Padel has four overheads, not one. The flat smash everybody wants to learn first — the remate por cuatro — is the one that loses the most points at club level, because the back glass sends it straight back.
The four, side by side
| Shot | Spin | Speed | What it is for | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandeja | Slice, cut under the ball | Slow | Keeping the net when the lob was good | Very low |
| Víbora | Heavy side spin | Medium | Pressuring without giving up the net | Low to medium |
| Por tres | Topspin / kick | Fast | Bouncing the ball out over the side fence | Medium to high |
| Por cuatro | Flat | Very fast | Ending the point outright | High |
The names come from the Spanish for the fence panels the ball is aimed to leave through: por tres over the three-metre side fence, por cuatro over the four-metre back one.
Why the flat smash usually loses
In tennis, a smash ends the point because the ball leaves the court. In padel it does not leave: it hits the back glass and comes back, and if it comes back at a playable height you have given a defending pair a free attack while you are still recovering from your own swing.
To win the point outright with a flat smash you need enough pace and enough angle that the rebound is unplayable — which is a genuinely high bar. Club players clear it perhaps one attempt in four, and lose the point on most of the other three.
The rule of thumb that fixes most club overheads. If the lob is deep or high, play a bandeja and keep the net. If the lob is short and you can take it in front of your body, then attack. Choosing on the quality of the lob rather than on how much you want to hit it is the single biggest overhead improvement available.
1. The bandeja — the one to learn first
A slow, sliced overhead played side-on with a flat, tray-like swing path — bandeja means “tray”. It is not an attacking shot. Its job is to answer a good lob without retreating, so your pair keeps the net.
It is the shot that separates a level 3 player from a level 4, and it is worth deliberate practice before any of the others. The full technique is in the bandeja.
2. The víbora — the bandeja with teeth
Same family, more aggression: struck with the racket face more closed and a brushing action across the outside of the ball, producing heavy side spin. The ball arrives lower and skids off the surface, which is much harder to lift than a bandeja.
It is a genuine attacking shot that does not require you to leave the net, which makes it the most valuable overhead in the sport above intermediate level. It is also the hardest to control: the same closed face that produces the spin sends the ball into the net when you get it slightly wrong.
3. Por tres — the kick smash
Topspin, aimed to bounce steeply and carry over the three-metre side fence, putting the ball out of the court entirely. If the receivers cannot get out and play it back — and on most British courts there is no side opening at all — the point is over.
Two things make it work: contact well above and slightly in front of the head, and a genuine upward brush through the back of the ball. It is a topspin serve motion applied to a padel ball, and it is the overhead that takes longest to make reliable.
Worth knowing: a ball that leaves the court after bouncing on the opponents’ floor is still in play. They may go out and play it back where the venue allows. On a fully enclosed British court that possibility does not exist, which makes the por tres more valuable here than in Spain — see padel rules.
4. Por cuatro — the flat smash
Maximum pace, minimum spin, aimed to bounce and carry over the four-metre back fence. Everything about it is a compromise: it is the highest-risk overhead in the sport and the only one that ends points cleanly when it works.
Use it when the lob is short, you are inside the service line, and the ball is in front of you. Do not use it from behind the service box, off a deep lob, or when you are moving backwards — all three produce a rebound that arrives before you have recovered.
The technique that all four share
- Turn side-on early. Shoulders across, non-hitting hand pointing up at the ball. This is the step club players skip and it costs them every overhead.
- Move your feet, do not reach. Get under and slightly behind the ball, so contact is in front of your head rather than above or behind it.
- Racket behind the head. Elbow high, racket dropped behind the shoulder — the same loaded position as a tennis serve.
- Accelerate smoothly. The racket head does the work. Hitting harder from a worse position is how balls end up in the net.
- Contact at the highest comfortable point, not the highest possible one. Straining for maximum height costs control and puts the shoulder at risk.
- Recover forwards. After any overhead except a defensive bandeja, your next step is towards the net.
All of it is played with the same continental grip you use for everything else — see how to hold a padel racket. Some players close the face very slightly for the víbora; that is a few degrees, not a grip change.
The three mistakes
- Smashing every lob. The lob’s quality decides the shot, not your intention.
- Hitting flat from too deep. From behind the service line the rebound off the back glass beats you to the net.
- Reaching instead of moving. Contact behind the head means no power, no control and a shoulder that will complain within a season.
Does the racket matter for the smash?
More than for any other shot. The overhead is where a diamond frame earns its money: mass at the head means racket-head speed, and our graded diamond rackets average 91 for power against 73 for the round ones. The Babolat Technical Viper records the highest power figure in our database at 97, and it is a frame built for exactly this shot.
The cost is the other 90% of the match: those same diamonds average 73 for forgiveness against 86 for round frames. Buying a smashing racket to improve a smash you play four times a set is a poor trade until the rest of your game is settled. The full numbers are in padel racket shapes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a smash in padel?
An overhead. Padel has four — the bandeja, the víbora, the por tres and the flat por cuatro — and they differ in spin, speed and purpose rather than being variations of one shot.
What is the difference between a bandeja and a smash?
The bandeja is a slow, sliced overhead whose job is to keep you at the net after a good lob. A smash is an attacking shot aimed at ending the point. Playing a bandeja when the lob was good is usually the winning choice.
Why does my padel smash keep coming back?
Because the back glass returns it. Unless the pace and angle make the rebound unplayable, a flat smash gives the defenders a free attack while you are still recovering. Attack only off a short lob you can take in front of you.
What is a por tres in padel?
A topspin smash aimed to bounce steeply and carry over the three-metre side fence, taking the ball out of the court. If the opponents cannot go out and play it back, the point is over.
Can you win a point by smashing the ball out of the court?
Yes, provided it bounced on their floor first. They are then entitled to go out and return it where the court and venue allow — which on most enclosed British courts is not possible.
Which padel racket is best for smashing?
A diamond. Our graded diamond frames average 91 for power against 73 for round ones. They also average 73 for forgiveness against 86, which is why we do not recommend one until the rest of your game is consistent.
Sources. Shot names, spin types and the fence-height reference: padel coaching sources and the Spanish shot vocabulary, consulted 30/08/2026. Court and fence dimensions and the rule on balls leaving the court: Rules of Padel, International Padel Federation (FIP). Power and forgiveness figures are PadelGrade’s own — see how we grade.