually get the same answer: look at the stroke before you look at the brace. Rackets, balls and match load all play a part, but the arm that hurts is often the arm doing work the legs, shoulders and trunk should be doing.
This article is about that part: the technique. We’ll go through five habits coaches see again and again in players with sore elbows, and a simple drill for each one that you can do on court with a partner or on your own.
First, a note on pain. This is coaching advice, not medical advice. The NHS describes tennis elbow as pain around the outside of the elbow caused by repetitive gripping and wrist twisting, and recommends seeing a GP if pain continues after at least two weeks of rest and self-care. If your elbow already hurts, get it checked before you start drilling.
Why technique matters for your elbow
The tendons on the outside of the elbow control your wrist and grip. Every time you squeeze the handle hard or flick the wrist to generate pace, those tendons take the load.
Good padel technique spreads that load. Power comes from the legs, hip and shoulder turn; the wrist stays relatively firm; the racket meets the ball in front of the body. When any link in that chain breaks down, the forearm compensates, and in a sport where you might hit hundreds of volleys in a session, that adds up.
For a broader look at causes, load management and recovery exercises, see this complete guide to padel elbow and how to fix it. Here we’ll stay on court.
Habit 1: Strangling the grip
What it looks like: white knuckles, a racket held the same way on a soft drop shot as on a smash, forearm muscles visibly tense between points.
A tight grip keeps the forearm tendons loaded all the time, not just at impact. It also makes the racket less stable on off-centre hits, because a rigid arm passes vibration straight through instead of absorbing it.
The drill: grip pressure scale
- Hold the racket and squeeze as hard as you can. Call that a 10.
- Relax until the racket almost slips. That’s a 1.
- Rally gently from the service line with a partner, holding the racket at a 3 or 4.
- Every few shots your partner calls a number; hit the next ball at that pressure.
Most players discover they can volley and lob perfectly well at 3–4 and only need to firm up briefly at contact on bigger shots.
Habit 2: The wristy backhand volley
What it looks like: the racket head drops below the wrist, then the player flicks upward to lift the ball over the net. The wrist bends back on contact.
This is the classic elbow-loader. A bent-back wrist at impact puts the extensor tendons in exactly the position the ball’s impact stresses most.
The drill: wall block volleys
- Stand about two metres from a wall or the glass.
- Set the racket face slightly open, wrist firm and in line with the forearm, racket head above the hand.
- Block the ball back to the wall with a short push from the shoulder: no swing, no flick.
- Do sets of 20, then step back half a metre and repeat.
The goal is a volley that uses the ball’s pace, not your wrist’s. If the ball keeps dying, check your contact point before adding any swing.
Habit 3: Late contact
What it looks like: the ball gets alongside or behind the body before the racket reaches it. The player rescues the shot with the forearm and wrist.
Late contact forces the arm to create angle and pace on its own. It’s often a footwork problem rather than an arm problem: the player is standing still when the ball arrives.
The drill: split-step and point
- A partner feeds from the other side, mixing forehand and backhand balls.
- On each feed, split-step, turn the shoulders and point at the ball with your free hand before hitting.
- Contact must happen in front of the front foot. If it doesn’t, the partner feeds the same ball again.
Pointing with the free hand forces an early shoulder turn, and the early turn pulls the contact point forward.
Habit 4: Smashing with the arm alone
What it looks like: feet planted, no turn, a big arm swing and a lot of wrist snap. It often happens on high balls the player didn’t move back for.
An all-arm smash asks the elbow and forearm to generate power the whole body should be producing. It’s also inconsistent, which usually leads to swinging even harder.
The drill: throw before you hit
- Without a racket, take a ball and practise an overhead throw towards the far corner: side-on stance, weight shifting from back foot to front foot, trunk rotating through.
- Do ten throws, then pick up the racket and hit ten fed smashes trying to copy the same feeling.
- Alternate throw–smash–throw–smash for a few rounds.
If the throw feels natural but the smash doesn’t, the problem is usually the lack of a side-on position, not the arm.
Habit 5: Pulling the bandeja down with the wrist
What it looks like: the player tries to slice the ball down by snapping the wrist, rather than carrying the racket through with a firm wrist and a controlled shoulder movement.
The bandeja is meant to be a control shot. When players use the wrist to add slice or pace, it becomes a repeated high-load movement at exactly the angle elbows dislike.
The drill: slow-motion shadow bandejas
- Without a ball, set up side-on with the racket prepared high and behind.
- Swing through in slow motion, keeping the wrist firm and the racket face slightly open, finishing towards the target.
- Do ten shadow swings, then ten fed bandejas at 50% pace, focusing only on direction and depth.
Once depth is consistent without wrist snap, add pace gradually. Many of the same principles apply when the ball comes off the back glass. Our breakdown of the bajada covers that version.
Don’t forget the racket
Technique comes first, but equipment can make a sore arm worse. A heavier or head-heavy racket increases the load on every volley. Even accessories change things: extra grips, protectors and lead tape all shift weight and balance. We explained how much in how overgrips and lead tape change your racket’s balance.
When to get a coach involved
Most of these habits are hard to see in yourself. A few minutes of video on your phone helps, but a qualified coach will usually spot the root cause, whether that’s a grip, a stance or footwork, much faster than trial and error. We covered what a coach brings in why professional padel coaching is the fastest way to level up.
FAQ
Can bad technique cause elbow pain in padel?
Yes. Habits like a tight grip, wristy backhand volleys and late contact put repeated load on the forearm tendons that attach at the outside of the elbow.
Should I keep playing padel with elbow pain?
Reduce or stop the activities that make it worse and follow NHS self-care advice. See a GP if pain continues after at least two weeks.
How tight should I hold a padel racket?
Relaxed for most shots, roughly 3–4 on a 1–10 scale, firming up briefly at contact on bigger shots.
Is the backhand volley bad for your elbow?
Not when it’s played with a firm wrist, the racket head above the hand and contact in front of the body. The wristy, flicked version is the problem.
By the Monitores Padel Editorial Team