Every first padel session has the same confusing moment. You are mid-rally, someone shouts "bandeja!" or your partner calls for a "chiquita", and everyone else seems to know exactly what to do. It sounds like an order at a Spanish restaurant, and you are certainly not the first beginner to nod along and hope the ball goes somewhere sensible.
The names are Spanish because the professional game grew up in Spain and Argentina, and the vocabulary travelled with it, right onto courts in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Delhi. Whether you play mixed doubles with colleagues, a weekend with friends or an all girls’ game, you will hear these words pretty often. This guide explains eight of them in plain English: what each shot is, when players reach for it, and why. It closes with how the shape of your racket nudges you towards some shots over others.
Why Padel Needs So Many Names
Padel is played inside a glass-walled court, and the ball is allowed to bounce off the walls after it has bounced on the floor. That gives you far more ways to hit the ball, and far more places it can go, than in tennis or pickleball. Players need to call a shot in half a second, so each one gets a short name. Spanish dominates simply because Spain and Argentina dominate the professional game.
The upside for beginners is that the shots are not as many as they sound. Most of them fall into three groups: resetting the point, overheads, and finishers. Learn the groups and the names stop being a wall of noise.
Resetting the Point
Globo (Lob)
A globo is a lob: a high ball hit deep towards the back of the court. Defensively, it buys you time when you are pinned at the back. Offensively, it pushes opponents away from the net, where they would much rather be. Reach for it when the other pair is crowding the net and you have no clean pass. A good globo hands you back the position you were losing, and it is usually the first shot a beginner learns to trust.
Chiquita ("The Little One")
A chiquita is a soft, low shot played from the back of the court at the feet of opponents standing at the net. The name means "little one" in Spanish. Because they cannot hit it hard, they have to scoop it back up, which gives you a ball you can attack. Use it when you are behind in a rally and need to calm things down. It is the patient player's way of moving forward, and it rewards touch over strength, which is good news if you came to padel for a workout that does not feel like one.
Dejada (Drop Shot)
A dejada is the padel drop shot: a delicate ball that lands just over the net with very little pace, usually with slice so it sits low. It works when opponents are standing deep or have been pulled back to the glass, because they simply cannot reach it in time. Use it sparingly. Played once, it is a lovely surprise. Played five times, opponents start waiting for it, and a dejada that sits up is a gift.
The Overheads: Bandeja, Víbora and Bajada
Padel is full of high balls, because lobs are everywhere. These three overheads decide what you do with them.
Bandeja ("Tray")
A bandeja is a controlled overhead hit with slice, played deep so the ball stays low after it comes off the glass. It is named after the Spanish word for tray, because the racket face is held open at around head height, as if you were carrying one. It is not meant to win the point. It is meant to keep you at the net while the other pair keeps defending. Reach for it when a lob comes back that is too high to volley but not worth a full smash. It is often called the most famous shot in padel, so learning it early is time well spent.
Víbora ("Viper")
A víbora is the bandeja's more aggressive cousin: an overhead hit with sidespin, usually at around shoulder to head height, so the ball kicks sideways off the floor and glass and is harder to return. Víbora is the Spanish word for viper, and the shot has a bite to match. Players use it when the lob is a little better and they want to put pressure on without going for a full smash. It is faster and riskier than a bandeja, so most beginners are better off mastering the tray first.
Bajada ("Descent")
A bajada is an overhead played after the ball has rebounded off the glass behind you, hit downwards and forwards. The name means "bringing down" in Spanish. When an opponent's lob clears you and bounces back off the back wall, you let it drop and take it on the way down, either to attack or simply to reset and get your partner back to the net. It looks like a smash, but it is a high energy tactical shot.
The Finishers: Remate and Por Tres
Remate ("Finish")
A remate is the full-power smash, hit on a high ball, usually close to the net, to try to end the point. Remate means "finish" in Spanish. In padel, though, the walls keep the ball alive, and a hard smash that merely bounces off the glass can come straight back at you. That is why experienced players talk about placement rather than power, and why beginners soon learn that louder does not mean better.
Por Tres ("For Three")
A por tres, often written x3, is a kick smash designed to send the ball out of the court over the three-metre side wall. The ball bounces in the opponent's court, kicks off the back glass and flies out over the side, which makes it very hard to return. Hence the name, "for three". It is usually played from near the net when you get a comfortable lob, and strong topspin helps. Mistime it and the ball sits up for a counterattack, so commit only when you are sure.
How the Shots Fit Together
In a real rally these shots chain into each other. A typical point might start with a chiquita to pull the net pair off balance, followed by a globo when they close in. If the lob comes back short, a bandeja keeps you at the net, and a high ball that finally sits up becomes a remate. A dejada can interrupt the pattern whenever opponents drift deep. Seen this way, the names are less a vocabulary test and more a plan: defend calmly, wait for a loose ball, then attack it.
Does Your Racket Shape Change the Shots You Play?
To a degree, yes. Padel rackets come in three broad shapes, and each places the sweet spot, the part of the face that gives the cleanest hit, in a slightly different place. That nudges you towards certain shots. Technique matters far more than shape, but if you are choosing a first racket, it is worth knowing.
Round: for control shots
A round head puts the sweet spot near the centre of the face and is the most forgiving on off-centre hits. That suits the patient shots: the globo, chiquita and dejada. FirstEdge Sports' Kinex Carbon Fibre Padel Racket is a good worked example, with a round head and an even balance. If you are still working out whether a chiquita is a shot or a snack, a round head is the kindest place to start.
Teardrop: for all-round play
A teardrop shape moves the sweet spot a little higher, balancing control and power, which suits the bandeja and víbora. The Equinex 3K Carbon Fibre Padel Racket is teardrop shaped, a good fit for players who want one racket that can defend and attack.
Diamond: for power
A diamond head moves the sweet spot higher still, which adds power on overheads but is less forgiving when you miss the middle. That suits the remate and por tres. The Dynamex 12K Carbon Fibre Padel Racket has a diamond head that shifts the sweet spot up for extra power on smashes, which is why it tends to suit players who already have a bandeja they trust.
Where to Start
You will not learn eight shots in a week, and you do not need to. Start with the globo and the chiquita. Add a bandeja once those two feel natural, and let the rest turn up as your game does. A simple way to practise is to pick one shot per session and use it on purpose, even when another shot would be easier. Shot names stick fastest when you have felt them.
When you are ready to pick a racket of your own, FirstEdge Sports' range of padel rackets covers round, teardrop and diamond heads, so you can match the racket to the game you want to play.
