If you are pairing a right-handed player with a left-hander, a sensible first trial is right-hander on the left and left-hander on the right (as you face the net from your own court). That places each player’s forehand toward the middle. It is a starting arrangement, not an automatic answer: comfort at the side wall, overheads, returns, movement and communication can make another split work better for your pair.
This guide is for club players and coaches deciding which side to train and use in matches. The key is to test the whole partnership rather than choosing from handedness alone.
Why is the right-left arrangement a common starting point?
In padel, each partner starts in one half of the court. For a right-hander on the left and a left-hander on the right, both dominant forehands face the central lane. That may make it easier for each player to reach some balls through the middle with a forehand. It also means both partners may feel entitled to the same ball, so a side choice is useful only when the pair also agrees who calls it.
The geometry changes for same-handed pairs. With two right-handers, the left-side player’s forehand faces the middle while the right-side player’s forehand faces the outside wall. With two left-handers, it is the reverse. These are starting positions, not judgments about which player is better.
| Pair | First arrangement to test | What needs a shared plan |
|---|---|---|
| Right-hander + left-hander | Right-hander left; left-hander right | Both forehands face the middle, so agree who takes a genuinely shared ball and how the other covers |
| Two right-handers | Decide which player is more comfortable with a central forehand on the left | The right-side player may have to play more central balls with a backhand; check their return and wall comfort too |
| Two left-handers | Decide which player prefers the central forehand on the right | Make sure the other player is comfortable with the backhand and overheads that come with the left-side role |
The table is a way to generate a trial, not a rulebook. Use the pair’s actual skills and movement to confirm or reject it.
What does the research say—and what can it not tell you?
The padel research is interesting, but its limits matter. Courel-Ibáñez and Sánchez Alcaraz-Martínez’s 2018 study, The role of hand dominance in padel: performance profiles of professional players, observed four professional players—two right-handers and two left-handers—in three World Padel Tour finals. The left-handers were on the right and right-handers on the left in those pairs. The researchers recorded 2,016 shots and found different profiles in the observed actions, including more successful smashes by the left-handers and different wall-play outcomes by hand dominance.
That is a small, specific sample. Because the study observed only two pairs using the same right-left arrangement, it cannot establish that every left-hander should play on the right or that club players will show the same pattern.
A separate study of court-side differences in professional men’s padel analysed 12,851 shots from eight 2022 Premier Padel matches involving right-handed men. It found differences between the left and right sides in shot types, outcomes and switching movements. This is a useful reminder that the two roles can involve different patterns, but it does not isolate handedness or prove that one side is inherently better.
For UK players, LTA Padel’s match-tactics guidance emphasises net position and communication with your partner. Its overhead guide also connects controlled overheads with retaining the net. Those are practical reasons to include partner movement and overheads in your side trial, rather than treating forehand direction as the whole decision.
How can a pair test which side fits?
Use the same short practice sequence with each player on each side. Keep the feeds and partner consistent where you can. This is a coaching comparison, not a validated test or a substitute for match experience.
- Check the central lane. Feed balls that could be played by either partner. Notice who reaches them in balance, who calls early, and whether the other player can cover the space left behind. Use the middle-ball decision guide to agree a clear fallback rather than assuming the forehand always owns the ball.
- Check the outside wall. Feed a deep ball into each player’s corner and allow it to reach the glass when appropriate. Look for clear racket space, a controlled return and a recovery that reconnects the pair. Review the basic padel positioning principles if one player keeps getting trapped close to the wall.
- Check the overhead and next position. Feed manageable lobs to both sides. Look beyond the overhead itself: can the player choose a controlled option and recover with their partner? A bandeja recovery drill is useful when shot execution is fine but the pair loses the net afterwards.
- Check the serve and return. Play a few points from each receiving side and each serving side. Note whether a side makes the pair’s agreed return pattern easier to repeat. The return and first-volley drill can help compare that transition under repeatable feeds.
- Play points on both arrangements. Keep the side assignment for a meaningful block of points, then swap and repeat. Afterward, compare the same observations—not just the score, which can change for reasons unrelated to side choice.
For each block, make a simple note: central-ball call, balanced contact, wall-ball control, overhead recovery, and pair spacing. A side that produces a comfortable forehand but repeated hesitation or poor wall movement may not be the best fit yet. It may instead show you what to practise.
What should the partners agree before the match?
Agree three things before the first point:
- A default for shared balls: for example, which player takes a high ball through the middle unless the other calls first.
- An early call: “mine”, “yours”, or another phrase you both understand. LTA Padel recommends simple calls and adding useful information as players become more comfortable.
- The cover after the call: the player not hitting should clear the swing path and move to protect the space their partner leaves.
Handedness can help shape that convention, but it should not replace it. The point of choosing sides is to make your pair’s coverage clearer, not to create a second claim on every central ball.
Should you change sides if the first choice feels awkward?
Yes, test the alternative before treating discomfort as proof that the arrangement cannot work. Some awkwardness comes from limited practice on that side; some comes from a genuine mismatch with a player’s return, wall defence or preferred overhead. Give both options a fair comparison, and ask a coach to watch the pair if you keep disagreeing about central balls or leaving the same space open.
If you record both trial blocks, Padel Coach App can help you review where each player starts, how they move to contact and whether the pair recovers together. Use the clips to choose one training focus, then revisit the decision after practice rather than changing roles after every mistake. The guide to using AI video analysis for padel explains how to turn a recorded sequence into a focused review.
The practical answer is simple: start with the geometry, then let repeatable play decide. A right-left pair often has a useful central-forehand arrangement available, but the strongest choice is the one both players can execute, communicate and recover from as a team.
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