If you’re new to padel or you’re just gaining confidence on the 20×10, you may be looking to take the plunge into the racket market. Our Spanish padel expert, Joaquín Serna Sánchez, recommends a few weapons to choose from.
(Before we begin, you may want to read Joaquín’s previous article in which he explains what aspects you should take into account before you make your selection)
Adidas Drive 3.2
This racket from the Adidas collection is designed to pass a lot of balls into the opponent’s court, something you need to focus on during your first games with friends.
Its round shape and sweet spot allow you to have great control in your shots and it also helps you defend well at the back of the court. It has a forgiving sweet spot so you don’t have to worry about not hitting with the centre of the racket.
It is made of fibreglass and does not generate vibration in the arm when hitting the ball, which is a plus point to avoid injuries. This is because the designers have used EVA Soft performance rubber, which makes the surface more flexible.
In addition, there is a special version for female players, the Adidas Light Drive 3.2, which is slightly lighter and allows for greater arm mobility without overloading the arm.
Its current price is around £55 despite being a new racket this season.
HEAD Alpha Power
If you are competitive and you’re focused on improving from the first minute you step onto a padel court, this one could be a great option for you.
The Alpha Power is a racket characterised by its versatility. It teardrop shape helps you defend without problems from the back and be a little more aggressive near the net when you start to get the hang of making faster and more powerful shots.
Its exclusive design also makes the racket attractive, with an eye-catching heart (the hole between the body of the racket and the grip). In addition, it is a very strong and durable racket as it incorporates Graphene 60+ technology, which makes it the perfect companion for playing several matches a week. Don’t expect it to be able to withstand many hits to the fence or glass.
It is currently priced at around £85 and is for the 2022 season.
Bullpadel Indiga control
We couldn’t miss Bullpadel from this list – a brand characterised by having numerous models aimed at the beginner level.
The Indiga Control, as its name suggests, is a round racket with a large contact surface that forgives players’ technical errors. It is the perfect racket to always get one more ball in and keep your opponents moving with basic shots such as the lob.
Being composed of Eva Soft Rubber, it packs a punch even though we notice a soft hit when it hits the surface. If you are one of those who want to try to win points through the smash, you can also try the Bullpadel Indiga Power model, a manageable racket that will allow you to give direction to your shots even if your technique is not the most appropriate.
Like the Adidas Drive 3.2, this racket also has an exclusive model for women: the Bullpadel Indiga Women, weighing between 350 and 360 grams.
The collection is currently priced at around £50 and was released in 2022.
Adidas Match
This Adidas racket is perhaps the most manageable and comfortable to use in this list.
Its flexible composition and teardrop shape make it a versatile racket both at the back of the court, as well as in transition shots towards the net and when defending.
It is a perfect weapon to enjoy your first matches and get a medium pace of play, which also allows you to pass many balls to the other side of the court and therefore make longer points for greater enjoyment of the game.
Like other entry level rackets, it is reinforced with EVA Soft performance rubber, which also makes it a durable racket until you start to level up and the game becomes faster and with more powerful impacts.
It is currently priced at around £65 and is also from 2022.
Kuikma Precision Soft
Finally, we recommend a model from Kuikma, a well-known brand owned by Decathlon, which sponsors players who have been number one on the World Padel Tour such as Maxi Sánchez and Lucía Sainz.
This racket is characterised by its stiffness, which allows it to give power on the ball when hitting it at high speed, but this does not mean that the shots lose control, as its rounded shape allows the player to have a greater margin of error.
If you are a player who likes to control the points and play balls with depth at the back of the court, this model will respond perfectly to your intentions. In addition, its large sweet spot means that when volleying you have the opportunity to better direct your shots to whichever side of the court you choose.
The current price of this model is around £75 and it has the advantage that Decathlon allows you to try it for three days to see if you are happy with it (as the company does with any model of the Kuikma brand).
